[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

[pct-l] adapting to heat



Also, the heat at the start of the hike may not exist at all.  There have
been times in late April where a late storm has come in and dumped snow on
Mt. Laguna.
By the time you get to the Mojave it will probably be hot.  However, I have
hiked there in June when it was in the 70's.  You just never know.  All good
advice for the hot weather here.  I especially agree with the long sleeve
white shirt idea.  It really helps.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Chris Willett" <CWillett@pierce.ctc.edu>
To: "PCT-L" <pct-l@mailman.backcountry.net>; "toby woodard"
<tobywoodard@msn.com>
Sent: Monday, December 27, 2004 12:29 PM
Subject: RE: [pct-l] adapting to heat



There is nothing you can do before hand in MA to adjust physically to the
heat.  However, there is plenty you can do.  First, know that the heat is
nowhere near as bad you might think. Although most days will be in the upper
90s, this isn't like a day in the upper 90s in the east or south or midwest.
The air is dry, there is usually a pleasant breeze, and the day is
comfortable.  I found that it took sustained temps in the low 100s to bother
me much.

Second, carry and drink a lot of water and do not cook away from a water
source.  That is, all the water you carry is for drinking, not for cooking
or cleaning.  This isn't too hard to do, just cook in the afternoon when you
reach a source, then hike on and camp where you like.  Remember, drink alot
of water.  That is important, so I'll say it a third time: Drink a lot of
water.  Many people like to use bladder systems so that they drink as they
go.  I don't do this, prefering to drink when I take a break, generally
every 2 hours.  Many people will say this is less efficient, but I disagree.

Third, and maybe most important, hide from the sun with clothing, not
sunblock. I put sunblock on maybe three times before Kennedy Meadows and
came through SoCal with lily white skin.  Wear a long sleeve white shirt,
long tan pants, and a big brimmed hat with a neck cape (I like one by Sunday
Afternoons).  Wear sungloves if you can find them.  I was able to hike
through the heat of the day, mostly, without incident.  Sunblock will not
save you.  Take a cue from desert dwellers around the world: Wear a lot of
clothes.

Fourth, wear  running shoes, not boots, not trail runners.  As much mesh as
you can find.  If you can feel the wind between your toes, that is about
right.  I wouldn't go with sandals, however, as there are enough prickly
things in the desert to make this problematic. Then again, I wouldn't wear
sandals anyways.

Finally, enjoy.  SoCal was one of my favorite places and the desert probably
isn't what you think it to be.  The stretches of low, flat, hot desert are
relatively few. The PCT tries to stick to the mountains, and only crosses
true desert in a few places, in between the ranges.  Shade can always be
found for a break and the flower display in 2003 was just immaculate. Better
than any of the spring flower shows in southern Appalachia, at least that
I've experienced.

Suge

---------------------------
Christopher Willett
cwillett@pierce.ctc.edu
www.pierce.ctc.edu/faculty/cwillett
Pierce College
9401 Farwest Drive SW.
Lakewood, WA. 98498-1999

> ----------
> From: pct-l-bounces@mailman.backcountry.net on behalf of toby woodard
> Sent: Monday, December 27, 2004 11:51 AM
> To: PCT-L
> Subject: [pct-l] adapting to heat
>
> 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.
> _______________________________________________
> pct-l mailing list
> pct-l@mailman.backcountry.net
> unsubscribe or change options:
> http://mailman.hack.net/mailman/listinfo/pct-l
>
>
_______________________________________________
pct-l mailing list
pct-l@mailman.backcountry.net
unsubscribe or change options:
http://mailman.hack.net/mailman/listinfo/pct-l