1. Do Your Research
Before you set off on your trip, take the time to become familiar with the vegetation found on your route. Buy a small book that lists the names and photos of toxic plants. Mark the pages of plants that grow in the region of your backpacking trip and pack the book in your backpack so you can reference it. To save space in your backpack, cut out the pages with the relevant plants, laminate them, punch a hole in the corner of the pages and bind them together with a small ring.
2. Don't Eat Them
Never eat wild plants or mushrooms. Cooking or boiling a plant isn't a guaranteed way of destroying a poisonous plant's toxicity. Be sure to pack enough food for your trip that you won't be forced to scavenge food from the wilderness. If you do need to find food, eat only fruits or berries from a plant you have confirmed is safe. Similarly, if you need to use a plant's stem as a meat skewer, use only a plant that's known to be safe. Don't assume that a plant is safe if a bird or squirrel is eating it.
3. Head Off Contamination
If you come into contact with poison ivy, oak or sumac, immediately wash your clothes with hot water. Clothing, shoes and even your dog's coat can spread the poisonous oils of these plants, causing others in your group to get the rash. You might be able to avoid a rash if you wash your skin with warm, soapy water within 15 minutes of coming into contact with a poisonous plant. Poison ivy is found mostly in eastern North America. It mostly grows as ground cover and has smooth green leaves with 3 lobes. Poison oak, which has fuzzy fruit, grows across the United States. The poison oak plant's sometimes wrinkled leaves typically have a scalloped edge and 3 to 5 lobes. Poison sumac grows in swampy areas and has cream-colored berries. The leaves are bluish green and might have red tips. Poison sumac is the most poisonous of the three plants.
4. Keep Covered
It's better for your clothes to come into contact with poisonous plants than your skin. If you're hiking through vegetation, wear pants and long sleeves. Pack biodegradable toilet paper in your backpack so you won't need to use plants for this purpose.
