Tips for hiking in the extreme heat

[djui5]

Not sure where she got this, but my wife e-mailed me this and I thought it would be nice to share with you all:


Tips for Hiking in Extreme Heat
Last Edited: Thursday, 16 Aug 2007, 2:08 PM MST
Created: Thursday, 16 Aug 2007, 2:08 PM MST
Drink and Eat Often
YOU SWEAT AROUND 1/2 TO 1 QUART OF WATER AND ELECTROLYTES FOR EVERY HOUR YOU WALK IN THE HEAT.
This fluid/electrolyte loss can even exceed 2 quarts per hour if you hike uphill in direct sunlight and during the hottest time of the day. Because inner canyon air is so dry and hot, sweat evaporates instantly, making its loss almost imperceptible.
Do not wait until you are feeling thirsty to start replacing fluids and electrolytes. By the time you feel thirsty, you are already dehydrated. Even a mild level of dehydration can make hiking a lot less fun. The more dehydrated you become, the less efficient your body becomes at walking and cooling.
Your body can only absorb about 1 quart of fluid per hour, so drink ½ to 1 quart of water or sports drink every hour that you are hiking in the heat. Carry a water bottle in your hand and drink small amounts often.
Balance your food intake with fluid consumption, else you run the risk of becoming dangerously debilitated and severely ill. Food is your body's primary source of fuel and salts (electrolytes) while hiking in the canyon. Eat a salty snack every time you take a drink.

Wait for the Shade
AVOID HIKING BETWEEN 10AM AND 4PM!
Even if you are eating and drinking correctly you still need to avoid hiking in direct sunlight during the hottest part of the day. Sun temperatures are 15F to 20F (9C-11C) degrees higher than the posted shade temperatures. And keep in mind, the lower you go the hotter it gets!
Plan your day so you are not hiking between the hours of 10am and 4pm. Take a break near shade and water to avoid the worst heat of day. Enjoy a predawn start and a late afternoon finish. Experienced desert hikers know that the timing of their hike is the most important factor in avoiding hazards. Almost all the people who need emergency medical help in the canyon due to heat illness are hiking between 10am and 4pm.
When hiking out, do not hike uphill in direct sunshine. Your body will use a lot of energy trying to stay cool. Because you sweat out more water and electrolytes hiking in direct sun you dramatically increase your risk of developing a heat-related illness. Always bring a lightweight flashlight to give yourself the option of hiking out after dark in the event that illness, injury, or enjoyment should slow you down.

Stay Wet and Stay Cool
KEEP YOURSELF SOAKING WET TO STAY COOL.
This is one of the best things that you can do for yourself. Whenever you are near water, make sure that you wet (actually soak) yourself down. If you hike while soaking wet you will stay reasonably cool. This will make a wonderful difference in how well you feel, especially at the end of the day!

The Hazardous H's
WATCH OUT FOR THESE HEALTH HAZARDS!
HEAT EXHAUSTION - The result of dehydration due to intense sweating. Hikers can lose one or two quarts (liters) of water per hour. Rangers at Phantom Ranch and Indian Garden treat as many as 20 cases of heat exhaustion a day.
Symptoms: pale face, nausea, cool and moist skin, headache, cramps.
Treatment: drink water, eat high-energy foods, rest in the shade, and cool the body.

HEATSTROKE - A life-threatening emergency where the body's heat regulating mechanisms become overwhelmed by a combination of internal heat production and environmental demands. Grand Canyon has two to three cases of heatstroke a year.
Symptoms: flushed face, dry skin, weak and rapid pulse, high body temperature, poor judgment or inability to cope, and unconsciousness.
Treatment: the heatstroke victim must be cooled immediately! Continuously pour water on the victim's head and torso, fan to create an evaporative cooling effect, move the victim to shade, and remove excess clothing. The victim needs evacuation to a hospital. Someone should go for help while attempts to cool the victim continue.

HYPONATREMIA (water intoxication) - An illness that mimics the early symptoms of heat exhaustion. It is the result of low sodium in the blood caused by drinking too much water and losing salt through sweating.
Symptoms: nausea, vomiting, altered mental states, and frequent urination.
Treatment: have the victim eat salty foods. If mental alertness decreases, seek immediate help!

