Yikes !

I had a nice hike with my friends Dave and Kathi over the Fourth.We hiked from the Sonoma Coast inland about three miles to Pomo Canyon. Along the way we saw beautiful groves of Redwoods, Scenic views of the coast and an abundance of wildflowers and plants.That evening, we watched the fireworks from Kathi’s deck overlooking Petaluma.

The next morning I noticed that my sunblock hadn’t covered all the spots I had wished, and saw a small angry patch of red on my right arm. It did not itch, but began to blister as the day went on. That night I put some Technu lotion on it, showered and went to bed. The next morning, my left arm from my elbow to my wrist was red… and it itched this time. Just as I suspected, Poison Oak !

For the past week, I’ve been alternating between Cal Gel and Technu lotion and cold water sponge baths. This is not my first encounter with this stuff, and each time I go for a hike I pray that it is my last. Luckily, I’ve head it off at the pass and so far have not been infected on any other area of my body.I’ve taken special care to wrap my arm so as to not spread the oils around.

Anyway, this bout with the devil’s botanicals hasn’t ended yet but it is subsiding. My friend Don emailed me to see if I was up for a hike at Bothe Park on Friday.

I think it is a little too early, don’t you?