Morgan: Son of a Itch!

Not all vacations are fun. I did a section hike of the Appalachian Trail last weekend. I won't bore you with our trail of trials. you can read all about it on Mustangs of Destiny, however I'm here to tell you I got a very severe case of Poison Ivy that is kicking my ass. The rash started popping up immediately and now the incessant itching is driving me crazy with sleepless nights. I rubbed cortizone cream to relieve the itching but it just seems to spread further. I thought maybe the chlorine in the pool would heal me so I took a dip this afternoon, to no avail. I have a doctor appointment tomorrow and they will probably prescribe some steroids to clear me up. I started doing some research about global warming and a new strain of Super Poison Ivy and what I found was alarming. Ahhhhhh! I can't stop itching!

Climate Change Brings Super Poison Ivy

Researches Say Boost in Carbon Dioxide Has an Itchy Impact

By Kathleen Doheny
WebMD Feature

Climate change isn’t just increasing outdoor temperatures and warming up the oceans. It may also greatly increase your chances of getting a really bad case of poison ivy.

As the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere increases, it's boosting the growth of poison ivy plants, two recent studies show. These elevated carbon dioxide levels are creating bigger, stronger poison ivy plants that produce more urushiol, the oil that causes the allergic reaction and miserable poison ivy rash. The urushiol isn't just more plentiful; it might also be more potent.

"Initial data suggests that there may be a more [powerful] form of urushiol being produced with increasing carbon dioxide," says Lewis Ziska, PhD, a weed ecologist at the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Beltsville, Md., and a co-researcher of both studies.

In the last 50 years, Ziska says, the growth rate of the poison ivy plant has doubled. "The chances of encountering poison ivy and coming down with a rash are greater than they used to be," he tells WebMD.

The urushiol found in the sap of the poison ivy plant binds to skin cells when it comes into contact, says Ziska.

Touching the sap of the plant as well as touching something on which urushiol is present, such as garden tools, can result in an allergic reaction, according to the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD). Burning poison ivy plants can release urushiol particles into the air.

When the oil gets on the skin, it can penetrate in minutes, according to the AAD.

"Once it is absorbed, there is not much you can do," Ziska adds.

"Most people don't know they have come into contact until hours later or even longer, when they start reacting," says David Peng, MD, assistant professor of clinical dermatology at the University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine, Los Angeles. He runs the contact dermatitis clinic at USC, and poison ivy rash is a kind of contact dermatitis.

Typically, there is itching, redness, swelling, and the rash, according to the AAD.

"It can take hours to days to exhibit the rash," says Ronald Brancaccio, MD, clinical professor of dermatology at the New York University School of Medicine and a practicing dermatologist at the Skin Institute of New York. A reaction usually occurs within 12 to 48 hours, the AAD estimates.

Morgan: Appalachian Odyssey

Today we (Bullfrog, Son of Rhino and Me) finished our fifth leg of our Appalachian Trail odyssey. We have now gone over 100 miles from Harpers Ferry to midway down the Shenandoah Valley.
The further we get away from home the more difficult logistics become. Thats why we decided to drive both cars to the start on friday night...er the finish. We arrived at Franklins Cliffs Overlook about Ten O'clock the parking lot was empty. So we decided to look for a trail head with flashlights and a few beers. We couldn't see anything in the dark so we just enjoyed the brisk evening. Bullfrog and I were drinking beers, not son of Rhino, and everytime a car would drive by we would hide our beers. We discussed setting up the tent or sleeping in the cars. Thats when a mysterious SUV drove up and parked near us. We stood by our cars...scared. All I could think of was the Zodiac killer gunning us down as we slept in the cars. After awhile when no one got out of the SUV we decided to risk it and go to sleep. Bullfrog got into his car and me and the boy got into the Grey Ghost. I couldn't sleep at all. I kept looking around expecting to see someone standing by my window. Around 0400 I fell asleep. The next morning we woke up and Boy said "Well were still alive!" We drove 20 miles south to Beahms Gap and began the hike.

Son of Rhino wasn't happy to be there, but I had been very adament that he go with us and experience this rite of camping. We started up Thorton's Gap which was nearly all uphill for 3500ft. I tried to take it easy on the boy, stopping frequently for water breaks. We eventually made it to the top, with its sweeping vistas and cool breezes. The boy enjoyed it...although he didn't want to admit it. We found a relatively flat grassy field and set up our camp. Evidently it was the home of three deer also, because they kept circling our camp all night. Sunday we woke up and started out on our last ten miles. I was really sore and my whole body was aching so I would go slow, the boy foraging ahead with unlimited stamina. We would catch up to him sitting on a rock sipping water. Wildlife was eveywhere, We counted 31 deer the whole weekend and half a mile from the car we saw a black bear ambling alonside the trail next to us. I took a few pictures before I left him, although he could have caught me. I was so proud of the boy and he finished right alongside me. He may never want to go again, but I'm glad he shared this hike with me.