HYPOTHERMIA - A life-threatening emergency where the body cannot keep itself warm, due to exhaustion and exposure to cold, wet, windy weather.
Symptoms: uncontrolled shivering, poor muscle control, and careless attitude.
Treatment: put on dry clothing, drink warm liquids, warm victim by body contact with another person, protect from wind, rain, and cold.
Avoid hypothermia by checking at Canyon View Information Plaza or Backcountry Information Center for latest weather and trail conditions, taking layered clothing for protection against cold and wet weather, eating frequently, replacing fluids and electrolytes by drinking before feeling thirsty, and avoiding exposure to wet weather.

[wallyfrack]

This sounds like it came from the NPS Grand Canyon website. I've used the avoid hiking between 10a to 4p and it helps.

[Al_HikesAZ]

Lots of good info. Those are the fundamentals. Know them & follow them. I would add that you need to know how to recognize symptoms in yourself & those around you. The heat not only affects you physically, it affects you mentally and affects your decisions. Know your limits. When the heat gives you goosebumps and you feel chilled, that is not good. It's a paradoxical reaction. A lot of the Grand Canyon heat related rescues are of athletic males in their 20's and 30's. They don't know their limits, don't recognize the symptoms and push too far and too hard.

Water is the key. I would suggest reading Cody Lundin's book "98.6 -the art of keeping your pumpkin alive". One of his survival rules - "A drop of sweat lost is a drop of sweat wasted." Know where reliable water can be found and always carry more than you think you might need. Know the skills before you need them and rehearse them in your mind. You aren't likely to think of them when the heat affects you.

Shade helps and you can carry your own shade. Get a small, light umbrella. Joe has been a big proponent of this and I have used it successfully on a few occasions. I wear a lightweight broad-brimmed hat that is ventilated & "breathes.

I put one of those thermal protectors on the tube from my waterbladder. Sure beats sucking on that tube and getting 140degree water.

A lot of moisture is lost through the head and through breathing. Try breathing through your nose as much as possible. If you are straining and breathing through your mouth you might be pushing too hard for the conditions. Chewing gum helps me. I have two bandannas. When I find water, I soak one and put it over my head and down my back. I soak the other one and wear it over my face. It may be a placebo effect but I find that inhalation seems cooler and moister and exhalation is no worse. These dry out quickly but they get you some benefit. If I have some extra water, I will wet my bandannas lightly for the cooling.

Always Be Consuming. But the heat, water & electrolytes can give you stomach problems. Know which electrolytes your stomach can handle. The heat & exercise reduces your appetite, but you need to eat for energy. Sometimes the "bonking" can come from nutrition problems compounded by the heat.

We have been known to get up at 0dark hundred hours to break camp and hike the first few hours by headlamp to get out of the Canyon before the heat sets in.

Don't freeze your extra waterbladder solid. It takes too long to melt. You need the water faster than the ice melts. Ice cubes and chilled water are a better solution.

Don't use anti-perspirant deodorant for a few days before a hike in the heat. You want to sweat efficiently. You can use anti-perspirant deodorant on your feet if you get blisters, you don't want your feet to sweat too much in your boots.

On a First Aid note - When you find a hiker suffering from the heat it is sometimes hard to tell the difference between heat stroke and hyponatremia. You try to get info from the victim but often they aren't thinking too clearly. This is one of the toughest problems the PSARs have. Some of the basic first aid is the same but some is different. Know your backcountry first aid.

That's my 2cents on the subject.

[chumley]

My first trip to Havasupai (and first lengthy hike of any kind) was back in 1995. It was the middle of September, and we had stashed a gallon of water at the bottom of the switchbacks for that killer last mile up to the rim.

Unfortunately, by the time I got to that point, I had finished the water I was carrying, and the gallon we had stashed was ridiculously warm. Oh and we had left around 9am from the campground, so it was now after noon, with the sun baking on the shade-less switchbacks.

I quickly developed heat exhaustion, and only later realized how stupidly close to heatstroke I had come. My friend and I were both out of cold water, and began to overheat. I was very dizzy, had a terrible headache, and stomach illness.

I became so weak that I was able to walk only a few dozen yards before laying down on the side of the trail, trying to gain shade from the concrete and stone drainage culverts along the side. I had packed a couple of energy bars, but like the cold water, those were gone early on, and drinking the warm water was making me more ill (and probably hotter too). The sun was baking hot.

After 10-15 minutes of laying down, I got up again and proceeded up the trail a few more yards. Literally, walk for 1 minute, lay down for 10.

