It's hot out! Do u still go hiking?

[rhihn]

Extreme heat has almost never stopped us -- although I don't really know how to define that. It rarely gets unbearable in the Northeast. Hot is one thing, humidity is another, and I can stand more heat if it's not too humid. We've never cancelled due to heat. The closest we've come was on a trip to Mt. Marshall (Adirondacks). We made it about 2/3 of the way up. We knew we were becoming dehydrated, but the bugs were as much an issue that day as the weather.

 

[amstony]

I like the heat and the extended daylight hours, especially for the longer drives. When I hike this time of year I can travel light, carry less, and move much faster. No need to worry about layering, very heavy packs, blizzards, etc.

I bring plenty of water, snacks, leave home and start hikes relatively early, especially for a long hike. I can carry power bars, GU, and other stuff and not worry about it freezing too. I plan on being back below treeline by late afternoon to avoid the thunderstorms that can brew up this time of year.

I don't mind the cold weather hikes but the generally crappy driving weather, short days amd winter work requirements limit what I can get done hiking wise. For winter I focus on long runs, the gym and a shorter hike in Mass like Mt. Watatic or some parks.

 

[WhiteMTHike]

It rarely gets unbearable in the Northeast. Hot is one thing, humidity is another, and I can stand more heat if it's not too humid.

I feel the same way. A dry heat is fine but humidity is what makes me miserable. I don't mind working up a good sweat but I hate the bugs that humidity brings in with it. Give me a cool crisp fall day anytime and I'll hike the day away.

 

[Rik]

I miss winter. But I won't miss a chance to hike so hot it is for a few hikes this time of year. Frozen water works great. If it melts slow I add water from another source. Usually the bottle I start with.

 

[Hakuna Matata]

We freeze a water bottle and slide it in next to our hydration bladder. It helps to keep your bladder cool and that half frozen bottle of water on the summit is great. I also put a washcloth in a zip-lock bag. When we pass a cool mountain stream we use it to cool down. It feels so good to just hold it on your face or back of your neck. It's also good to wipe down after the hike and put on dry (not-so-smelly) clothes for the ride home.

 

[Neil]

I like the heat and the extended daylight hours, especially for the longer drives.

This time of year I have to get it out of my head that I'm wasting daylight when I'm still on the road after the sun has come up.

I miss winter.

I know what you mean. How many shopping days until Dec. 21? I hope the gate is still open when I really get Donaldson. BTW, you're coming

 

[forty8]

Hydrate Hydrate Hydrate!

I went over the Tripyramids on Fathers' Day weekend about seven years ago with a full pack. It was HOT HOT HOT. I thought I had plenty of water, but I was wrong. I got dehydrated, suffered leg cramps, and to add insult to injury, the black flies nearly carried away what was left. I wouldn't ever cancel a hike because of the heat, but I will make sure all the bottles are full before I pass that last water source.

 

[spaddock]

I hope the gate is still open when I really get Donaldson. BTW, you're coming

Count me in too! Hopefully by that time I'll be done my regular 46. I miss my snowshoes already....

I won't cancel a hike if its super hot, but I'll reconsider if I think the bugs are gonna be horrendous.


-Shayne

 

[beverly]

Ice on Hot Days

On hot days I freeze my liter nalgene bottle of water/electrolye drink the night before.

On Saturday it was pretty warm as we hiked up Basin Brook to the Slide and then to the top of Basin. Rock-hopping on the brook led us to some ice scultptures that were rapidly melting. It was very refreshing to break off a piece of ice and use it to to cool my head and face. The temperature was markedy cooler in the brook and stayed that way until we got up to the slide. I would have thrown some ice from the brook into my nalgene, but I forgot to bring the gin to sterilize the ice!

 

[dougb]

The heat doesn't bother me either, but I do hydrate continually. The heat is why they have those colorful packs of Gatorade in EMS. I find that slurping down a Nalgene bottle of Gatorade at about noon has a lot of benifit. On long trips in summer, I take a package for each day.

 

[jjo]

I love hiking too much to let hot weather get in the way but there are times, I realize I should better judgment. (start earlier, more fluids, etc)

 

[TCD]

Just came back from 5 days climbing in Red Rocks. The approach hikes were short (1-2 miles, 800 feet of vertical), but it was 105F every day, no clouds, no shade.

Lots of water, and some electrolytes, and sloooooow the pace.

 

[truepatriot09]

All the hydration in the world can't make me enjoy a hot day with bugs on the trail. I have a tendancy to be warm all the time. I hike in the summer but I'm very picky about the weather and while I probably wouldn't cancel a hike due to heat, I would definitely not plan a hike if the forecast is for humid weather over 90 degrees...like I said before, winter is for the trail, summer is for the kayak.

 

[Adk_dib]

One thing I do is to carry a bandana. I soak it in a stream and wrap it around my neck. I once filled my hydration pack with ice when I did algonquin. I was sucking air on the way down. when I got to the car, my hydration pack was so well insulated it was all ice cubes!

 

[Rivet]

Here's a tip. Don't freeze an entire 2 liter bottle of water. It'll take forever to thaw out.

It's not the best to hike in stiffling heat. I try to hike in the morning hours and do shorter hikes.

I guess you can also try hiking at night when it's the coolest temps. Also less bugs at night.

 

[Pete Hogan]

Heat/Cold Precautions

When temperature and humidity add up to 160 (a suggestion from an ancient 46er), I think twice about starting an extended day (more than 10 miles and/or 3000’ ascent). Water ("a pint a pound the world around") does make a difference in keeping core temperature in check, but also exacerbates the situation with extra weight. If you are packing 4 liters of water that adds 8 pounds of water weight to your pack!

This is similar to the winter precaution of starting a snowshoe trip above timberline when ambient trailhead temperatures are below zero (knowing that elevation will decrease temperature by 4 degrees for every 1000 feet) and wind chills may further compromise safety.

 

[Gris]

Having lived my entire life of Florida I just had to weigh in on this one. "HEAT" is a relative concept folks! Down here, with our high humidty, we do NOT consider it really hot until the temp gets to 90+ plus high humidty. And even then we still play 10-S and do all our other outdoor activity. The key, as said by others, is to just pace yourself, slow down and hydrate. Yet, even being a Florida heat child, when it's at all hot in the mountains I look for hikes with the afternoon trek along a stream and I too like to start super early in the summer.

 

[giggy]

yep - lose the shirt - drink water,

when in the army - used to train in alabama in the summer (107 - 90% humidity ) was the norm in july/august -

the northeast doesn't even come close on its hottest days.

doen't bother me at all - either does minus 20. - adapt, adjust, FIDO (F' it - drive on)

 

[Bjarni]

In early July a couple of years ago my two teenage sons and I were going to climb Madison on a day when the temperature in Boston reached 101, there was high humidity, and the temperature on Mt Washington set a record. We'd gone about a mile up the Osgood trail and I was totally drenched. This was supposed to be fun, and we were all not having a good time.

So we turned around, drove to Gorham, rented a hotel room, and ate pizza and watched a Sponge Bob marathon in delightful air conditioning for the rest of the day.

 

[jfb]

I usually won't plan hikes for hot days, but if I've already made plans then I'll go anyways and suffer through it. I have returned home earlier than planned because of the heat.