overheating in 110-degree-plus heat

[azdesertfather]

You knew this was bound to start happening (unfortunately)...even when you think you're prepared waterwise, etc., deciding to hike in the heat we're having right now with temps hitting 114-115 is risky, for humans AND pets...I post this here so that others who are newer to hiking in the heat can also read the tips at the bottom of the article:

Hiker celebrating 60th birthday rescued from trail
by Julia Guzy - Jul. 13, 2009 07:09 PM
The Arizona Republic

A man's 60th birthday celebration hike on Camelback Mountain came to an unexpected end when he passed out and had to be rescued by fire personnel Monday morning.

The hiker's fainting spell triggered warnings from local fire officials for residents to be wary of strenous activities during the Valley's heat wave. Last weekend, they noted, a Phoenix hiker's pet dog died due to possible over-exertion in the heat.

Members of the Phoenix, Scottsdale and Tempe fire departments shortly after 10 a.m. Monday located the distressed birthday hiker about two-thirds up Camelback on Echo Canyon trail, near 6101 East Cholla Lane.

They administered two liters of fluids to hydrate the hiker, who had inadequate water supplies with him and also complained of shortness of breath, said Capt. Shelly Jamison of the Phoenix Fire Department.

Once his condition was stabilized, firefighters used a "big wheel" to move the 200-pound man down the mountain's difficult terrain. The rescue took an hour, but once at the mountain's base he declined to be hospitalized, Jamison said.

The solo hiker had experienced a dizzy spell and fainted on the mountain. Once he awoke, he waited on a rock to be rescued while remaining on his cell phone with rescuers, Jamison said.

The man reportedly was dressed in heavy clothes - blue jeans, a shirt and a black hat. He began hiking about 4:30 a.m. and suffered from heat exhaustion due to dehydration and overexposure.

"The man's an avid hiker, in good shape and does this on a regular basis," Jamison said. "He got a little carried away when he decided to loop around and hike the mountain a second time."

As the heat intensifies, hikers need to take extra precautions, Jamison warned.

In a tragic Saturday morning incident, a woman's dog perished while she was hiking South Mountain near South Central Avenue and East Jesse Owens Parkway in Phoenix.

The woman, in her 30s or early 40s, was about half-way up Pima Canyon Trail with her two dogs when she suspected the larger of the pets was sick and dying. When she bent down, the dog nipped her in the face, said Cpt. Tony Mure, Phoenix Fire Department.

By the time Phoenix and Guadalupe firefighters arrived, the dog had perished and they instead treated the woman's wound.

The dog was believed to have succumbed to heat stress. It weighed about 50-60 pounds and had thick, long black hair. The smaller dog survived.

The woman also appeared unprepared to deal with the heat, according to Mure. She was wearing a long-sleeved shirt and jeans, and did not appear to have any water.

Fire department officials offer the following hiking safety tips:
• Be smart - think ahead of potential emergencies.
• Tell someone where you're going and when you expect to be back.
• Wear appropriate, breathable clothing, a hat, hiking shoes with ankle support, and apply sunscreen liberally.
• Bring plenty of water - ideally, wear an apparatus that holds 1 to 1½ gallons.
• Don't overextend yourself. Know what your limits are.
• In intense summer heat, exercise early and finish by 7 a.m.

[azbackpackr]

Our search group was called out yesterday to Silver City. (I didn't go, but talked to them afterward.) They actually didn't make the "find," the Border Patrol found the lost people. It was a couple in their 60's. They had rolled their vehicle on a backcountry 4WD road, and tried to walk out. They were following the Gila River, but when the road went away from the river they quickly became dehydrated and overheated and turned back. When the BP found the man, he was in very bad shape so they slapped an IV on him as he told them where to find his wife under a tree. She was very far gone, and got the first flight out. Our director said the prognosis was bad. Heat stroke, very likely.

I haven't been able to find anything about this on the Silver City newspaper site. Maybe tomorrow.

[joebartels]

a hat

The type of hat makes a huge difference. Mesh or extremely ventilated for ascending. The body seems to do a descent job of cooling. Most hats seem to kill your cooling system before doing any sunblock good.

[wallyfrack]

apply sunscreen liberally

I opt for long (light colored, light weight) sleeves/pants over sunscreen. The sunscreen restricts perspiration and I heat up faster.
Also the shaded side of the mountain in the morning or evening is better.

[big_load]

opt for long (light colored, light weight) sleeves/pants over sunscreen.

I go for the complete cover-up in hot weather, too. Or any other kind of weather.

[azdesertfather]

And of course, if you can hike somewhere where there is a little water, it helps to get wet as often as possible!

