How hot is too hot to walk?

[Teegs]

Ok, given the current hot snap we are experiencing here, I was wondering if people set a max temp they will walk in, and what is it? Here in Pt Augusta we are hitting 40+ degrees and I have to admit, I can think of nothing worse than the idea of lugging a pack in this heat. What temp do you consider it too hot to walk in?

[stepbystep]

I dragged some unfit friends up Marion's Lookout, New Years Eve(or the day before) 2 years ago - 37degrees at Cradle that day - yes it was too hot - but we took a dip in Crater Lake on the way down.

Back in WA it never worried me but all my camping was canoe based on rivers, so you would just slip over the side to refresh. Or coastal, that would be my advice when stinkin' hot have a watery escape plan!

[seashell]

There really aren't many (if any) watery escapes when bushwalking in S.A. especially in the Flinders. There's no way i'd be walking if it's over 30 degrees (but that's just me, I don't handle really hot weather well).

I'm heading to P.A.in a couple of weeks to visit family, hope it's cooled down a bit by then, I moved to Tas to get away from the heat.

[Maelgwn]

The only watery escape that I know of is the west coast of Kangaroo Island, but I haven't been there to find out myself. Its currently closed due to the fires a few years ago I might try deep creek this summer, hopefully the sea breeze works ok there.

I would rarely walk above 30 degrees and if you're out in the sun that can be pretty uncomfortable. Serious walking is pretty much a write off for me from about now until Easter time, unless we travel to go walking

[Clownfish]

One thing to bear in mind for people visiting or new to Tassie, is the difference in what a given temperature "feels like" in Tasmania, as opposed to the Mainland.

For instance, temps in the mid-high 30s in Tasmania feel to me as bad as a 40+ Victorian Scorcher. Not long after moving here, a day at Baker's Beach that I would have sworn was in the mid-30s was actually (measured on the spot) 28.

"It's a different kind of heat," as the saying goes.

Then there is the UV exposure. I'm not sure how much difference our proximity to the Antarctic ozone "hole" makes, but I have got very badly burnt on what was only a moderately hot day at Wynyard. Luckily it was only my knees - I'd taken care of the upper body, but forget the legs.

"Tasmania - the only place where you can get hypothermia and skin cancer at the same time" - Tom Gleeson

[johnw]

Having a very low tolerance for heat, I try to avoid walking above 30 degrees. Even then I try to find either coastal (sea breeze can help a lot) or shady walks in summer. Unfortunately we get a lot of hot weather around Sydney, and it seems to be getting both warmer and the season lasts much longer these days . I'm convinced it's related to human-induced climate change.

[photohiker]

I would rarely walk above 30 degrees and if you're out in the sun that can be pretty uncomfortable. Serious walking is pretty much a write off for me from about now until Easter time, unless we travel to go walking

Same here. I get up early and do my daily clicks before 7am - it was still pushing towards 30 here at 6:30 today. Adelaide has now officially had a November heat wave...

Once the sun is on you in these temps it's just not pleasant...

[Ent]

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[photohiker]

Um? You must live on another planet Walk before 7am Mourning is a time to lament lost sleep opportunities. Go for it Conan the Grammarian, the spelling is deliberate

I do Brett, I do. It's called 'The Real World'

Up here, the sun is hitting the horizon at about 6am at the moment but you can see quite well from around 5:30. It is rare to go for an early walk and not see someone else, so I'm not the only crazy. Not usually the same people though, maybe I'm the only one that is allowed out of the cell every day...

Devonport is only about 10 minutes behind us...

[wander]

We have done some (a coupe of odd days here and there) wandering in 38+ in SA. It can be very debilitating. The hardest thing was finding enough shade to be in and to pitch the fly screen when looking to stop.

A couple of hot wander days have been excellent with long down ridge pitches into narrowish shady gorges. No swimming in the rock holes with the dead goats.

A hot Northerly is the trip killer.

