HikeArizona.COM

I just cant get use to the heat.
How do you handle local hiking without waking up at 4 am.
Is there any place close by that has morning shade (7ish)
I know im a wimp, but I just started hiking. (my excuse, and im sticking with it)

In response to GeorgAZ's reply:

The very first signs might be feeling limp and stupid. Have a rest in the shade and eat and drink. Take your own shade like an umbrella or something and prop it over yourself while you rest.

In response to GeorgAZ's reply:

Hi,

In regard to the "electrolyted drinks" I tried that a couple weeks back when I did the Saddle Mountain Mine Trail instead of water for the first time...and the last! It didn't work like I thought it might and I ended up drinking the cold stream water because I was more thirsty than had I brought water. I think it has something to do with the sugar content of those drinks. And I also do not use salt...haven't for many years and I was wondering the same thing as far as retaining fluids better. If you find anything out about that please let me know.

Happy Hiking!

Marty

I have an electrolyte suggestion, since I have now tested it. Go to the following link, at the bottom of the page http://www.alacercorp.com/top.htm you will see ElectroMIX. It has no sugar, a very lite lemon/lime flavor. 1 packet makes one gallon (5 to a box, only $2.99) . This does not leave the nastys in your mouth, it has no sugar, it is only "the electrolytes of potassium, calcium, magnesium, manganese, and chromium". Select the "retailers" option at the top, to see where you can get it.

I found it at Water & Ice. The product is made by the same company as Emergen-C, good stuff.
I would recomend starting to drink this at least the day before any hiking adventure and bring along some for mixing on overnighters.

Great for a sunny day cleaning up Tonto Narrows!

Kenny

Simple common sense tricks I use to continue hiking through summer are:
1. Hikes such as Camelback or Squaw Peak (Lori Piestewa Peak), which can be done in about an hour or so, do them early morning (start latest by 6 am) or late evening. I prefer mornings...because late evenings are for the desert creatures to roam around in their realm.

2. Wear a hat and not a baseball cap. Covering from all sides makes a *huge* difference.

3. Hydrate....hydrate...hydrate...with some salts in your water. Have a plain water bottle in your car and a mixture of Gatorade (and likes) with water with you on hike.

4. Polaroid sun glasses

5. And here is the biggest one: If you can't talk while walking, you're going too fast. This helps in two ways:
a. At the end of the hike, you'll not be soooo tired. plus you taking a wrong step is quite less, so injuring your ankle etc are quite less. And you'll be able to hydrate just about the same rate as your body dehydrates.
b. It is proven that for same distance, people walking slowly lost more weight :-).

6. Remember, there is always tomorrow. Grow into this extreme hiking habits slowly. Don't push yourself unnecessarily. You'll be surprised, taking it slowly, how quickly you'll build up endurance.

Good luck!

nessa,

I have lived in Phoenix all my life (43 yrs) and one thing most forget is that temps are taken in the shade so if it's 90 degrees out in the shade it my be 115 in the sun. One way to get around hiking in the sun is to hike Squaw Peak early in the morning but start on the west side so you will be in the shade until the midway point. if you want to hike in the evening do Squaw Peak from the traditional east side or try Camelback from the Cholla trail. Remember even when it might be only 75-80 degrees out it still may be quite hot in the direct sun.

I could not imagine that for squaw peak one would deplete his or her body of electrolytes. Any thoughts?

I also speculate that many Arizonans are dehydrated to begin with and dont know it.

I have lived in Phoenix all my life (43 yrs) and one thing most forget is that temps are taken in the shade so if it's 90 degrees out in the shade it my be 115 in the sun. One way to get around hiking in the sun is to hike Squaw Peak early in the morning but start on the west side so you will be in the shade until the midway point. if you want to hike in the evening do Squaw Peak from the traditional east side or try Camelback from the Cholla trail. Remember even when it might be only 75-80 degrees out it still may be quite hot in the direct sun.

Thats a good idea about the cholla trail, I forgot that the sun in the evening would be on the other side. Im going to try that.
I decided that im not going to force myself to wake up early to do somethig thats suppose to be fun.
I joined a gym(LA Fit.) to get and keep me in shape during the hot months. than I'll be in good shape to do the group hikes with everyone when it gets cooler.

right now i'm not doing it for the fun of it. FOr me its never fun to get up at 4am and its not fun to hike in the heat. I'm just trying to get in shape for Colorado. I must do something. I am currently useing a chair and doing stair clims on it for an hour when I get home from work and will be doing Camelback once a week.

Steven, to bad you don't live closer to the Supes so you could use Carney Spring, instead of a boring chair in your house If they close everything up tighter than a drum around here, I will have to head out of State too.

I've been out here in Phoenix now starting on 3rd summer, and I hardly even notice the heat anymore. When we first moved out here (at the end of July), I thought I was going to die!

Now, I do Camelback at least 3 times a week at about 4pm, and hardly even notice that it is the triple digits.

i am starting on my second year here, so its killin me. Even in Flagstaff when i went hiking Mt. Elden when it was 87 out and there was little shade, it would kill me. I have a hard time dealing with the heat.

Where is Carney Springs?

Steven wrote: Where is Carney Springs?

it's the turnoff just before Peralta Trailhead (also the best near/free access in season)

the top 8 hikes on this page take off from Carney TH
if you find water at the springs now you're probably too hot and hallucinating
http://hikearizona.com/nearBY.php?ZTN=551

I think arizonaheat is suggesting the thigh burner up to West Boulder Saddle. It's a great early morning or late afternoon jaunt because the lower canyon is enclosed from the sun