Hiking in the heat

[ErichFromm]

Thanks for the heads up... sheepyard flats it is i guess...

[ribuck]

In the heat, just do the river trips. Easy around Sydney - head to the Wollangambe, the Colo, the Shoalhaven, the Kowmung, etc. If there's a climb out needed, do it slowly at dusk. Probably the pizza joint on the way home will be hotter than the walk.

And no-one EVER got too hot doing Claustral Canyon.

[Hallu]

Up until 35° I'm fine and can hike several hours if I have enough water, I may even enjoy the heat. But I would never do it if I can avoid it, by getting up early for example. And I would never go out if there's a fire warning. In Australia it's not the heat that bothers me it's the flies. When you're gasping for air, and they're all buzzing around you, some getting in your mouth, it can get frustrating very quickly. I could cope with the heat in Death Valley much more easily because there weren't any insects.

[peregrinator]

I realise that not all people like wearing a protective insect net on their head/hat in summer. But in my opinion, doing so is much better than eating flies and being driven to despair by their constant intrusion. There's a side benefit as well -- the netting reduces sun glare and, for me, makes sunglasses unnecessary. I just need to remember to lift the net when having a drink!

[Lamont]

I can now really attest to the effectiveness of Picaridan 8 hour ("OFF" Brand check the label for Picaradin if you haven't seen it before) The flies and mozzies, would NOT land on my bare skin (or in my mouth or nostrils ha ha) which is the only place I applied it. Legs up to shorts, hands and neck/face. Lasted about 7-8 hours sweating fairly heavily.Very true to the claim! I bought the spray pack and put 60 mls in a little bottle and used about 5-8mls over a 24 hour period.
Stupidly took Bushmans (DEET) the week before to exactly the same place (Baw Baw Plateau),and some of the flies did land on me as you would expect. I thought I would mainly be fighting mozzies! It's all Picaridan for me in Aus. now. Cambodia, Timor Leste -DEET.

[Warin]

Head nets

I just need to remember to lift the net when having a drink!

And eating. I find the net tends to wipe them off food - so I am less likely to get unwanted extras. Unfortunately I don't have eyes on stalks so I can see to open sealed food packs inside the head net .. I tend to want to do that outside the head net.

If I am forced to add spreads while under 'fly supervision' I find keeping the bread/biscuit inside its wrapper and adding the spread while it is still inside the wrapper preferable to letting the flies perform 'on site surveys' while i'm doing the spreading.

[Neo]

"OFF" ...I bought the spray pack and put 60 mls in a little bottle and used about 5-8mls over a 24 hour period...

Hi Lamont, was there a particular small bottle that you used? I have tried some small pump bottles but they leaked, not even worth keeping in a ziplock.. Rubber seal doesn't always work. I think the best I've found (was used for a eucalyptus brew) was a glass cleaner bottle from an optometrist.

[Lamont]

G'day, Neo. Litesmith in the US had a sale and they have everything you could want!
I bought 2X 30mls, 2X60mls, 1X250mls, FLAT Reading glasses. You can choose your bottle shapes, style of top and all really excellent BUT....the US and $ for delivery etc. Today I walked with the Picaridan in that little bottle with a normal roll on Sunscreen. The SScreen bottle was 4 times the size but had the same amount of liquid in it! All PET. Once you see what they have and the low prices well.......
I carried whiskey up to Baw Baw twice in the 60 and 30 (didn't want to overdo it).Maybe do a bulk order with someone because the bottles are incredibly robust. My daughter reckons Kmart or Target might also have some?

[Neo]

Cheers. Litesmith is one I haven't seen before.
So much browsing, so little $.

[solohiker]

I tend to do dawn and evening hikes In The hot weather.
30 plus is very discouraging to me!
If I was doing a multi month thru hike then yeah I’d carry on but in normal circumstances I hibernate in summer.

[dashandsaph]

One trick I found worked for an afternoon snooze when the shade for the tent wasn't that good, was to drape the sleeping bag over the tent. It aired the bag and created a lovely insulated dark shade underneath.

[Moondog55]

One trick I found worked for an afternoon snooze when the shade for the tent wasn't that good, was to drape the sleeping bag over the tent. It aired the bag and created a lovely insulated dark shade underneath.

This

[johnw]

One trick I found worked for an afternoon snooze when the shade for the tent wasn't that good, was to drape the sleeping bag over the tent. It aired the bag and created a lovely insulated dark shade underneath.

This

Gotta remember that one. And you get two benefits for the price of one. It needs to go in the tips and tricks section.

[ErichFromm]

I ended up checking out the delatite area after all (research in case i ever wanted to take my son there): for km after km the waterline of lake eildon looked like some sort of muddy festival. More caravans than I've seen in one place before.

