Overheating isn’t fun
- September 03, 2002
- 3 comments
I went hiking again with my friend up in the Ouachita mountains area yesterday. We hiked about 6 1/4 miles. Most of the trail was easy… just a few uphill places. We stopped at a high point and ate lunch. Then we hiked about another 45 minutes further, half of which was down hill. We decided to turn around and hike back because we both had work that needed to be done in the evening.
On the way back, we hiked back up to that same high point in only 30 minutes. By the time we reached the top, I was overheating. At first, I thought I was just tired because I didn’t sleep well the night before, but when I sat down to rest, it felt like I was on fire. I felt woozy and had nauseousness as well. I got my water bottle out and poured it over my head and neck to try and cool off, and ate a banana to try to get some energy and nutrients back in my body. We rested for about 10 minutes and then went on. When we reached the stream, I had to rest again. I poured freezing cold stream water on my head and back and rested my feet in the stream. We waited another 10 minutes there and then went the final mile back to the truck. I drank some cold water we had in a cooler and sucked on some ice. After about 25 minutes I felt a lot better.
I’m not sure why I overheated on that trail. It wasn’t the steepest trail we’ve been on. Maybe it was just the heat combined with my being tired from a bad night’s sleep? Whatever it was, I’m glad I made it back fine. I was pretty worried at one point I was going to pass out. I’m glad I didn’t because the nearest person was about a mile and a half away.
Other than the overheating, about 25 seed ticks and the constant annoyance of gnats flying around my head, I enjoyed the hike. When it gets cooler, we’ll head back out there again.
hats are all over the map, and as with most hiking items, an intensely personal choice. baseball caps that aren’t skin-tight to the head are ok (air space over the noggin). outdoors research makes a selection of really hideously ugly, but very efficient hats.
mine’s pretty sad … i’m looking for a nice rollable cane (straw-ish) fedora style with a 1- 1/2 inch brim. [ think ‘indiana jones’ in panama, and you’ve got the idea. ] short brim, for clearance against a pack.
i toy with the idea of those ‘hiking’ baseball caps that have detachable ear-and-neck shields, but i know i’ll just lose the accessories …
oh, also … they used to make (don’t know if they’re still around) neck bandanna type devices with coolant gel in them. you freeze them before your trip, drape them around your neck and … heaven. they can also be tied around sore body parts as well. i have two old ones, but tend to use them at home for sprains and stuff. but you might look around a bit …
you didn’t mention how hot it was, but i would say, two things:
1. a good hat.
2. a camelback or other tube-access hydration unit.
i also carry a bandana, to soak with water and stuff inside the hat (this is the desert), or to tie around the back of the neck to further shade.
don’t know if you’re a sunscreen person, but i’ve found that slathering myself with the current ‘waterproof’ sunscreens diminishes my ability to sweat properly … causing overheating. i use it very carefully …
just brainstorming here.