If you're reading this, chances are you live in coastal California. And if you live in coastal California, it's extremely likely you've been around poison oak, or maybe been subjected to the itchy, bumpy torture that is exposure to urushiol oils. I have once, and the worst part is, I didn't even get it from touching the actual plant. I got it from touching someone else who touched the plant: all the pain of dermatitis, none of the outdoors fun. Point being, the oils are sneaky and tough to wash off. We'll get into poison oak treatment in a future post, but for now, we'll focus on figuring out how to avoid its treacherous leaves. And what's the first step in avoidance? Identification.

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We just got back from an epic weekend in Henry Coe State Park with eight amazing women: teachers, marketing pros, program managers, a writer, a culinary school grad, a public health guru, and one lady who can quote practically every line from 'Empire Records.' In short, it was pretty darn stellar. Pictures are worth a thousand words, so here's a selection of iPhone trip shots, plus a music video.

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I don’t remember when I first became interested in FUD’s, but I do remember why. It’s because I wanted to be able to pee like a guy. And why not? For a Trail Maven, the primary upside of peeing outside is that you don’t have to wait in line. The downsides include having to search for enough cover so you don’t moon anyone (try doing that in a field), a lack of control over where your pee goes (who hasn’t accidentally peed on their own shoes?), and drip-drying (which has never gotten me anywhere close to dry). 

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