catbirdseat Posted July 7, 2003 Share Posted July 7, 2003 I was scrambling around trying to get a photo of a very rustic looking abandoned aquaduct in the Oroville area and encountered a nasty I hadn't met before. Jumping cactus. In the deserts of the Southwest, there is a cactus known as the cholla and that is sometimes referred to as "jumping cactus". That stuff is easy to avoid because by and large there is no grass around and it is tall. This stuff "hides". It is very hard to spot, even if you are looking. I was in shorts and tennis shoes. Suddenly there is pain in my calf. I look down and there is a piece of cactus stuck in my skin. This happened twice- one in the each calf muscle. It's only a few inches high, but when you step on it, it flings a piece upwards up to a foot off the ground. Eventually, I got to where I could spot the plant and avoid it. Amazing how quickly one learns in response to pain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul_detrick Posted July 7, 2003 Share Posted July 7, 2003 I seen that shit, and felt it. Have not ran into it up here yet, and really don't want to. The best is when you pull over to take a piss and step into a field of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EWolfe Posted July 7, 2003 Share Posted July 7, 2003 catbirdseat said: I was scrambling around trying to get a photo of a very rustic looking abandoned aquaduct in the Oroville area and encountered a nasty I hadn't met before. Jumping cactus. In the deserts of the Southwest, there is a cactus known as the cholla and that is sometimes referred to as "jumping cactus". That stuff is easy to avoid because by and large there is no grass around and it is tall. This stuff "hides". It is very hard to spot, even if you are looking. I was in shorts and tennis shoes. Suddenly there is pain in my calf. I look down and there is a piece of cactus stuck in my skin. This happened twice- one in the each calf muscle. It's only a few inches high, but when you step on it, it flings a piece upwards up to a foot off the ground. Eventually, I got to where I could spot the plant and avoid it. Amazing how quickly one learns in response to pain. It's got the defense mechanisms of J_B! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
icegirl Posted July 7, 2003 Share Posted July 7, 2003 What on gods green earth were you doing in OROVILLE???? Speaking as a graduate from Oroville High School, I can say that... Yes, Jumping cactus. they are well known to the natives. A cross between a prickly pear and a mexican jumping bean. They can leap all the way up to get you when you are riding (a horse) too. They are pretty stealthy, you don't see them until they've gotten you. they also jump from host to host. Say your dog gets one, before you can even ask whay she's whimpering about it's got you, too... well camouflaged... the way we used to get rid of the patches of them on our property when I was young and silly was a propane torch. cook the bastards. Hope you got all the spineys out, they can cause a bit of an abscess if left in... I probably still have tips working their way through my body like porcupine quills. Did you get to climb Omak Crack? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fence_Sitter Posted July 7, 2003 Share Posted July 7, 2003 It's got the defense mechanisms of J_B! and i guess you can follow icegirl's method for getting rid of him too? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EWolfe Posted July 7, 2003 Share Posted July 7, 2003 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
layton Posted July 7, 2003 Share Posted July 7, 2003 It's called a "jumping" cholla, aka teddy bear cholla cactus. someone pushed me over into one as a psych fake push that turned out as a real push. OUCH! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whirlwind Posted July 7, 2003 Share Posted July 7, 2003 doh bet that was a pian in the ass Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
layton Posted July 7, 2003 Share Posted July 7, 2003 so I cut them all down Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catbirdseat Posted July 7, 2003 Author Share Posted July 7, 2003 icegirl said: What on gods green earth were you doing in OROVILLE???? Speaking as a graduate from Oroville High School, I can say that... Yes, Jumping cactus. they are well known to the natives. A cross between a prickly pear and a mexican jumping bean. They can leap all the way up to get you when you are riding (a horse) too. They are pretty stealthy, you don't see them until they've gotten you. they also jump from host to host. Say your dog gets one, before you can even ask whay she's whimpering about it's got you, too... well camouflaged... the way we used to get rid of the patches of them on our property when I was young and silly was a propane torch. cook the bastards. Hope you got all the spineys out, they can cause a bit of an abscess if left in... I probably still have tips working their way through my body like porcupine quills. Did you get to climb Omak Crack? My wife has a friend who lives in that area. It was a trip to visit her. Her friend is something of a phenom in the area of precious metal refining. I didn't get to climb, even though I had brought my shoes. I didn't have a partner and I didn't know there were any climbing areas nearby. I had the vague notion that there would be time to get up to Skaha, but I was deluded. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
icegirl Posted July 8, 2003 Share Posted July 8, 2003 Tonasket and Omak both have some nice climbing... I thought we'd already gotten all the precious metals out of that area with arsenic and mercury and stuff... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skyclimb Posted July 9, 2003 Share Posted July 9, 2003 never dealt with that sort of "jumping cactus"? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottP Posted July 9, 2003 Share Posted July 9, 2003 Can't say I've met the chola, but walking into Arizona's Salome Jug canyon in the middle of the night, I stubbed my toe on a ground level thorny fucker that summarily ended the trip really quick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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