Continuing that pattern, it took at least a couple of hours to ascend the switchbacks, but when I finally got to the parking lot, I opened my truck and immersed my head in some awful, dirty, festering cooler water which along with bits of food and wrappers, amazingly still had some ice in it. My friend made it shortly after me, but we were both in the same condition.

Since that day, I've never taken hiking in heat lightly. In fact, I generally won't do any low-elevation hiking at all in the summertime. Not even the 5am trip up Camelback. Once the sun rises, its brutal. I frequently find that my backpack weighs eternally more than I want it to, because I now always carry too much water.

I've been back to Havasupai successfully and will go again. I've even made the hike at night under a full moon. (Which I would recommend ... but you have to time it right as the canyon is pretty narrow).

Oh well, sorry for rambling my story. This post reminded me of my bad experience, and I hope that sharing it might also help prevent somebody else from finding themselves in the same situation. It easily could have turned out worse.

[djui5]

Nice posts guys. Great info, thanks for sharing! If posts like these save 1 life...well you know

[PaleoRob]

My tip for hiking in extreme heat:
Don't.

The above tips are good as well. ;)

[Al_HikesAZ]

I don't know what you define as "extreme heat". I define "Extreme heat" as anything above 120degrees in the shade but some might lower this definition . I have a few more tricks, but I'm not sure I can share them in mixed company. Extreme heat contributes to "monkey butt", especially If you're humpin' a heavy ruck. I've got tips for that. And First Aid involves knowing where a lot of capillaries are close to the surface I've got tips for this, but this may be more information than most hikers need to know.

[chumley]

Throwback Monday!

With the recent extreme heat and a few hiker deaths in the news as a result, I was reminded of this past thread.

There's some good information in previous posts and I'm sure many new hikers on site who weren't here back in 2007. Probably a good time for a refresher.

I know there are many very experienced hikers on here. Any new tips for what works for you in the heat? Is there some trigger where you know it's time for you to turn around?

[rcorfman]

One thing I noticed missing from the above, is to take it easy. That is, keep your exertion level low. The big battle in the heat, is keeping your body at a reasonable temperature. The higher your exertion level, the more your body produces heat and the more you need to cool it off. So don't work as hard so your body doesn't produce as much heat.

One thing that was mentioned, and is very effective is to soak yourself. That really helps a lot to keep your body cooler. I can personally vouch for that. The day Phoenix hit the record high of 122, there was a bike race in the big parking lot at South Mountain; the Tuesday evening training criterium. I attribute pulling off the win by two things. First by completely drenching myself immediately before lining up for the start. Second, by bringing extra water along and squirting the water on myself during the ride.

[Al_HikesAZ]

One thing I noticed missing from the above, is to take it easy. That is, keep your exertion level low. The big battle in the heat, is keeping your body at a reasonable temperature. The higher your exertion level, the more your body produces heat and the more you need to cool it off. So don't work as hard so your body doesn't produce as much heat

I agree wholeheartedly. That is what I was referring to when I referenced Cody Lundin's wisdom but apparently I wasn't clear.

I would suggest reading Cody Lundin's book "98.6 -the art of keeping your pumpkin alive". One of his survival rules - "A drop of sweat lost is a drop of sweat wasted."

You need to sweat. But when you are sweating excessively you are putting yourself at risk.
Clear?

[LansfordHastings]

This is one occasion where cotton fabric is preferred over synthetic. I always carry an old fashioned cotton bandana, soak it in water, and wear it on my head for a cooling apparatus. And if you have the luxury of a shaved head as I do, then you really get the cooling effect!

[SpiderLegs]

I really think knowing your limits and sticking to them is the key. Last year I was really itching to go for a run and thought that a quick 4 mile run around my neighborhood at 100 degrees would be no problem. Ended up getting sick, taking a half day off of work the following day and was out of commission to work out for the next week. Some people can work out in extreme heat, but my northern European genetics tell me otherwise. No matter how I prepare I simply can't hike or run when it's over 100. So this week I am dusting off my treadmill and saying hello to my weights for a few weeks.

[Jim]

I turned back on a Flatiron attempt last August when I felt sick only a few hundred feet up the Siphon Draw. I knew I couldn't do the hike and would hate it. Smart choice. I think it was only (only!) 109 or so, but I had nausea and abdominal cramps. I had been sick off and on in July, so I attributed it to that, but who cares, it was f-ing hot. I don't even care what some extremists do in the heat. I think I'll stick with Squaw or maybe, maybe an occasional CB, but not much else below about 4000' to 5000' this summer. That is what road trips to Humphrey are for!