The heat was pretty oppressive and most of the ways into the water required wading through mud. Ended up going inland a bit to get away from the crowds. Got up early and did the wallaby way walk as a day walk and then scooted home with the car aircon on high...

[quill]

I was left in a hot car as a kid and although I can't prove it, the fact is even today at age 38 I sweat rivers at the slightest hint of heat. I lived in Mildura for a long time and acclimatised well, and I actually enjoy running in the heat - I'm not especially uncomfortable, it's just my heat-exchange system is always ready for war and I sweat at socially unacceptable levels.

A few hints I found from working in the heat in Mildura:

Wide-brimmed straw hats are incredibly effective. The straw eventually becomes damp around your brow and then onto the dome covering your head, it acts like a Coolgardie Safe with a porous, damp natural fibre enclosing a small space. It's so effective you need to watch hydration as it can fool you into thinking it's more comfortable than it actually is. A lot has to do with the fact it's loosely-woven and air passes pretty much straight through the dome enclosing your head.

Cotton is king. Technical wicking fibres reduce the cooling effect of sweat - cotton stays damp, and keeps this moisture close to your skin while wicking fibres do the opposite. I found the best combo was a light cotton T-shirt with a light long-sleeve flannel shirt over the top. A good hint for hiking is to keep a wet cotton T-shirt in a zip-lock. If you get uncomfortable, popping on the wet cotton T-shirt is heavenly.

A hint I've found as a footy trainer is a small, lunchbox-size pack of plain salted chips gives an energy boost while replacing sodium, I found players who had this at quarter-time were far less likely to develop cramps later in the game. Banana chips are also effective in replacing potassium.

Sleeping is the worst and can be a bit of an irreducible problem, the best I've found is rather than a sleeping bag, a linen sheet you wrap around yourself like a cocoon. You can adjust it from a full wrap to more or less a groundsheet you sleep atop of and everything in between, and the linen is very comfortable and cooling.

[GPSGuided]

I was left in a hot car as a kid and although I can't prove it, the fact is even today at age 38 I sweat rivers at the slightest hint of heat...

That's actually a sign of very good adaptation ie. Fast physiological response to environmental stresses, one that'll protect you best. Similar to fit athletes, their HR responds to activities faster than sedentary people.

[madpom]

Altitude! Surely you aussies have mountains. In the east at least. Great Dividing range & all that ... -3 degrees per 1000ft dry air, -5 degrees per 1000ft wet air. Its 39 degrees right now here in Alexandra, Otago (400m amsl) and unbearable, but I've just spent a lovely, comfortable 4 days between 1000m & 1800m tramping & working.

[Zapruda]

Altitude! Surely you aussies have mountains. In the east at least. Great Dividing range & all that ... -3 degrees per 1000ft dry air, -5 degrees per 1000ft wet air. Its 39 degrees right now here in Alexandra, Otago (400m amsl) and unbearable, but I've just spent a lovely, comfortable 4 days between 1000m & 1800m tramping & working.

I was at 1800m asl 2 weekends ago and the road was melting. It’s the sun, it’s brutal.

Although this weekend is bringing a cool change. I’ll be heading up high to hopefully around 10c ahhh heaven.

[nq111]

Wimps All of you
It's about technique and tempo and acclimatisation

And certainly more than a kernel of truth in that too. It fascinates me that the outdoor community in Australia is so focused on cold weather gear and techniques. Maybe because this country is generally mild to hot we fixate on the exotic? Or because most of what we read is from Europe and USA with their cold climates? But Australia is mostly warm to hot (around 40% in the tropics from memory) but us locals generally have no interest in learning how to play in it.

I agree with Moondog55 - wimps, all of you!

There is some good reading about. The Badwater Ultramarathon has generated a bunch of papers from qualified, medical type competitors and observers. Lots of value is placed on acclimating your physiology to work in those conditions and also techniques to manage dehydration and overheating in the extreme conditions during the event. No need for any of us to be that extreme but lots to learn. Some interesting military papers about too if you can find them - again generally stressing the importance of acclimation.

Hot weather is hard work, and will kill those not properly prepared (As will cold).

One thing in the comments so far, humid heat and dry heat are very different. For example cotton my be great in dry heat, but it is a disaster in humid heat.

[Zapruda]

But what proportion of the population lives close to the tropics and how much of the population to the alps?

It’s also about enjoyment. The heat and everything that comes with it does nothing for me. The cold on the other hand is when i have the most fun.

And being based in Canberra and Kosciuszko NP being my stomping ground it’s safe to say that 10 months of the year will be some form of cold. Nothing exotic about that.

[wallwombat]

I'm largely with rcaffin on this one. I write off most of summer.

