Hiking in the heat

[ErichFromm]

So, a long weekend coming with two days of 39 degrees. Leads me to wondering what weather people consider too extreme for walking.

Is anyone going hiking this weekend and if so what sort of precautions do you take?

I'm considering still going but only to a place with a water hole to cool off, lots of water and salt, and being very modest with pace and distance. Having a hammock also means cooler sleeping...

[Dexter]

I was planning on doing an over night hike with a mate at work and have decided to bail on it. We are going to do a short hike around Werribee Gorge instead and just start nice and early. I burn far too easily and have had heat exhaustion before and it's not fun! Stay safe in the heat.

[ErichFromm]

Last time i planned a hike i was asking about flood risk....watch out folks next i plan something it could be locusts

[neilmny]

I think upper 30's and higher are very risky for a few reasons.
Fire risk goes way up.
Dehydration is always lurking even if you have water.
A shady tree doesn't even provide much relief once it's that hot.
For me once it's over about 35 it's time to bail and find something else to do.

[johnw]

Personally I would not usually consider going out much beyond 30 degrees, preferably much less, but that's me. Up here it's way too hot for me to even think about walking at present. Last outings were in KNP over the Xmas break, mostly up high where the altitude always provides some nice relief. I suspect the current extreme weather here is beyond the tolerance level of most people, and some NPs/tracks or parts thereof are closed in extreme heat conditions. Currently trying to do other or related things instead - gear shopping, bike riding in the evening, maybe some packrafting, sorting through my photos, reading, chilling out by the pool etc. When the heat drops to a sane level I normally look at either shaded rainforest type walks or coastal ones, where you often get a nice sea breeze even on a very warm sunny day. My son has been doing a lot of technical canyoning and that might be a good option for those with the necessary experience, abseiling/rope skills, equipment etc. But could still face a hot walk in/out, and I believe some canyons are getting very dry making water jumps etc potentially dangerous.

[Zapruda]

I was up on the Main Range on Saturday planning to do an overnighter but after 5kms I turned around because of the weather. It was so *&%$#! hot and there were flies everywhere and of course there is 0 shade up there to rest in. Even the road was melting up at Charlotte pass, I still have tar on my trail runners. Jan and Feb are my rest months from walking, I will take the cold and snow any day of the week

[RonK]

Normal body temperature is in the range 36.5–37.5 °C. Once the ambient temperature exceeds that, it's no longer possible to shed heat. So exertion which generates more body heat is not wise. Even if hydration is adequate, heat stroke may occur.

[slparker]

Normal body temperature is in the range 36.5–37.5 °C. Once the ambient temperature exceeds that, it's no longer possible to shed heat. So exertion which generates more body heat is not wise. Even if hydration is adequate, heat stroke may occur.

Not true - evaporation cools the body at ambient temperatures greater than body temperature - which is why we sweat.

[rcaffin]

Jan & Feb are 'dead' months in my book, both around Sydney and around KNP.
Pick your days and you might manage a canyon or so.

I rang Jindi NPWS once in January to ask about something, and asked also about the flies. The pause and length of the sigh were as much of an answer as the following 'lots.'

Cheers
Roger

[ofuros]

Best to run under your sprinkler or dive into your local swimming pool but if you must
have a bushwalking hit...

Start early & finish early.
Don't go alone. Heat stress sneeks up on you.
Short walks to cool shaded water.
What you hydration level.
Hammock in verandah mode, providing shade & allowing breezes.

But I'd skip all the above & wait for a cooler weekend. A bushwalk in high temps isn't worth dying for...

[Moondog55]

Wimps All of you
It's about technique and tempo and acclimatisation
But even when I was a younger me and highly adapted I'd not walk when it hit 40C and more.
What ofuros said but with extra
Start early
Finish late
Avoid any exertion between 1100 and 1500 hours, find a nice place and rest/sleep rehydrate, get up off the ground, its cooler even a hundred millimetres up
Use a parasol
Shade is paramount so make sure you take your own.
Walk at a pace that maximises sweat cooling, sometimes you cool down better if the breeze on your legs is a little faster
Loose natural fibre clothing in multiple layers, as open and light as possible
I am sure I've stated all this before
As for shade In really hot weather I would simply use poly/cotton bed sheets or perhaps aluminium coated Mylar bonded to something stronger like No-See-Em mesh and I would make sure that the tarps were big
We got pretty good at hot weather walking when we lived in The Alice

[ofuros]

Start early & finish early.

Yeah, I was thinking starting in the cool around an hour before dawn until say 10ish....gives you roughly
6hrs to play with (averaging 2 to 5kph = 12 to 30kms), plenty long enough for adventures & skullduggery
before the heat really ramps up. In & out like Flynn.

[ErichFromm]

Forecast for sat down to 35... enough of a change to get me considering a walk again.

Unfortunately fires still a concern.

[Gadgetgeek]

Another concern is that more heat means bigger storms if they hit. Obviously local conditions mean that some places are more susceptible than others, but when you hit that mid 30s range I start thinking local thunderstorms and hail risk.

[Neo]

Check the forecast again closer to the time, plan to go to a cool place and walk early/late as suggested. One doesn't have to do a lot of km to make it an overnighter

Last weekends forcast was near 40 so I skipped one location and went to the next, a ~4km walk downhill to a river.
Had about six cool dips the next day and about midday moved to the shade of the only tree on flat sand. The sand was so hot!
My plan was to stay a second night and walk out after breakfast before it got too hot. A fellow lost his car keys and was likely to miss his call-in time so I walked up with him to give him a lift to town. Super hot at 5pm!! I had to drop the pack twice and cool down to make sure that I didn't overheat, on just a 1hr climb.

