Great Meadow National Wildlife Refuge

Late November we went small 5 mile hiking in the Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge in Concord, Massachusetts. The trail here are along Concord river and impoundment. We had before kayaked on the Concord river of this portion and saw hikers walking along. We thought that it might be interesting to hike in this area, so now we came. 

Hike started with dike trail east. It was peaceful area. As you may notice, this area has a lot of birds, and therefore it is National Wildlife Refuge. Continuously you can hear the songs of birds. It must be very good to live for birds. There are trees, ponds, river, and marsh grounds. Tree sections and marsh land area is clearly separated. One side of trail is forest and river, and the other side is marsh meadows without trees with vast view. This is not a type of hike to climb and check the hard mountains, but ambling and listening to the birds. 

One thins I had to be very careful was poison ivy. There is a big sign to make hikers realize that the area is poison ivy. Poison ivy contains oil called urushiol and it can cause very irritating and itchy rashes on your skin. I am extremely sensitive to the oil. 

My history related to urushiol started a number of years ago in California. In California, there is a huge habitat of poison oak. Poison oak and poison ivy has the same oil, urushiol. This oil is actually the reason why the plants are called poison. When your skin gets contact with the oil, the rash will come in 1 or 2 days later. It is all immune response. 

As an immunologist, I will tell you what happens. First of all, the oil itself is not toxic at all. However, the oil is absorbed in the skin and conjugates with protein in the skin, it will cause immune responses. That conjugation takes at least several hours, so the rash comes later. Oil-protein conjugation is now recognized by immune cells in the skin, then those cells migrate into lymph nodes, then immune memory will be established. This steps takes up to 24-48 hours. After that, finally many immune cells infiltrate into the area oil was contacted, then rash will happen. 

The rash is not only ugly in appearance, but it is super itchy. I am okay if it is just rash on the skin. Being itchy is unbearable. It is 100 times itchier than mosquito bites. It is too itchy to work and sleep. When I had bad rash everywhere, I had to put ice packs on the rashes to work. Otherwise, it was too itchy to do anything. I put ice packs when I go to bed and I woke up by feeling itchy in the middle of night because ice packs fell from the rash area. The rash last 1 week to a month depending on how severe it is. 

Although it is super itchy you should not scratch. If you scratch, you will be likely to be infected by bacteria in the nail. If this happens, antibiotics are necessary. 

Treatment for rashes is steroid cream. Depending on severity, steroid intensity will be determined. 

I have experienced from mild to very severe ones many times. My immune memory was completely established, so I am so sensitive to poison ivy and poison oak. Even if I pass near the poison oak I get rash. 

So everytime I come back from hiking when I saw poison ivy/oak, I wash my body with Tecnu. This detergent can extract oil from skin. Be careful. If oil-protein conjugation process is already done, this wash doesn't work. Washing should be as soon as possible after finishing hike. 

Luckily poison ivy is not abundant compared to poison oak in California. Massachusetts is too cold for poison ivy but California is great for poison oak. 

Now on this post, more poison ivy/oak than actual hike, but this is very important!