Bean Hollow - Poison Oak

Watch out for the bushes next to road side parking at the Bean.

Laid my yak on the roadside grass/bushes - then took of wetsuit - then loaded car.

I've got some painful stripes on arms and sides today.  I saw it all over the place when scouting Gazos Creek a couple weeks ago - but wasn't looking for it at the bean last Saturday.

Gordo (aka Scratch)

   Dude!  that S#!T is all over the BEAN!  we had a BBQ there on "the Day" and the picnic table is completely surrounded by it!  I get it bad and spotted it EVERYWHERE!  along the whole stretch of road and those bushes that are so pretty bright red is THEM!   after pointing it out,NO ONE knew it?, except for ALEX/Alien and he confirmed it....and Angel/Pacifico had some on his ankle from the weekend brfore and thought it was fleas from the sand?   Watch what you touch, when you touch urself!    Caladril(sp?) is better that calmine and is CLEAR when dries, not pink.

The poison oak is just a rite of passage at Bean Hollow.  You can't expect to take all those fish without giving a little something in return.

I always itch for a few days after, but I think I'm mostly immune to it now after having it so often as a kid when I lived in Oregon surrounded by the stuff.

The poison oak is just a rite of passage at Bean Hollow

sad but true 

Lucky for me, I have never had the "itch".... I simply practice safe kayak fishing and stay on the trail most travelled 

Yep, I had it for a couple of weeks. 

Is there anyway to prevent it rather than trying to alleviate the pain after it happens?

Thanks for the info. I thought you guys were pulling my legs when yon mention at the picnic area last time. Luckily that shit didn't me that day! 

Best thing I have done is take a cool shower as soon as you are exposed, and use Tech-Nu (available at longs, etc) to remove the oil from your skin. For me this dramatically reduces the reaction i get.
I've been battling oak for years & pretty much the more often you get it, the less resistance your skin has. I saw it at Bean right away, but it is more subtle there. Its much lower to the ground along the trail and has smaller leaves then the plants I see up in Bonny Doon. They are still as potent though. I've got a slight case on my ankles right now from last weekend.

Don't touch it or it touch you!.....there are some $$$ pre-apply solutions out there, but you got to apply it before you know your gonna get it?....and there are "post" washes that you wash up with..after you knowingly contacted it!   IMO....if you touch it..go down to the beach and wash the area ans hope the salt will dry out the oils before they spread and penetrate, Mud/dirt works as an absorbent. Ever hear of putting some mud on a bee sting? it's supposed to DRAW out the poison.

DON'T SCATCH IT....even if it feels SO GOOD to do so.  that's way it lasted a couple of weeks.  after it gets scratched it breaks the skin-layer and ozes the oily poison on to your hand and then you go urinate and the party has just BEGUN!  

Thanks for the info. I thought you guys were pulling my legs when yon mention at the picnic area last time. Luckily that shit didn't me that day! 

I wondered if you got it the way you were pulling your ice-chest throught it. PLASTIC is the #1 thing that will sped it as if it were straight off the plant..nothing to obsorb into and will stay on the plastic surface for a long time...watch out! when you grab it again!  alchohol will kill it/dilute oils.

 I feed the ducks i got from rockfish branches of it and then eat the eggs. some people will even eat the baby buds of leaves in the springtime. I own acres of the stuff and work around it all the time and only get it mildly at worst.  Randall

Uh... yeah... too bad about the scratching... so, how was the fishing???

Freddie

I feed the ducks i got from rockfish branches of it and then eat the eggs. some people will even eat the baby buds of leaves in the springtime. I own acres of the stuff and work around it all the time and only get it mildly at worst.  Randall

I wouldn't recommend eating the baby buds in the spring. For every person that it might help, somebody else will end up in the hospital with a blocked airway. If you really want to try to develop resistance, there is a homeopathic remedy called Rhus Tox that will sometimes work, but no danger of it causing a rash. The best bet is to learn to ID it and avoid it.

There are some soaps that have helped me prevent from getting when I used to cut wood in the stuff. The worst case I ever got was on my hands from taking off and handling my boots.

-Brian G

I guess I'm pretty lucky that it doesn't affect me ... I've been in it on more than one occasion and nada!!!   

-Allen

My skin gets reaction to it pretty bad. Stay away from the plant. Big Sur has ton of them and everywhere.

Allen - Are you sure you are immune to its reaction? Better be safe than itchy.  Stay away ...

Allen - Are you sure you are immune to its reaction? Better be safe than itchy.  Stay away ...

Of course it's not something I willingly roll around in and test.  I just know I've been in it before and didn't have any reactions.

-Allen