Reminder About Hiking in Extreme Heat

[Arthur]

While the “tourists” are frequent fliers to the SAR program, one of the “fitness” crowd who was personal trainer died last week too.

[Clue M]

For every person that dies hiking in the desert heat, 40000 would pay to ride an air conditioned bus with a concession stand instead of walking.    We should pave the popular routes and run shuttle buses.

[Justin Baker]

I have never backpacked in those temps. I find that dry 95 degrees is sustainable but it drains you quite a bit. The important thing is that it cools off at night. Your body needs rest from the heat. Around here it can be 90 during the day and 55-60 at night which allows for effective recovery.

One time I planned on arriving to the trailhead at night and hiking a mile to a campsite, and then spending the rest of the day hiking. I packed a gallon of water because I had a long hike to get to water. I arrived at the trailhead at 10 p.m. and it was in the mid-90’s and very humid. I had to bail on the trip because I was drinking most of my water to stay hydrated through the night.

There seems to be a certain level of conditioning required with hot weather. I worked landscaping for a couple of years and the first warm day of late spring always felt super hot but the hotter days of summer were tolerable after conditioning into the hot weather. I have gotten mild heat exhaustion during working early summer heat waves ( only in the mid – 90’s) that were preceded by unusually cool weather.

[AK Granola]

It has been many years since I did any extended hikes in hot weather. To me 75 F is hot, and in full sun at that temp I tend to get heat rashes and hand and foot swelling. Reading this thread and contemplating some warmer weather hikes further south, I wonder how long it takes the body to acclimate to warmer climates? Many years ago we traveled to Thailand, and I recall in Bangkok it took me about three days to start sweating more and feeling comfortable in the heat and humidity, plus some baby powder for rash and eating hot chilies (don’t know if that really helped, but it tasted good!). The first few days I was unable to eat, and felt nauseous much of the time. After that we spent 9 weeks in Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia, and I was no longer bothered by the heat.

Given that experience, I think I might give myself an extra few days at the start to adapt before beginning a longer hiking trip in a hot place. What do you think? Other than lighter clothing, more water and some electrolytes, are there other useful strategies for adapting to hotter temps than one normally lives in? My sense is that it’s simply necessary to give the body enough time to get used to it.

[Gary Dunckel]

Karen, I lived in Saudi Arabia for 5-1/2 years, so I know a bit about hot places. During the summer, temperatures would hover around 105-120* F (with very high humidity) along the coast and up to 130-135* F once you were 25 miles inland (but no humidity at all). The only camping we did there was with a convoy of trucks. The rule was to always stand in the shade, never in the direct sun. But there were no trees in the deserts where we spent the most time–the Empty Quarter in the SE, the Nafud up north, and the Dahna strip that sort of connected those two. When we stopped for lunch somewhere, we would position our trucks so that we could sit in the shade next to them.

Oh, and I should warn people–if your truck breaks down in severe heat, NEVER seek shade under it, as it will bake you. Every couple of years some expatriate would be found dead under his truck. The bedouin well knew to not do that…

[Dena Kelley]

Reading this thread brings to mind our troops in the middle east and made me wonder if the military takes steps to help them acclimate, considering they are often decked out in much warmer gear (body armor, etc) and carry much heavier loads in very hot weather.

[Nick Gatel]

I have been somewhat of a weather student for the past 39 years I have lived in one of the hottest deserts in the US. One thing I have learned is actual high temperatures are often extremely exaggerated. For example, you would be hard pressed to find any official temperatures over 130F anywhere in the world. It is rare, rare, rare!

Here is a list of the highest recorded temperatures by country courtesy of Wikipedia.

Can you get acclimated? Yes, but there are limits… our bodies are designed to keep our core temperatures around 98.6F. After my first two visits to a desert climate in summer, I swore I would never, ever, go back it was that bad. If your not used to it, if you get out of a car and it is 115, it feels like a blast furnace and you literally can’t breath easily. Once you spend a summer working outside in high desert heat, you are probably acclimated, or better put — you have learned to adapt. The biggest thing is to learn to ignore the uncomfort when it is hot and WHEN to seek shade or drink water. I have no problem working outdoors all day in temps to about 114 or 115 with low humidity. Above that it is never fun. Working all day means frequent breaks to rest in the shade and lots of water, more water than you think you can drink, until you are actually in the environment. When I hike in hot weather with people who aren’t used to it, let’s say 105F, they need twice a much water as me, so I guess I’m acclimated.

The down side is I now really struggle in cold winter weather. A 20F rated Western Mountaineering bag won’t keep me warm enough at 25F temps and I know how to properly use it and bring the appropriate mattress.

