[pct-l] The High Desert

[Jason M.]

*WARNING:* This is more of an "article" than a post and is long winded.

3rd Annual Desert Thread


*I would like to start with the proposition that it's no more dangerous to
walk in the high desert than anywhere else, and it shouldn't be feared -
it's just a bit...different.*

Like most important lessons in life, I've learned most of mine the hard
way. I came dangerously close to dying of dehydration on my second (ever)
hike, in a side canyon of the Grand. This sobered me up quickly to the fact
that I wasn't strollin through the woodlands of the Mid-West. Having
lived/hiked in the southwest for a spell, I thought that I might be able to
share some of that experience so that others could benefit from my
mistakes. Two winters ago I wrote an article that I hoped would help those
without desert experience...begin thinking of ways to acclimate to this new
environment. I figured that it couldn't hurt to dust this article off,
polish it up a bit and send it out to the new class of thru's. It is my
hope that this will begin a thread that will expand on my thoughts and
provide broad and topical points of advise that will benefit those who find
themselves walkin in the American Southwest for the first time.


When Molasses and I attempted to thru the PCT for the first time, '09, we
encountered many hikers who were having serious issues with the desert.
More than a few of these hikers were folk who had thousands of miles logged
on trails in the east. Strong, confident trekkers that knew what it takes
to succeed on a thru-hike; but who, perhaps...misread the desert. We
encountered a few hikers that were dangerously dehydrated and in need of
help. One of our friends developed blisters on the pads of her feet that
became infected with a fungus that devoured huge divots in her feet -
making it look as if someone had went at them with an ice-cream scoop.
Molasses herself suffered miserably due to: blisters, calorie crashes,
tendinitis, crypto and more blisters. Dealing with these injuries (and a
few of my own) kept us in town for extended stays; eating up our budget and
ultimately contributing to our leaving the trail, broke after 1,200 miles.

'10 and '11 brought mild and moist spring weather. The usual issues
associated with desert hiking were very noticeably decreased. Hell, the new
issue was too much water. This year is shaping up to be dry, dry, dry.
So...if ya make it through the rest of the article and ya feel that I
missed something, didn't know something or just plain suck-give a shout.

To get'er goin', here's what I do:

Start Early: I'm not a morning person but in the desert I try to be hiking
by 5:00/5:30. Having 10+ miles done before the heat of the day sets in.
This leaves the option of "layin' up" in the afternoon if the temps exceed
95. With an early start I won't have to push myself through the heat to
make my miles before dark. This gives me time to take longer brakes to wash
and air my feet/change socks, hydrate and eat(or take a nap in the shade).
Also, early morning is the most beautiful time of day in the desert. It
makes the hot afternoon a bit more tolerable if you go into it in a
positive mood. The Mountain Chickadee and Morning Dove are singing, the
breeze cool and the desert colors at their best.

Water Sources: Most of the water sources on the trail are crisp, clear and
refreshing springs and creeks that you would never hesitate to drink from.
Unfortunately, a few of the sources that you encounter in So.Cal. are none
of those things. Fire tanks, horse troff  and guzzlers are usually
questionable sources at best. There are even a few sources with Uranium
present in very low levels. Guzzlers and tanks often have organic matter
decomposing in the bottoms of their reservoirs. This can affect the color,
smell and taste of the water. Sometimes dead critters are floating in these
sources. Using a bandanna as a filter can often remove the worst of the
debris and insects before they reach your bottle. Drink mixes can help with
the taste. Squinting your eyes...helps. Often the worst of these sources
are also in the worst places, meaning that you have little choice but to
drink from them. I won't debate the use of filters or chemicals or just
winging it. Farming, ranching and mining have contaminated many sources in
the southwest and your risk of exposure is exponentially higher than in the
mountains where frequent rain dilutes and washes these wastes away. In my
opinion almost all of the sources in the first 750 miles should be treated.
There are a few piped springs that I'll drink directly from but I realize
that I'm taking my chances. You will simply have to get over your
squeamishness when it comes to these less "pure" sources. As a rule of
thumb in the desert, when I see insects or tadpoles scootin around in a
pool of water- I smile. If life is flourishing, it's probably safe to
drink. It's the pool of water with nothing moving in it that worries me.
*consider treating water taken from a cache where the bottles are
refilled/reused.

