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A potpourri of stories about various family members or events
Don't Meddle with Nettle
I am fairly sure that the context for this story was in June or July of 1971 (or 1970), while we lived in Fargo, ND.
One day, a friend (Rick Gunderson, I think) and I decided to go to Lindenwood Park to do some biking. I had been to the park before, but I had not biked on the network of bike trails. It was a warm day, and we were both in shorts and a T-shirt. When we got to the park, Rick suggested that we try biking on the network of bike trails in the floodplain of the river. It was heavily wooded and shady, feeling cool on this warmer day.
I am fairly certain that at this time, I was riding a Schwinn Stingray that I had bought used somewhere. I had spiced it up somewhat. Rick was riding something similar. Both bikes were great for doing a "wheelie", and we employed them as we rode this network as though it were a racetrack. The bike paths were easily wide enough for one bike, but not two. There was also a lot of ground cover on both sides of the trails, occasionally hanging over the path a little. Or, if one was reckless with a wheelie, one might not land perfectly back on the trail. At any rate, I remember several times biking through some of this abundant ground cover. These plants looked like [https://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/woodland/plants/wood_nettle.htm]
photo of the plant that lined most of the trails
After biking for some time and having brushed against the plants along the trail numerous times, I noticed that my arms and legs (mostly the latter) felt like I had a hundred pins poking into me. I asked Rick if he was having any issues, but he wasn't. Finally, I told him that I couldn't continue. He suggested riding back to his house and asking his mother if she had any ideas. We explained to her what happened, but I am not sure at this point if either of us knew what happened. At any rate, she had the idea for me to take a bath, thinking that it might provide relief. After 20 minutes or so, without much relief, I suggested that maybe I should go home. Or, perhaps she called my mother, and that was their consensus. Note that the idea of bath might have worked if it were with cool water, since this helps to relieve the symptoms, and perhaps the mother did this. I have no explanation why it was worse for me than Rick, but perhaps he was a better rider and stayed on the trail better. Maybe as I tried to catch him on an adjacent trail, I might have biked through a patch of nettle. (Actually, just writing that brings back some memories of doing that.)
I biked home, and after talking with my mom, at some point we went to the Fargo Clinic. I think there, they determined that it was a nettle that had caused the stinging sensation, and they prescribed an ointment to put on my arms and legs. This did provide some relief, and I was soon able to resume normal activities. Mostly.
I am fairly certain that either from things we did in St. Cloud or from our time at Riverdale, ND, I already knew about the stinging nettle variety. However, what I biked through was a different species, which has quite a different appearance. It was wood nettle, which has much larger leaves and grows more densely, but has the same sting. They both can be harvested and cooked as spinach, and also tastes like spinach. The cooking process in water causes the toxins not to be harmful. To harvest some, use rubber gloves or plastic bags to harvest it, and then turn the bag inside out. I have recently had some this past May.
The hairy stems and leaf undersides have little barbs/hairs that can leave a painful, burning, stinging sensation as they inject chemicals into you, and sometimes the barbs get left in the skin. The following site at Goodrx.com seems useful. Here are some brief summaries. Symptoms: burning, itching, tingling, redness, swelling. It can also cause a rash. To prevent worst cases: don't rub or scratch your skin or use heat. Most people get better in 24-48 hours, though in rare cases, people can have severe reactions. There are some suggested treatments: soap and water; duct tape (to get out barbs); cool compress; oatmeal bath; baking soda paste; aloe vera; OTC pain relievers; antihistamines; hydrocortisone cream.
Published on 2026-06-08.
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