As far as soldiers in that kind of heat, I have no idea. Sounds like living he$$. Maybe someone like Ian B can provide some insight. The problem for a soldier is that at times you just can’t take a break or seek shade if you are in a dangerous situation.

Almost two weeks ago Lowe’s delivered 656 60-Lb bags of cement to my front yard (they had a big sale). I had to first move them to the backyard and the past few days I have been mixing concrete and pouring a sidewalk along our house. Temps have usually been 108-114. It isn’t that bad, other at the age of 65 I am too old to be lifting this kind of weight and have never had much upper body strength. I just plug along having learned that lots of sweat is normal. When I need a longish break I come into the house and harass Jerry over in chaff. This week, so far, I have finished 30 feet of sidewalk that is 37″ wide.

One really bad thing happened yesterday. I got a bunch of cement in my beard and couldn’t get it out, so I had to shave off my beard. My wife has never seen me without a beard and has been out of town for a week and I’m afraid she might divorce me when comes back and realizes how ugly I really am ;-)

[Jerry Adams]

picture!

[Jerry Adams]

I kind of enjoy experiencing heat sometimes.  Like if it’s in the 90s or 100 for a few days I’ll do some stuff outside.  But, if I do a backpack in the 80s, I’m moaning the blues.  You can get up at the crack of dawn and hike early, take a long break mid day, go at really leisurely pace in the afternoon when it’s hot.  Maybe plan so you’re in the trees or at altitude then.

I would think you could acclimatize to the heat, and then in a few weeks, you could acclimatize to cold.  I think as I get older I might need a little warmer sleeping bag for the same conditions.

[Nick Gatel]

Some thoughts on “extreme” heat…

The ground, streets, and sidewalks get extremely hot. Too hot for a dog to walk on without suffering burns to its paws. Buy protective boots or walk in the early morning or evening.

If a car is parked outside with the windows rolled up tight, the expanding air can cause a windshield or window to shatter.

Not common, but I have seen car windshields or windows shattered when driven into a car wash.

Temperatures in a parked car can exceed 150F.

Anything left in direct sun will be too hot to pick up without gloves.

The water pipes in my house are in the attic and covered with R-60 insulation. If I take a shower in the afternoon, when I turn the shower on set to “cold” the water is too hot to shower, I have to wait a few seconds for the water to cool.

When I was a mechanic, I had to wear safety shoes, black leather shoes. If working in direct sunlight, the top of my feet would get too hot to continue after 30 minutes or so. I would have to seek shade.

No, you cannot fry an egg on the sidewalk. When we have company in the summer, who are in the desert for the first time, I will fry some eggs in the kitchen. Then tell my friends to come outside where I will be sitting cross-legged with fried eggs on the sidewalk and a spatula in my hand. Sometimes I don’t tell them it’s a hoax :)

I’m sure those who live the far north can share some winter things that most of use don’t think about.

[Link .]

I would also like to see a picture of you without the beard PLEASE :)

[Nick Gatel]

You can get up at the crack of dawn and hike early, take a long break mid day, go at really leisurely pace in the afternoon when it’s hot.

I don’t do much desert hiking in the summer, unless I am somewhere close to a lot of water, like a river. The best strategy is early morning until noon or so. By 7PM the sun is low enough it doesn’t feel as hot outside as it did around 11AM. Here is today’s hourly forecast. I’ll stop working around 4PM. I started today at 6AM and am taking a little break right now.

[Jerry Adams]

“No, you cannot fry an egg on the sidewalk. When we have company in the summer, who are in the desert for the first time, I will fry some eggs in the kitchen. Then tell my friends to come outside where I will be sitting cross-legged with fried eggs on the sidewalk and a spatula in my hand. Sometimes I don’t tell them it’s a hoax :)”

You are a meanie

[Nick Gatel]

You are a meanie

Perhaps I am. Or perhaps I am presenting something that would require them to research it and formulate the truth on their own?

;-)

 

[Paul Magnanti]

Wow..those temps make me wilt just looking at them. :)

I am not a big fan of heat. I do OK as I can be intelligent about it..but it is not my preference.

Cooler weather is something I prefer more.

Growing up in New England and living in Colorado, guess I just prefer it.  (And even the Magnanti side of the gene pool came from a mountain town in Italy that currently has a ski area!)

When visiting the family recently back East, I did an actual hike in the Rhode Island woods. High of lows 90s and humidity of 45% according to weather forecast archives. I was ready to call it good after a few short hours in the easy terrain. Not typical weather for where I grew up. :)

Can’t even imagine hiking in something hotter and more humid.

 

[Nick Gatel]

When visiting the family recently back East, I did an actual hike in the Rhode Island woods. High of lows 90s and humidity of 45% according to weather forecast archives. I was ready to call it good after a few short hours in the easy terrain.

