Poison Oak Expert.

Can you find the Poison Oak in this picture?

Because I couldn't.

We went backpacking last week at Point Reyes. It was a cold, rainy few days full of beach-combing, beef jerky, and unfortunately, poison oak exposure.

Many of ou family outings result in this calamity. We live at about 3500 ft. and we are thankfully above were poison oak is most rampant, but generally- the California foothills are completely infested with it.

As a kid in New Jersey, I got Poison Ivy a lot, as I tended to stray into the woods whenever I got a chance. Weeping red rashes are no new thing to me.

I tend to think I have the sense and the immune system to beat almost anything. So, I never really avoided poison oak as an adult. I'd get it from time to time, but once we started Geocaching, we started getting more and more of it. I've learned some important things about this awful plant and the condition it causes.

1. You cannot build a resistance to it. In fact, the more you are exposed, the worse your reaction get throughout your life. This is one of the cruelest facts I've ever learned. I mean, really? There's nothing you can do? The resounding factual response I've heard from doctors, forestry specialists and other quasi-experts is...no.

2. I like to think building my immune response against things will save me. In this case- it won't- in fact, avoid anything that might increase your immune response. I found this out the hard way. I got poison oak, and then developed a sore throat. I did my normal garlic-eating, vitamin c-chomping, and Echinacea tea ritual to ward off a cold. The next morning, I was COVERED in even MORE Poison Oak. I hadn't been re-exposed. The rash grows in these conditions- if your immune system goes nuts trying to fight something, it fights the poison oak in the form of a rash along with it. Curiously, I've found that I actually get a sore throat when I get even a little bit of poison oak. Coincidence?

3. Don't waste money on stupid things like Cortisone creams. In my opinion, its all crap. Nothing works except things that dry and sting. I like the sting- its the only that cuts through this nasty stuff. Vinegar, Alcohol, heck, even lemon juice, and gives that good burn- but I don't really recommend those. We use Peppermint oil or Tea Tree Oil. Both are natural and totally beneficial. We buy Bentonite Clay masks from a health food store, make it up with water and peppermint oil, slather it on the rash and let it dry. It cools, stings a bit and then dry up the nasty ooze that's inevitable with Poison Oak. Tea Tree oil comes in roller applicators, the cheapest of which can be bought at Trader Joes. This is EXCELLENT for this rash. Keep it handy and use at will.

4. You're not safe in the Winter. In fact, as far as the Maszczak family is concerned- Winter is the WORST. I don't know why.

I promise to post on more interesting things tomorrow. Poison Oak has pretty much dominated my weekend, with my husband and two of the kids completely covered in it. Nothing like poison oak on a child's eyelids to put your life in perspective.

Oh well- the view was beautiful and we had fun, like we always do.