Poison oak, next week's weather, and fashion choices

Everything that has been posted on the Worlds site and various Facebook pages so far about treating poison oak is more or less correct. Wash thoroughly with soap and/or use Worlds sponsor Zanfel or Technu. The sooner you do it, the better in terms of severity and prevention of spreading. But wouldn't it be better to prevent exposure in the first place?

One of the main things you can do to lessen exposure is simply wear long pants. The weather is supposed to be quite mild during the 2011 Worlds, with highs on the hottest course (Pinto Lake) possibly never even reaching 80 degrees. Remember, too, that Northern California has very low humidity.  Getting a tan isn't worth it if it means also experiencing Poison Oak, which is many times more potent than Poison Ivy. And it'll be overcast most of the time anyway.

• DeLaBlahg packs a travel size/trial size pack of 'Wet Wipes' in our disc golf bag for times when we know we've contacted the vile weed. Immediate cleansing with the wipes seems to neutralize the toxic oils. Read it somewhere, and it's always worked for us.

• As you keep your eye out for the leafy poison oak plants on the ground, don't forget that the gnarliest (literally) plants are the vines that climb trees. They don't have many leaves, but if you get scratched by one and it breaks the skin, look out. To be safe, steer clear of any dry, brittle-looking vines you see creeping up trees.