Water: As a rule of thumb I carry 1 liter per three miles I need to walk to
the next source, adjusting for time of day and temp. On cooler sections of
the trail that ratio is often 1 liter per 5 miles. Know your hiking pace-if
it's 100f, you may need as much as 1 liter per hour if you continue hiking
through the heat of the day. I plan for longer breaks at water sources to
"camel up" on an extra liter before pushing on(one less to carry-and at two
pounds-it matters). Pounding liters of water can throw your electrolyte
balance way off. The symptoms of this imbalance are often mistaken for
dehydration which causes the unwitting hiker to consume greater quantities
of water...worsening the condition. One electrolyte drink a day is usually
enough to keep me balanced (along with food). emergen-c is a good option to
replace electrolytes and is tasty when diluted in a liter...instead of a
warm fizzy six ounce "shot". One of the most accurate gauges of my
hydration is how often I am urinating. If I've drank four liters of water
in the past few hours and I don't need to pee, then something is up; not
enough water or my electrolytes are off. Low volume of urine is also an
indicator of a problem, as well as a darker color. Electrolyte imbalance
can be just as debilitating as dehydration, leaving you dull minded and
lethargic. Usually, a low grade headache is the first sign that I need more
water,food or e-lytes.

Food:My appetite shrinks in direct proportion to the rising heat of the
day. Trying to gag down food is a drag. You have to find a few things that
you can stomach no matter how hot it is. For me it's mixed nuts. No matter
how hot I get I can always choke down a few handfuls. Your body is burning
calories like crazy to keep you cool on top of those needed just to hike.
Eating frequently reduces my mood swings and keeps me from bonking at the
end of the day. I can't stress enough how big a difference there is between
eating three meals a day or eating every hour. Replacing calories as fast
as you burn them maintains your physical and mental equilibrium. The
traditional meal plan can put ya on a roller-coaster of emotion and energy.
To me, this is just as important as staying hydrated. Fat calories are the
bodies best source of energy when hiking but can be hard to choke down in
the heat. I'll tank up while it's cooler-morning/evening. Next is complex
carbs- both your brain and muscles require carbs to function efficiently.
Simple carbs are your enemy during the day unless balanced with complex. A
sugar crash can ruin your day when it's 105f.. Lastly, protein - many
hikers assume that you need to be eating protein like crazy because of all
of the physical demands of hiking all day. I've found this to not be the
case for me. Brenda Baaten's excellent article on trail nutrition
recommends a low 10-15% of your diet be protein.     Keeping your calories
up will help keep you cool.

Training: I don't care what shoes you buy or what new cool gear you are
carrying, if you show up to the border out of shape you will suffer for it.
I have often read the statements that you can just show up to the border,
point your feet north and everything will work out. People do it every
year. I would bet that if you asked these same people at the end of it all
what they would do differently, they'd say, "train". I know that my gal
learned that lesson the hard way in '09. Even if you show up to the border
in great shape you can expect to deal with some blisters, be exhausted at
the end of the day and suffer the aches and pains of your body adjusting to
the long miles/days. It took Molasses 600 miles for her body/feet to stop
hurting her to the point of misery. All of your pre hike planning is great
but strategies wont get you through the first 100 miles healthy. Why spend
weeks dealing with pain and discomfort that could be dealt with before the
border. If you want to enjoy the desert -show up ready to hike. The most
important thing that you can do to get you through those first miles is
strengthen your feet. Prep those puppies to deal with the strain of hiking
all day with a pack and in hot sand (It can be 10+ degrees hotter at ground
level than what you feel at say five feet above). The more that you train
your feet, build callus and muscle- the less pain and blisters that you
will deal with at the start of the hike. Work through these pains before
you reach the border, not after. The only way to do this it put on your
pack and walk...as much as you can. There is no way to prepare your body to
deal with the demand of a thru-hike other than... hiking. The only time
that I experience blisters is at the beginning of the hiking season, when
my feet are soft. Sure, the right shoes and socks matter. Washing your feet
often and changing your socks at breaks (drying them on the outside of your
pack) is also important to prevent blisters. But, in my experience, if you
show up to Campo with "city" feet...none of these things will prevent you
from dealing with foot pain and blisters.

Lastly, Cleanliness- Keep it clean. The longer that you go without bathing
or doing laundry the more uncomfortable that you'll be. Sweat and salts
build up on your clothes and socks which will inevitably cause chafe and
other nasty things. Water is often at a premium so when you reach an
abundant source take the time to clean up. You would be amazed at how great
it can feel to just put on a clean pair of socks. Although I tend to travel
on the ultralight and am often conscious of the grams I carry, I always
carry Wet Wipes (2-4 per day). I'll wipe down from head to toe at least
once a day...and it feels...gooood. You wont stay "clean", but it don't
mean ya gotta be a slob. In the desert-it's the little things that help you
get through the day.

O.K., I think you'll agree that I've gone on long enough. Please feel free
to add to or detract from anything I've said.

Jackass