One December I wandered up the Port Davey track. For some reason I found it very hard. Solo wander, heavy 10 day pack. And I just ran out of energy to complete as per plan over the White Monolith Range. The track itself was generally mud free and upon return I found I had been wandering about in 36plus each day. I really had not noticed it was that hot. But it certainly drained me. Another day and another lesson learnt.

It think it helps if the night is cool and you get a good nights sleep, are able to start early in the morning and stop at lunchish and siesta in the hottest part of the day.


No fixed temperature, it depends on the wander.

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[photohiker]

Your sunrise is actually ahead of us Brett

I was on a plane from Sydney to Adelaide once, and during descent the pilot came on the PA and announced "Welcome to South Australia, put your watches back half an hour and your minds back a hundred years"

Most people laughed, but the ones that didn't were not seeing the funny side of it.

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[tas-man]

<SNIP>There is a great book on two Australian authors doing the long pilgrimage route in Spain and dealing with heat "Seize the Day" I think was the title. Worth the read and if you do not get the itch to check out the walk I will be surprised.

Cheers Brett

Thanks for the tip off on this book Brett. Several LWC members have done parts of the " Camino de Santiago" so I have seen some photos, put it on my "to do" list, further encouraged by now having a Spanish speaking daughter-in-law Found the book in the library and put on hold. there are several copies s ohere's the full citation-
"The year we seized the day: a true story of friendship, fury and sore feet" by Elizabeth Best and Colin Bowles, Publisher: Crows Nest, N.S.W. : Arena/Allen & Unwin, 2007
"By a twist of fate two barely acquainted writers seize the day, drop everything and embark on a medieval pilgrimage across Spain, walking the ancient Camino de Santiago de Compostela. They had done no training and carried way too much luggage."

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[Son of a Beach]

[quote="Brett"]Love the description of the sandals but such a description on open forum might not be acceptable to our moderator.[/quote]

[fingers-in-ears]la-la-la[/finger-in-ears] ie, go for it

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[soulfree]

How hot is too hot? Well it depends where you are, what the humidity's like, how well you cope with heat, etc. Here in Vic the sun feels hotter in the high country and you seem to get burnt more up in the mountains - must be living so close to the sun so one neesd to cover up more. Various wilderness first aid courses I have done have pointed out the folly in walking in temps above 35 degrees celsius, given core body temp is 37 degrees - once you start exercising in such temps, you are soon elevating your body core temp above its norm and hence at greater risk from hyperthermia (heat exhaustion leading to heat stroke). Apart from that it's jusy *&%$#! uncomfortable. Best to walk early in the morning and late in the arvo / evening IMHO then find somewhere shady and preferably where you can swim during the heat. This is what we do when climbing at Araps in summer. Does this m ake sense to you too? Anyway given the fire risk, coastal walking has a lot going for it over the summer months methinks ...

[sthughes]

Apart from that it's jusy *&%$#! uncomfortable.

Nice work dodging the swear filter there

It's rarely to hot in Tassie, have walked in mid to low thirties on Flinders Island, but only on the flat. That was enough.

Anything over 30 with a full pack is too hot for me. As a day walk hotter temps are tolerable as long as there is shade or I'm after a work out. The colder the better, bring on the negative temps and ice I say
Summer is for sailing, swimming and kayaking

[Ent]

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[Son of a Beach]

Apart from that it's just *&%$#@! uncomfortable.

Nice work dodging the swear filter there

Fixed!

Just a reminder, please do not try to bypass the swear filter. The forums preferences allow each member to choose whether they see the swear words or not. If you want to see those words, then choose that setting in your forums "User Control Panel". Please allow others who do want to use the word censor to do so, by not working around it.

[Taurë-rana]

I walked in Kakadu last year, got way overheated on the very first day going over some sun scorched, black rocks - tried to go fast to get past it but just got too hot. Luckily it was near water and when we got to it a friend poured water over me til I cooled down. I expect the shade temp was in the low 30's but in the sun was very hot and I couldn't cool myself down. After that I learned to slow down, and we drank and drank, and rested in the shade frequently, and didn't walk too fast. I have over heated in Tassie too, coming off Mt Anne with a full pack in blazing sun and no shade. I think availability of water both to cool off in and keep hydrated probably determines what temperatures you can safely walk in.
Bear Grylls was dropped into the Kimberley in a recent program and he was obviously having trouble dealing with the heat, but then he is a pom!
We did a short walk in the Bungle Bungles once and thought it was a bit warm, back at the vehicle it said 42 or 46 or something ridiculous. We got in and turned the air conditioning on!