[Lindsay]

On Monday I did a very quick spur of the moment 1km walk from the carpark to Lees Pinch lookout in the Goulburn River NP. 41 degrees made even that short distance very ordinary.

[Warin]

It's about technique and tempo and acclimatisation

Acclimatization counts for more than most people think.
Last wee the day after 43C, 33C seamed quite comfortable. But long term effects are much better at setting the body for a climate. Typical Darwin temperatures are 32C, long term residents put jumpers on at 25C, you can imagine the problems they have with air conditioners.

The NSW National Parks have signs up, in some parks at least, advising that the park bushwalking tracks are closed on total fire ban days. So that puts a lot of places around me out of contention for hot weather walking anyway.

[ofuros]

I've had a couple of workmates go down with heat stress over the years, you think you cope with anything that comes your way but you can't, it sneaks up you leaving stumbling around confused, disoriented, dry skinned, shallow breathing, one guy even went a pale greeny/white, their motor skills & decision making goes out the window.
Its not pretty to see.

You have make all the decisions for them, cool them down if possible & get them straight to the 1st aid medics as quick as you can.

These incidents were within a couple of hours of a 6am start time in the Pilbara, West Qld & the NT...and we were acclimatized to the conditions

Take extra care in the humid or dry high heat conditions...awareness, avoid the hottest part of the day, hydration & heat breaks in the shade are keys points.

Monitor the colour of your pee at your frequent leak breaks throughout the day.
Dark yellow...sip more frequently.
Light yellow tinged...your spot with your fluid intake.

[Moondog55]

True ofouros It's happened to me although it was self inflicted; doing a 10k run in over 40C temperatures
Like hypothermia and frostbite the recovery time can sometimes be measured in years and can leave you susceptible to the condition for much longer

[ofuros]

I'm sure I've been on or over the edge a few times too Moondog...

Working around a minesites boilers & rotating kilns, temps easily hit the 50c mark...terrible conditions.

Crotch rot/ jock itch is another thing to look out for when bushwalking in high heat/humidity conditions...sweaty salty clothes rubbing against bare skin produces a very nasty painful rash in no time at all...and it just rubs & rubs with every step you make. Ow Ow Ow !

[RonK]

It's about technique and tempo and acclimatisation

Acclimatization counts for more than most people think.
Last wee the day after 43C, 33C seamed quite comfortable. But long term effects are much better at setting the body for a climate. Typical Darwin temperatures are 32C, long term residents put jumpers on at 25C, you can imagine the problems they have with air conditioners.

I was borne and raised in Darwin, lived more twenty years there so that would have made me a long-term resident.

I never "acclimatised", never found it comfortable, never had "problems" with air conditioning. I suffered terribly from heat exhaustion at times. The whole family took salt tablets and ate salty plums trying to compensate for the lost electrolyte.

Couldn't get out of the place quick enough. Would never live there again.

[Neo]

I was in a cucumber growing tunnel one day, feeling so light headed I had to get out! They get up around the 50 degree mark.

[ErichFromm]

I was in a cucumber growing tunnel one day, feeling so light headed I had to get out! They get up around the 50 degree mark.

Damn, had to read that twice...

I've decided to head out lake eildon way, find some route for a day walk but have a base near the water to cool off...

[neilmny]

Go to Fraser Park and take the Wallaby Bay track to Stones Outstation. Heaps of access for a swim almost all the way, shady and pleasant walking for about a 16km out and back.
You can loop back over the Blowhard Spur for a different way home.

[Lamont]

Baw Baw plateau last couple of days, warmish for up there I think---FLIES, FLIES and MORE FLIES. I counted 18 on both my boots and another dozen or so on my gaiters, and another couple of hundred buzzing around my body. Also two visits from the local tiger snake/s. Not sure if it was the same one.

[ErichFromm]

Go to Fraser Park and take the Wallaby Bay track to Stones Outstation. Heaps of access for a swim almost all the way, shady and pleasant walking for about a 16km out and back.
You can loop back over the Blowhard Spur for a different way home.

Not a bad idea. Did the reverse direction a couple years ago, stayed at mountaineer creek camp spot. I was considering the delatite arm reserve (other side of lake purely because haven't been before)

[Neo]

I was in a cucumber growing tunnel one day, feeling so light headed I had to get out! They get up around the 50 degree mark.

Damn, had to read that twice...

I've decided to head out lake eildon way, find some route for a day walk but have a base near the water to cool off...

Sounds good, base camp at a cool spot. Don't eat the fungi!

[neilmny]

Go to Fraser Park and take the Wallaby Bay track to Stones Outstation. Heaps of access for a swim almost all the way, shady and pleasant walking for about a 16km out and back.
You can loop back over the Blowhard Spur for a different way home.

Not a bad idea. Did the reverse direction a couple years ago, stayed at mountaineer creek camp spot. I was considering the delatite arm reserve (other side of lake purely because haven't been before)

The Delatite reserve is Boganville Eric. Good for camp fires, loud noise and trailbikes.
What about Mt Stirling from TBJ up the Stirling track and down the Bluff Spur track or vice versa of you don't mind the extra driving distance beyond the Delatite.
Probably wouldn't take a lot longer to get there and the weather will be milder on Stirling.

[MickyB]

The Delatite reserve is Boganville Eric. Good for camp fires, loud noise and trailbikes.

Is that AKA The Pines???

[neilmny]

Yes it is MickyB. It is a good spot but not serene