A Tent Away from Home

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All told slur camp gear would have cost us about $35 plus shipping, (perhaps a month's wages), but it would certainly have weighed well over a hundred pounds!

Leaves of Three, Let It Be

Poison ivy, poison oak, and poison sumac all contain allergy producing oleoresins in their oily sap. While poison ivy is found in all 50 states, poison oak is common on the West Coast, and poison sumac is primarily native to the southeast. Reaction to the resin can vary from apparent immunity to itching, rashes, blisters, and oozing sores. Scratching will relieve the condition for only a few seconds and can increase the risk of infection. Calamine lotion may relieve itching.

Sap takes from 20 minutes to five hours to penetrate into the skin, so if you think you have brushed against a poisonous plant, wash immediately. Water alone may often be enough. Also, wash any clothes that have come into contact with these plants because the resin stays active for months.

Identification

Poison Ivy: Vine or, more commonly, small shrub with clusters of three leaves that are shiny or dull, with edges that are notched or smooth. Toward the end of summer, white berry clusters form at the plant's base.

Poison Oak: Shrub or small tree with three-leaf clusters and more smoothly notched leaf edges. Downy hair covers the entire plant and yellow berries form in very early autumn.
Poison Sumac: Tall, thin woody plant prevalent in soggy areas, with seven to 13 leaves per cluster, including the three at each tip. It has off-white berries.

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