I have hiked all over the country, and I suffer the most in high temps and humidity. It’s awful.

BTW, the hourly temperature chart I posted above is what you can expect at the bottom of the Grand Canyon from June thru September.

By unpopular demand…

and my wife has become like my mother, telling me to turn down the music and get a haircut.

 

[Gary Dunckel]

Alright, Nick–it’s Link for the winning request!  (nice un-beard, you handsome dude).

[Nick Gatel]

Now that my face is naked, I’ll have to wait until next year for June 21st.

 

[Link .]

VERY NICE INDEED! Thanks for posting, I can’t wait to hear what your wife thinks when she gets home! ;)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Diane “Piper” Soini]

My boyfriend and I hiked the Hat Creek Rim recently. There’s now an access trail down to a creek. It was in the mid to upper 90s. My boyfriend has a thing for ice cold water so he drank a lot of water down at the creek. That evening he had some kind of arrhythmia/tachycardia thing going on. He thinks he drank too much water.

[Larry De La Briandais]

“The heat index is around 102 here lately, and I’ll take a 2-3 mile walk and carry nothing with me.”

Similar here, except I run for 2.5-3 miles and take nothing with me.  But, I take a cool shower when I get back.  I then sit in an air conditioned (albeit it’s around 85 degrees) room with a ceiling fan.

 

[David Thomas]

Nick: I don’t care about your shaved face, what I can’t get my head around is carrying and mixing all those sacks of concrete?!?  Long before that point, I’d have the readi-mix truck deliver pre-mixed concrete, even if it was only a few yards at a time.  And if the location was too far to spill it off the truck, I’d bring in a concrete pumper.  But maybe your mindset is like mine regarding my 150-foot driveway:

I can buy a snowblower and a gym membership for $2000 each.  Or skip both and get my exercise shoveling snow.

[Nick Gatel]

what I can’t get my head around is carrying and mixing all those sacks of concrete?!?  Long before that point, I’d have the readi-mix truck deliver pre-mixed concrete, even if it was only a few yards at a time.  And if the location was too far to spill it off the truck, I’d bring in a concrete pumper.  But maybe your mindset is like mine regarding my 150-foot driveway:

I can buy a snowblower and a gym membership for $2000 each.  Or skip both and get my exercise shoveling snow.

Good points. I would need a cement pump and have worked with them before. With our ambient temperatures, I would also need to hire help to finish the concrete.

There is some satisfaction in doing the job yourself, but for me there are two driving factors (1) I am retired and have more time than dollars and (2) even though I can afford to pay someone, I would rather watch my retirement funds grow instead of decrease.

I just posted this earlier today on my blog, The Retirement Time Bank.

[Nick Gatel]

VERY NICE INDEED! Thanks for posting, I can’t wait to hear what your wife thinks when she gets home! ;)

She doesn’t care one way or the other. She says I am still the same person, but she didn’t indicate whether that was a fortunate or unfortunate reality.

I think the main concern is that there are no facial hair remnants in the bathroom sink whether it be beard timing or shaving.

[Paul Magnanti]

Ah…the time bank.  Something I’ve been thinking about myself.

Being in my early 40s, my career is almost at its peak. I am on a technical tract and not a management tract. I do not expect my income earning to rise THAT much overall unless I take on a management role (No. Thank. You.)  But being a techie, it is good enough. A management tract  would take more of my favorite commodity: Time.

Oddly enough, my part time outdoor career well, it has become that, a part time job. That is not a complaint, but a reality I have chosen for myself.

A friend calls this stage of our lives “The rush hour of lives”.  An apt phrase. The wife and I do not have children, but I can sympathize with what my friend said.

In any case, I’ve been thinking of the “time bank” quite a bit the past year or two.

How does it get spent?

Eighteen hours of my day are tied into my day job essentially: Sleeping, getting ready for work commuting.

That leaves 30 hours a week for Paul Mags  related activities. I can borrow from my time bank a little bit at work (I’m on the equivalent of a smoke break now. ;) ), but ultimately any personal activities get slotted into 30 hours M-F.  That means errands, chores, reading, the occasional movie  perhaps and working on my website and other outdoor related-projects. Again, all within thirty hours.

And that is why weekends are so important to me. I’ve become somewhat anti-social this past year or two on weekends. I politely decline invitations that happen on a Saturday at 3PM for example.  I am really losing 48 hours from my outdoor time bank..not just a few hours at a cookout.

In any case, love the article. The time bank is very precious.

It is spent whether I watch bad TV, read a good book, cook dinner, go grocery shopping, grab a beer with friends or do an after work hike.

How you want to spend your time bank?

It gets spent no matter how you use it.

Use it wisely.

[Author]

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