Poison Ivy on the PCT?

[ShelterLeopard]

Hey doods, how widespread is poison ivy on the PCT? (I'm super allergic, and I'm trying to decide if I should include extra bottles of technu in my drops)


PCT!!!!!

[10-K]

Google "poodle dog bush pct" (without the quotes).

No poison ivy that I recall but there *is* poison oak.

[ShelterLeopard]

10-K- I've hear horror stories about the poodle dog bush! Sounds pretty easy to avoid if ya know what to look for, though.

[Traveler]

Poison Oak is probably the more prevalent threat, made more so by its ability to take on different appearances. Its closely related to poison ivy (which is present in the PNW) so if you are sensitive to poison ivy, you'll likely be the same way with poison oak. Best defense is to avoid contact with it by getting familiar with it through pictures and other sources.

[Miner]

Though poison oak exists in some of the canyons in SoCal, it isn't often seen along the Pct there. In Northern California, it can be commonly seen where the trail drops into lower elevations. Section O is one of the lower sections has it and near several towns located in a low valley that you drop off the crest to go to such as Belden.

[Dogwood]

It's along the PCT in the northern sections. P Oak is more prevalent in the southern areas from all that I recall. Knowing how to identify and appropriately avoid has always been my best recourse.

[Miner]

Funny story about poison oak in section O. I was squatting behind a tree and there was an annoying vine in the way. So I grab it to pull it out and then notice the only 3 leaves on the entire vine. Yep, it was poison oak. The only piece of it I had seen all morning and I'm squatting over it while holding it in my hand.

The most annoying thing about it in N.Cal, is its often behind another plant growing out through it so you don't notice it until the last minute. Wear long sleeves and pants, don't sleep in them at night and wash your pack in town if you are concerned about it.

[brian039]

It's around a lot of the natural water sources in Southern California. Just be careful where you sit and put your pack.

[ShelterLeopard]

Thanks y'all!

[SCRUB HIKER]

Everywhere that I encountered poison oak, I had already read warnings about it for that specific location in Yogi's trail guide and/or Halfmile's notes, and was on the lookout. I suppose you could get in a little trouble when you're brown-blazing off trail, as Miner said, but otherwise I was always expecting it. The PCT is pretty well figured out by the guidebook and map makers.

And if anyone tries to tell you that you might not be allergic to poison oak if you are to poison ivy, they're full of it. It's the same chemical (urushiol) in both that's causing the reaction.

[sbhikes]

A lot of what people think is poison oak in section O is squaw bush. The two grow together so like every 5th bush was poison oak and the rest squaw bush. Nobody believed me and I was dared to rub it on my face, which I did. It's easy to tell the difference if you know what to look for. PO has three leaflets on short stems, no thorns, smooth lobes. Squaw bush has three leaflets without stems, no thorns and smooth lobes, and the leaflets have a particular shape that you can learn to recognize. Blackberry has thorns and serrated edges.

The poodle dog bush is probably a worse problem as it can be really hard to ninja your way through it. It's only down in So Cal and only at around 4000-5000ft in the burn areas. It's a fire follower so eventually it'll go away.

[SCRUB HIKER]

The poodle dog bush is probably a worse problem as it can be really hard to ninja your way through it. It's only down in So Cal and only at around 4000-5000ft in the burn areas. It's a fire follower so eventually it'll go away.

No, poodle dog bush is much much less of a problem, due to hyper-awareness of it and ease of spotting/smelling it. You're not just going to stumble into it like you might with poison oak. And the worst areas are talked about and hyped up so much that you'd have to have intentionally avoided all human contact for weeks not to have heard about them in advance. There are well-signed detours around two of the worst areas, after Cajon Pass and after the Mill Creek Ranger Station.

[sbhikes]

I believe I took the trail instead of the poodle dog detour in 2011 so maybe that's my memory of it. It was really thick and I know I couldn't avoid it. I didn't get any on my skin thankfully. The poison oak further north is so limited. There's not enough of it to worry yourself about it.

[10-K]

I believe I took the trail instead of the poodle dog detour in 2011 so maybe that's my memory of it. It was really thick and I know I couldn't avoid it. I didn't get any on my skin thankfully. The poison oak further north is so limited. There's not enough of it to worry yourself about it.

I took the trail instead of the alternate as well. Made it through without getting any on me.

[HooKooDooKu]

Being in the SouthEast, I'm not sure about Poison Oak... we have Poison Ivy here...

...but according to Wikipedia articles on the two plants, Poison Ivy only grows below elevations of 4,900' while Poison Oak only grows below elevations of 5,000'. From a practical mater, my experience hiking in the Great Smoky Mountains is that you don't find Poison Ivy (and it's non-poisonous competitor Virginia Creeper) at elevations much above 3,000'.

So my educated guess (and it's only a guess because I don't hike out west) is that once you get above 4,000', you're unlikely to encounter Poison Oak.

What I do know is that if you are allergic to Poison Ivy, you'll also be allergic to Poison Oak. Both produce Urushiol oil, and that is what causes people to break out from contact with Poison Oak, Poison Ivy, and Poison Sumac.

The best defense is to watch for and avoid touching anything with three leaves until you learn to recognize Poison Oak from other plants with three leaves (leaflets for you botanist purists).

[Malto]

I believe I took the trail instead of the poodle dog detour in 2011 so maybe that's my memory of it. It was really thick and I know I couldn't avoid it. I didn't get any on my skin thankfully. The poison oak further north is so limited. There's not enough of it to worry yourself about it.

I walked right through it in 2011, frankly didn't even hear of it broadly until 2012. I survived. There was a lot of poison oak in NoCal.