Poison ivy in the Whites?

[ceo]

Hi. I usually hang out in the skiing forum (edit: as I suppose is obvious from my user pic), but I'm thinking of bringing my son on some day hikes in the White Mountains this summer, and was wondering about the prevalence of poison ivy. This is an issue of some concern because my wife is incredibly allergic to the stuff, and it's possible my son is too. I grew up hiking the Whites regularly and never had a problem, but I don't know if things have changed since then.

 

[Abubob]

Unless you plan on bushwhacking I seriously doubt this would be a problem. Even so I've seen more poison ivy in developed areas than on any hiking trails in the Whites. Still its good to keep your eyes open.

 

[Nick]

I'm not 100% sure (I am not allergic to poison ivy, luckily!) but I found this: http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopi...Mosquitoes-White_Mountains_New_Hampshire.html

I would be willing to be there is some poison ivy everywhere in the northeast. Just a matter of being alert and aware.

When you say very allergic, like more than a normal allergy? Like, hospitalization or something?

I would be sure to wear long pants / long sleeve shirts if that is the case.

 

[Cannonball]

I am insanely allergic to PI. Never was as a kid, but unfortunately I am now after years of working in the woods. It's a sensitizer, so the greater your exposure the worse your reactions become. I'm at the point where I even see the stuff and I have a breakout.

PI does exits in NH including in the whites. But it's a matter of degrees. Where I live in SE Mass it is EVERYWHERE!!! On every single trail, hanging from trees, the beach, EVERYWHERE! So for me, it seems barely noticeable in the Whites. It's there, but you don't see it all the time, and it's not on every trail. Not sure what it's like where you are coming from. But if you are south of NH you are probably used to WAY worse conditions than you'd find on a northern NH hike. If you know how to spot it (which you probably are if your wife has issues) it's easily avoidable on well maintained trails in the Whites. You should be fine. Just watch were your stepping, clean your boots and other gear after a hike, and be careful if you bring dogs (who seem to always get into it).

I work, and play, in the woods. So I've developed a million PI precautions. I'm happy to share, but I assume you already know that drill if you're even asking. Good luck!

 

[billski]

I've never encountered it. That does not mean it's not there. When I bushwhack I always go in long pants. I spend more time getting ticks off than anything. Most of the time when I do see it, it's on boundaries, such as between forests and grasslands.

 

[David Metsky]

PI basically doesn't grow above 1000', so most hiking trails are completely free of it. I've been hiking in the Whites for 30 years and haven't encountered it at all, and I'd know if I had since I'm extremely susceptible to it.

It is around at lower elevations, so just being in NH doesn't mean you won't encounter it.

 

[RENO]

Never seen it hiking in the Whites...

 

[Gnarcissaro]

Never seen it while hiking and I've been out an awful lot in the last 7 years living up here.

 

[FridayHiker]

I live in the Whites and have encountered poison ivy quite a bit along rivers while fishing (the Gale and Ammonoosuc in Lisbon are particularly awful).

There is also some poison ivy in Franconia Notch near the Flume. Local lore says that it was actually imported with some of the trees that were brought in for planting during the Notch reconstruction in the late 1980's, but it is absolutely there, and I've seen FNSP workers with rather bad cases of it that they've picked up at work.

In general, though, there's much less of it around than most places, especially if you stick north of the notches.