I think (hope) I saw the poison ivy in time.

[lark]

4. When I was in my 30's, I was climbing a sand dune which became covered with poison oak.

I was newish to the west coast and didn't realize that poison oak had red leaves in the late summer/early fall. When I started climbing a sand dune, after a bit it was covered in these red broad leafed vining plants, which I used to pull myself up, getting my hands & knees somewhat abraded in the process. I quickly noticed my skin starting to burn. By the time I got home I had big rashes all over my knees and hands. By the following days, I had huge weaping sores all over my stomach and legs, hands and arms, it just kept spreading. I tried everything at the drug store for 2 weeks, nothing worked. In desperation, I finally went to the dr. and got put on steroids and told to never ever get near this plant again as the reaction would be worse and I'd probably end up in a hospital.

I have never climbed a sand dune since then, and now that I have relocated back to my home state, I look closely for poison ivy.