[pct-l] adapting to heat

[m_factor at hotmail.com (Mara Factor)]

Hi Toby,

Mara (aka Stitches) here.  Also a MA resident.

Unless you've done some hiking in the heat, you won't know how you'll react. 
  That said, if you've ever hiked in the heat, even here on the east coast, 
you'll have some idea.  If you're prone to becoming dehydrated here, you'll 
be there as well.  Other than that, there's not a whole lot you can plan 
for.  Just have the ability to carry a lot of water.  The air is much drier 
out there.

With the drier air and the well graded trail (compared to NH trails, for 
example), I found I didn't feel like I was steaming in my own sweat as much 
as I do around here.  That's not to say there were days....  Ugh!

Consider sun protective clothing.  Some clothing manufacturers make long 
sleeved shirts and pants appropriate for hiking.  Almost everyone suggests a 
hat with a brim for shade.

Personally, I hate hats as they make me feel hotter, not shadier.  I wore 
shorts and t-shirts.

Sunscreen is also important - especially as you gain elevation.  Slather it 
on.

I found sunglasses to be necessary.

I'm very fair skinned but I had the benefit of just returning from Australia 
and New Zealand where I had spent a lot of time outdoors, hiking in 42 
degree heat (104 F) and getting pretty well tan (for me) even though I was 
slathering on the sunscreen which is imperative given the ozone hole down 
there.

Some also recommend umbrellas for sun protection (with mylar on the outside 
to reflect the sun away) but while I wasn't carrying one, a friend had one 
and hardly ever got to use it because it was too windy.  You find a lot of 
them  in the hiker boxes along the way.

With any luck, you'll get a cool year like we had in 2003.  Of course, that 
meant more snow and delays in the higher elevations, but the heat wasn't so 
bad.

Look for shade for breaks.  Where the air is dry, shadier places will feel 
much cooler, relatively speaking, out west than they do in the humid east.

Mara

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Visit my Travels and Trails web site at:

http://friends.backcountry.net/m_factor
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



>From: "toby woodard" <tobywoodard@msn.com>
>To: "PCT-L" <pct-l@mailman.backcountry.net>
>Subject: [pct-l] adapting to heat
>Date: Mon, 27 Dec 2004 14:51:29 -0500
>
>I live in Massachusetts and am planning a PCT thru-hike, starting right 
>after the kick-off.  I'm very worried about adapting to that intense heat 
>in S. Cal.  Any suggestions?
>Son of BillyGoat
>*
>*
>*
>The most exquisitely wonderful and comforting experience a man can have in 
>his lifetime is the opportunity to smell the aromatically rich and 
>intoxicating bouquet that eminates as the scent of a beautiful woman upon 
>her first waking in the morning.
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