Yesterday I did the Bell Trail, and even though I was up around 4000 feet, it was still in the hot part of the day over 100 degrees. I'm not one to wear a lot of clothes in the heat...I get your logic but it just doesn't work for me. I'd rather have no shirt, and use an oil-based, spray-on sunscreen (quick, easy, doesn't feel/look like mayonnaise on my body).

I like to make my shirt a good head cooler...I wear a cotton shirt in those times (yes cotton, the dreaded hiking fabric), completely soak it in the water, and tie it around my head in a way that there gets a little ventilation underneath and keeps my head cool for a long time.

Don't do cotton shorts though and get them wet, unless you want some nice chaffing in areas you'd rather not be ;)

[azdesertfather]

Here's another one...

Teen tourist who passed out on South Mountain hike dies
by Lisa Halverstadt and Rosha Safarmehdi
The Arizona Republic

An Alaska teen who became disoriented then passed out after hiking more than 4½ hours Sunday at the South Mountain Preserve has died, officials confirmed Monday.

The 14-year-old was on a morning hike with family members and the group had run out of water, authorities said. He started to act confused, walked off an approximately 7-mile trail, then lost consciousness, said Capt. Alex Rangel, a Phoenix fire spokesman.

His family called for assistance at about 11:30 a.m. and it took firefighters about 30 minutes to find him on the trail, Rangel said.

By the time medics located him, the teen had stopped breathing and was without a pulse. He was transported to Maricopa Medical Center and was pronounced dead late Sunday afternoon, hospital spokesman Michael Murphy said.

The teen's family members were treated for dehydration.

Situations like this one can often be avoided with proper precautions, Rangel said.

He recommends hikers bring at least one gallon of water per person when they head out on a trail.

It's also important to wear the right shoes, bring a cellphone, apply sunscreen and hike during cooler times of the day, Rangel said.

Hikers also must realize that high temperatures can be detrimental to even the most experienced athletes.

"You have to prepare, and that means at this time of year, with the high heat alerts that we have, you need to rein yourself in a bit," Rangel said.

This article says 1 gallon of water...NOT enough in 100-degree-plus heat. More like 1 liter/hour/person in those conditions, wouldn't you agree?

[dysfunction]

Probably, this is way better than the outrageous (since you can't physically process it anyway) gallon an hour that the local news was pushing. That being said, it'll vary individually widely anyway.

[big_load]

This article says 1 gallon of water...NOT enough in 100-degree-plus heat. More like 1 liter/hour/person in those conditions, wouldn't you agree?

At four hours, those come out to the same thing (he did say one gallon per person). Probably not too many people willingly exceed four hours in those conditions.

[azdesertfather]

that's true...some are more sensible than others

[Barrett]

I try to avoid these temps when possible, but if I know I'm going to be out in serious heat, I wear the following.
My "Sunday Afternoons" hat (Adventure model) with a huge brim and cape. (Or my GoLite umbrella when practical).
Light colored ripstop nylon long pants and sleeves - loose fitting.
A soaking wet long sleeve cotton shirt next to my skin. The cotton stays wet longer and creates a layer of cooler air under the nylon. I even pull the wet sleaves over my hands, where the vascularity leads to a dramatic cooling effect. I haven't tried a cotton layer for my lower half, but if you have enough water to keep things going, it would probably work pretty well.

[SgtLumpy]

I too wear cotton, at least here in Phoenix. The air is so dry that if the shirt gets wet, it dries really fast and creates a cooling effect. Those nylon/polypro garments might be a better idea if I was in a very humid climate. But here, a wet and evaporating piece of cloth next to my skin seems like a very cooling idea indeed.

Oneida Super Heavyweight T is one of my favorite shirts. 100% cotton, thick but has some very fine ribs in the weave. Much cooler than a finer weave 100% cotton T like a Dickies, Beefy T or similar.


Sgt Lumpy - n0eq

[paulhubbard]

On the opposite end of the spectrum, I have an UnderArmor turtleneck that should be fit for someone at #150 (i weigh ~200) and is difficult for me to put on, but it's the warmest thing I've ever worn. Plus, when the hike/ride/whatever is done it feels REALLY good to take it off... and let the belly relax!

[Jim]

Who find 110 far easier to hike in than +10? Or -10, for that matter. I do. Heat is a lot better than cold.

[PatrickL]

Long sleeves, pants, and goofy kite-like sunhat is the way to go.