[tas-man]

"The year we seized the day: a true story of friendship, fury and sore feet"[/b] by Elizabeth Best and Colin Bowles, Publisher: Crows Nest, N.S.W. : Arena/Allen & Unwin, 2007
"By a twist of fate two barely acquainted writers seize the day, drop everything and embark on a medieval pilgrimage across Spain, walking the ancient Camino de Santiago de Compostela. They had done no training and carried way too much luggage."

The book makes great reading on what footwear works and does not work in hot climate with day after day walks over stony ground. Love the description of the sandals but such a description on open forum might not be acceptable to our moderator.

Cheers Brett

Thanks Brett for the "heads up" on this book.
Read library copy cover to cover before Christmas and thoroughly enjoyed it. Went looking/googling for a copy to give to Brother & Sister-in-law for Christmas, and copy to keep, and found it was out of print, but a new edition was due for release on Jan 1st. Checked with Petrachs LSTN yesterday and their stock had only just arrived and been put on the shelf, so have got a copy to enjoy re-reading. So much of their experiences resonates with my own on extended trips. Highly recommended! Web link http://www.theyearweseizedtheday.net/thebook.html

[corvus]

Last week we did a food drop into Pelion with a total shared weight between three of 89 kg, temperature was in the low thirties and it was a HARD walk, day two return journey with two of us sharing a total of around 36 kg Temperature rose to 38c now that is too hot to walk
corvus

[Bush Walker]

Personally, I don't walk over 25deg C. Above that, I find I need to carry too much water above that temperature and sometimes lose it faster by sweating than I can rehydrate, resulting in dehydration and heat cramps.

[ILUVSWTAS]

25?? Wow, it must be hard to get a walk in over summer then??

[stu]

Having walked in 35+ degrees on several multi-day walks I'd have to say that although you suffer a bit & yes, you must keep the liquids up, I'd take a scorching day over a cold, wet, SW day any day of the week. Anyone who has endured cold & wet Tasmanian weather & wondered how close they were to hypothermia will take the hot over the cold 10 times out of 10.

Some of my fondest walking memories are of these scorching days if you have the luxury of water close by (below - all 30+ degree days):

Swimming in Hanging lake after summiting Federation Peak with no wind & not a cloud in the sky.
Sitting on Coronation Peak in 30+ degree temps with a light cooling breeze then harvesting over 4 litres of water from a yabbie hole.
Swimming in Croaking Lake after summiting Remote Peak (Companion Range); we stayed in the water for over an hour.
Swimming in Lake Tahune after summiting Frenchmans Cap, water was so cold & invigorating.
Enduring fan forced oven like conditions ascending Victoria Cross (35+ degree day), but again, feeling the light breeze on the summit.
Swimming in Lake Elysia after a long hot day out to Macs Mountain; the cold water soothed our sun burnt & scoparia shred bodies.

Happy days indeed

Cheers.
Stu.

[ILUVSWTAS]

Dont forget swimming with the frogs in Haven lake after summiting Shaula......

[stu]

Ah yes, forgot about that other 35+ day, there's been so many great scorching days mate

[north-north-west]

. . . swimming in that pool below the Garden of Eden after scrambling all the way up along King's Canyon Creek . . . the icy cold of a plunge into the pool at Redbank after going out to Rwetyepme and back . . . the pools in the creek at the top of Gunlom . . . Sweetwater Pool, either while doing the Jatbula or as a daywalk from Leliyn . . . wading in Doubtful Creek after slogging up and over Far Bald on a 40+ day . . . swimming in my own sweat while heading up the Ramsheads from Dead Horse Gap . . .

Ahhhhhh, the joys of summer.