Years ago I watched a documentary, but I can’t recall the name, it was about a man famous for his life’s history of epic long distance walks through very dangerous, hot and humid areas. He had a camera crew with him and one of the crew died on film from heat stroke and they showed the entire thing. You could watch him going through all the stages of exposure, but foolishly they all kept saying let’s push on. Although I don’t recall the name of the hiker or the documentary, I will never forget what heat exposure and the lack of caution in those environments can do to you. Thank you for keeping important information like this forefront in folks minds. Happy trails to you my friend 👍
Wow, if you remember the title of the documentary, please share it with me. I live in Alaska where the temps can drop to 50 below, so I'm somewhat fascinated by temperature extremes and what they can do to people. When I'm hiking in the heat, my thoughts drift nostalgically to those winter moments.
I will look and find it. I believe it was on one of the streaming platforms like Amazon Prime or Netflix. Give me a few days and I’ll get back to you if it is still there. This was years ago I watched it.
Wow; great job, thank you so much for posting this. I looked for days on the net and couldn’t find it. I know I saw the documentary on Amazon Prime or Netflix years ago, but it was removed from everywhere. If the documentary is still available, it is worth watching; sad, but educational and inspirational. 👍
I always have my InReach Mini with me. Have never needed it for an emergency, but it is a great comfort to know I can reach help whenever or whereever I might need it.
Yes, it's also a good thing to practice with once in awhile to make sure you still know how to use it. It was a little wonky at first for me so I'm glad I figured out how to send messages before I left on my long-distance hike of the PCT. Good advice, thank you.
Thank you Maureen. The PCT in Oregon can be a toasty places as it was for us last year. Host of what I spoke about were lessons I learned in Oregon and Nor Cal. I enjoy including shots that come my way when filming, and I'm glad you enjoyed them.
Excellent tips! As you said, staying hydrated without loosing too much salt and electrolytes is so important, especially in combination with higher altitudes, otherwise this may cause severe, long-lasting headache, loss of orientation, dizziness, or even a short loss of consciousness. During a hike, this can be very dangerous! Adding a pinch of seasalt or electroyltes to the water can help. Women often do not drink enough water because they are afraid of needing to pee. Remarkably, I made the experience that staying hydrated might be even more difficult in winter time during a long-lasting strong frost with high-pressure weather. Sweat quickly volatilizes through breathable clothing and with every breath your body looses a lot of humidity because the relative humidity of the inhaled air is very low and further decreases when warmed up in the lung. However, winter is a different story.
Yes, hiking in dry cold can sap you quickly, too. I've also noticed that staying hydrated when I climbed Mount Whitney was important. Thank you for commenting.
Great video Ray. There have been multiple deaths down here due to hot weather. People start out early in the day and by noon are off trail and out of water. You just start to feel really tired and sick; if you can't cool down and hydrate, it's over.
Hiking in S.C., training for a through hike. The humidity is brutal here. Normally start at dawn, try to finish by 11:30 (carrying a full pack) . Just last week I was feeling good, not that hot and decided to hike until 2. Big mistake! Even though I didn’t feel like it was that strenuous, muscles hurt so bad, ended up getting dizzy and nauseous. Learned my lesson!
Thank you for your insights and lesson learned testimonial. Making this video helped calibrate my mind to the heat challenges ahead on our CT adventure. I wish I could have included info on building heat resilience, too, but that's a topic in itself. Last year I finally became accustomed to the heat after hiking hot in Oregon for a month. When I entered Nor Cal my body seemed to have adjusted better. I can't imagine how brutal your humidity must be. That would sap me for sure.
Thank you. I don't like hiking in the heat so I made a video on the topic because it also helps me remember some good practices. I watched the owl for an hour or so, and when it looked at me I felt as if it penetrated my soul with those eyes.
This is useful as my ideal hiking temps are also low (8-10 C being around 46-50 F) and have never hiked in hot conditions, or if I have it's been at elevation where it is cooler. Thinking of doing the GC R2R in a day next year or so though, and know it is stiflingly hot down low there.
I'm with you on ideal hiking temps. When it's above 50-60 I get pretty lethargic. I've rafted the Grand Canyon, and I remember the heat well, only we were only a dip away from cooling off. I remember drinking about 5 lemonades at Phantom Ranch during a hot afternoon. I can't imagine hiking the canyon during the daytime.
thanks for the tips Ray. we have been getting rain every afternoon but it's in the 80s even early in the morning with early afternoon heat index of 105 to 108. that makes for a miserable day then add in the humidity and it's hard to breathe. I've been forced to spend my time working on gear combinations to try and save weight. I will be so happy for fall and winter to get here. Dwayne
Hey brother, I would probably melt from your humidity. I love fall hiking, especially after the mosquitoes die off. Let me know if you need any, and I'll send them your way. Take care my friend.