When I was younger, I'd regularly go walking and climbing in the summer heat and 9 times out of 10, I'd have a crap time. It didn't seem to stop me, though. I would just go and do it again and have another crap time. Thankfully, I got older and gave up on roasting myself in the bush.

Another aspect of bushwalking in the heat, that hasn't been mentioned, is bush fires. In summer they are a big risk.

I remember a 5 day Ettrema walk in the height of summer, when the day time temp never got under 35c. On the walk out we were force to sit, up to our necks, in the creek for 5 or 6 hours, while a bushfire swept through the area. We were lucky and it was interesting at the time. In retrospect it was probably risky and stupid to be there at that time of year.

And then the was the 10 days I spent at Arapiles, in heat wave conditions, with gastro. Very unpleasant indeed.

[ErichFromm]

I remember doing a walk a few years ago up at the Grampians...being young and stupid I didn't even really look at the weather forecast (just that it was going to be hot). After later checking I'd found it was mid 40s...

On the first incline I noticed struggling (I'd done the walk before) and didn't put 2 and 2 together. The flies were crazy - ignoring swipes with my hand and instead persistently drilling themselves into the corner of my eyes, I had to literally pick them out of my eyes to get them to stop. I struggled like crazy during the walk - puzzled why this time it was so much harder than the last.

It was only maybe 5 hours walk, but by the time I got to the camp spot I was completely obsessed with water - no matter how much I drank I kept wanting more. I splashed it over myself but it wasn't enough, climbed in and it wasn't enough, ended up completely submerging myself and just held my breath as long as I could. I probably did this for almost an hour before I'd cooled enough to think about anything else but being in water (and thinking about it - OMG how great is water???). The night was hell - heat and humidity so bad that a lot of the time it felt like I couldn't breathe properly, I'd breathe in but it felt like a partial breath, just short of being enough. Not something I'd rush to do again....

It's not heat that kills you, its stupidity...

[Hallu]

Altitude! Surely you aussies have mountains. In the east at least. Great Dividing range & all that ... -3 degrees per 1000ft dry air, -5 degrees per 1000ft wet air. Its 39 degrees right now here in Alexandra, Otago (400m amsl) and unbearable, but I've just spent a lovely, comfortable 4 days between 1000m & 1800m tramping & working.

Altitude isn't enough, I've had 30+ temperatures both in the Aussie Alps and the French Alps at 2000 + m. No shade above the treeline too, so it can be worse than hiking at low altitude where you can find shade. Nevertheless, the views definitely help, or the occasional lake. But don't think you can't suffer heatstroke in the mountains.

[rcaffin]

was at 1800m asl 2 weekends ago and the road was melting. It’s the sun, it’s brutal.

We were XC skiing around Perisher one time and sun problems. This was of course in mid-winter. The sun was so fierce that we had to wear silk face masks all the time. I got sun-burnt gums at the start! (Panting going up hill with moth open.)

Cheers
Roger

[Zapruda]

was at 1800m asl 2 weekends ago and the road was melting. It’s the sun, it’s brutal.

We were XC skiing around Perisher one time and sun problems. This was of course in mid-winter. The sun was so fierce that we had to wear silk face masks all the time. I got sun-burnt gums at the start! (Panting going up hill with moth open.)

I can definitely believe that, Roger. I am often more tanned in the middle of September than I am in February, thanks to the sun when I am ski touring.

Colleagues often ask me if I have had a spray tan...

[Lamont]

I posted a review of my new specialist hot weather shirt at
viewtopic.php?f=63&t=27240
if you haven't seen it as yet. Cheers.

[north-north-west]

Sun 28th it was still over 30 in the shade beside a lagoon at 7pm. I'd called it quits mid-arvo and spent the time swimming, resting, drinking and swatting bities instead of moving on to the next campsite.

Fact: If you feed them lots of March flies, the ants don't touch you.

[ofuros]

Fact: If you feed them lots of March flies, the ants don't touch you.

I think that little jem should go straight into the 'bushwalking tips' section of the forum.

[madpom]

Altitude! Surely you aussies have mountains. In the east at least. Great Dividing range & all that ... -3 degrees per 1000ft dry air, -5 degrees per 1000ft wet air. Its 39 degrees right now here in Alexandra, Otago (400m amsl) and unbearable, but I've just spent a lovely, comfortable 4 days between 1000m & 1800m tramping & working.

Sorry. Just spotted I got my dry & wet air temp gradient back to front. Wet air cools at +/-3 degrees per 1000ft, dry air at +/-5degrees/1000ft.

Hence the fohn effect.

[Neo]

Risked overheating this week on a walk in Kannada. Was under 30 but steep as!!