[cindyl]

Who find 110 far easier to hike in than +10? Or -10, for that matter. I do. Heat is a lot better than cold.

i feel no great calling to hike in either extreme. i'm lucky in that i can drive 45 minutes and be on the top of mt. lemmon in the summer, and it's never that cold in the winter here. but even if it were, i'm okay missing a weekend of hiking if the conditions aren't right. life is too short to be that uncomfortable. that being said, i'd rather hike cooler than warmer. i find that the warmer it is, the less able i am to remain hydrated and breathe. now that it's warming up, i'm looking forward to camping and hiking on higher ground, so i'm watching that rim road forum topic...

[SgtLumpy]

@Devils Mountain


Hey D's M - What is that critter crawling up your arm in your avitar pic? Creeping buglies give me the creeps!


Sgt Lumpy - n0eq

[Al_HikesAZ]

This article says 1 gallon of water...NOT enough in 100-degree-plus heat. More like 1 liter/hour/person in those conditions, wouldn't you agree?

At four hours, those come out to the same thing (he did say one gallon per person). Probably not too many people willingly exceed four hours in those conditions.

Although mathematically approximate, I prefer the liter/hour concept because it forces people to think. If they are going out for 2 hours, 2 liters. If for six hours in 110 degrees - as they say in NJ - fuhgedaboudit!!!. In addition to water there is also the need for electrolytes. For 4 hours in 110 degrees, I calculate 4 liters and 1 liter of electrolytes. My limit was 5 hours in 110 degrees because I could replenish the water but not get the electrolytes replenished fast enough. My first indicator was a small cramp in a muscle on my inside thigh above my knee. Gawd was that painful. That was my indicator to find shade, put some water over my head, rest and start hiking with the GoLite ChromeDome. My second indicator was all of a sudden feeling a little cold and clammy and noticing goosebumps on my arms. A paradoxical reaction to heat stress. That meant shade, more water over my head, prayer and starting to think about calling off the hike and getting home. I'm not so stupid that I ever found out what my third indicator might have been - a choir of heavenly angels?

I remember once trying a 6 hour hike with a 3 liter Camelbak bladder of ice & water, a 3 liter frozen Camelbak bladder and 2 liters of electrolytes. Everything was going great until I had to transition to the frozen bladder. It was in my pack and was still frozen. I would stop in the shade and cradle it between my femoral arteries or against my carotid arteries. That helped but it just would not thaw out fast enough. I was nursing drops out of it. I now know that don't solid freeze the whole bladder - just fill it with ice cubes and then fill it with cold water.

I didn't get to be this old by being too stupid.

[Al_HikesAZ]

Who find 110 far easier to hike in than +10? Or -10, for that matter. I do. Heat is a lot better than cold.

My motor runs hot, so I sweat A LOT!! "Dry and cold", I can handle -10, "Wet and cold" - I struggle. The trick in both extreme heat or cold is to slow down. As Cody Lundin says in "98.6- The art of keeping your pumpkin alive" - A drop of sweat lost, is a drop of sweat wasted. And the same holds true in cold weather. I carried a microfiber pack towel to wipe off sweat at breaks. My big problem was with my fingers and toes. I wore liners and gloves. But the liners would get wet and my fingers would get really, really, really cold. (I can't emphasize "really" enough even though I never quite got frostbite) And my socks would get wet and my toes would get really cold. You can't really stop and dig around in your pack for liners or socks. so I started carrying my glove liners and socks in a waterproof stuff bag attached to the outside of my pack so that I could get to them easier. I remember one time coming out on Bright Angel at about 15 degrees in a blizzard and wanting to stop at the 1 1/2 mile rest house to dry my feet and change socks. Morel had the good sense to tell me how stupid this idea was because my feet would just get cold and wet again and my feet would get al lot colder from taking off my boots and socks. Changing my socks would be worse than just keeping my boots on and finishing the last mile and a half to the Lodge. I think he was right.

[Hippy]

I'm a desert rat, my older half may slap me for saying it but I love hiking in my bikini when it's hellish hot out or moisture wicking "spandex" running shorts and a tank top...I don't like clothing, easy as that, I like to feel the sun sapping the water from my pores and the heat licking the salt from my skin, call me a freak but I loooove the heat. And frankly it's a bit chilly up here in GCV right now...bring on the summer!!

I also fill my camelback with icy water, 2 packets of that "emergenc-E" electrolyte replenisher stuff (got mine at sprouts) and 2 tablespoons of brown sugar (for any hot or strenuous hikes over 6 miles) ever since I started that little system I've not felt the dehydrating effects of a long, hard, hot hike in quite a while. Try it out sometime, I like it, plus it's yummy! It works in the canyon nicely!