On our camping trip to Forestville/Mystery Cave State Park we did some hiking (and toured the cave too.) On one hike we had a great, wide trail to walk on but there was a very narrow section that took us through some brush…and Stinging Nettle. We, of course, did not know the nettles were there but we quickly found out even though I’ve never been stung by nettles before we knew the symptoms. It’s distinct!
After pouring some drinking water on our legs we continued to hike on but just a few minutes later we stopped to talk to the camp host who was on his ATV checking on the trail. He was a kind man and eager to talk to us and had a wealth of knowledge about the park and its plants. I asked about nettles. He said there were a lot of Stinging Nettle in the park but he had an antidote…Jewelweed. Within seconds he identified some Jewelweed and picked a few leaves for us to rub on our legs. Almost instantly it took away the sting! We were pleasantly surprised and very happy to run across this angel on the trail. The nettle sting didn’t bother us any more!