View Full Version : How hot is too hot?
Planning my hike next week and see the high temp are upper 80's. I don't have to go next week, can wait for cooler temps. Just wondering how hot is too hot for you guys? I am 6'2 and 235 lbs in decent shape, but want to enjoy as much as possible.
SGT Rock
08-02-2006, 08:59
80 is fine for me.
Frolicking Dinosaurs
08-02-2006, 09:06
I've hiked into the high 90'sF (~35-36C) in low humidity and with an umbrella for shade. On the AT, with its high humidity, I start being uncomfotable above ~80F (~22C) when climbing.
Which section are you planning to tackle?
Devil Fork Gap to Hot Springs. Fired up to go, and may go regardless. Trying to be rational about this.
The Solemates
08-02-2006, 09:41
If you don't like hot (who does?) then don't come to the Ozarks this time of the year. Nearly 100 every day and still 85 at night.
Alligator
08-02-2006, 09:47
The temps could be a little lower than what is printed due to higher elevation. It would depend on where the weather station is. It's also cooler under the canopy. Just know your limits, drink plenty of fluids, and take needed breaks. And if you have any reason to worry, please check with your doctor, I noticed that you were 52. If it's just a comfort thing, it's still likely to be sticky.
Kerosene
08-02-2006, 09:53
I'm a little more sensitive to the temperature, and a lot more sensitive to high humidity, even though I'm in pretty good shape (for my age at least). I prefer to do my section hikes in the spring and fall for that reason (as well as fewer bugs if I time it right). I start feeling it when the temperature rises above 70, but I really feel it once it approaches 80, especially if there is a lot of direct sunlight. You will want to make sure that you're very disciplined about your water intake, cameling up at mealtimes and drinking copiously throughout your hike.
Footslogger
08-02-2006, 10:23
It's not just the temperature that'll getcha ...it's the humidity as well. 80's out here in Wyoming are pleasant at 35 or so percent humidity. That said ...the wife and I hiked the section from Rangeley to Gorham in early July. The temps were in the 80's but so was the humidity. The difference was ASTOUNDING !!
'Slogger
Another thing to remember is that being in the woods makes a big difference. A few weeks ago I spent three days in the Lehigh/Delaware Water Gaps section. According to the weather reports it was above 90 and very humid. But inside the trees it felt almost cool, definitely no real discomfort. The sunny sections where rocks or powerlines interrupted the shade were a different story.
So much of the trail is still negotiable but on the exposed sections one needs to be more careful about hydration etc.
Rendezvous01
08-02-2006, 11:06
Joec--
You mention being in 'decent shape'. How conditioned to the outdoor environment are you, though? If you work outdoors, or spend much time outside, your body won't be nearly as stressed by the weather during your hike compared to if you are stuck in an air conditioned office.
On my hike in 2001, I had a couple weeks of hiking with temps in the high 80's and low 90's, or so I learned from other hikers and when I got off the Trail. As long as I had enough to drink, my body didn't care if it was 75 or 95. But three months of gradual acclimatization made a big difference in my ability to deal with the heat. If I were to go hike for a week in the middle of the summer right now, not conditioned to the climate, I'd suffer big time.
As others have said, drink, drink, drink, and listen to your body. Try to get on the Trail very early in the day--if you can get ten miles in before ten, then take a looooong siesta, then hike a few more miles in the evening, your body will probably be much happier.
buddha small b
08-02-2006, 11:06
The 3 H's. Hydrate! Hydrate! Hydrate! Listen to your body and don't push. Rest often even if you don't want to. If your piss darkens during your hike you are de-hydrating. The moment you feel a cramp coming on stop and rest. Once you cramp you will be down longer than you would like. Some of the fittest hikers I know have a low heat tolerance and many times the bigger you are the harder you fall. Always err on the side of caution when hiking. Heat is a killer. Slow down and enjoy the scenery.
buddha small b
Planning my hike next week and see the high temp are upper 80's. I don't have to go next week, can wait for cooler temps. Just wondering how hot is too hot for you guys? I am 6'2 and 235 lbs in decent shape, but want to enjoy as much as possible.
Compared to the coast, the humidity will seem markedly lower whatever the temperature. You'll still see comfortable temperatures in the high 60s after sunset, so sleeping won't be a problem. Two weeks ago we hiked up from the East Fork trailhead over Old Butt Knob and Dog Loser Knob (I just love those names) into Shining Rock Wilderness in high 80 degree humid conditions and, yes, we sweated like crazy on the steep ascent over the first two miles, but it was not unbearable. The overgrown nature of the trail was more annoying than the heat. Too many spikey vines slicing and dicing bare arms and legs, and snagging hydrophobic synthetics. Once we got up to Shining Rock and the Art Loeb trail out to Cold Mountain there was a fair breeze blowing and it seemed like air conditioning out on the Narrows.
My advice...ahead and hike this week. Then go again!
Give 90s with 100% humidity. I want it no other way. Spent a week in Wy. The lac of humidity caused my lips to bleed and skin to dry up really bad.
Footslogger
08-02-2006, 11:35
Spent a week in Wy. The lac of humidity caused my lips to bleed and skin to dry up really bad.
===========================
Takes a little adjustment but most people I know do get used to it. We moved out here from the Atlanta area. First year was ROUGH !! Dry skin, itchy eyes etc. But now when we go back east we suffer the opposite effects.
It's all in what you're used to.
'Slogger
Almost There
08-02-2006, 11:39
As a bigger guy...heat and humidity kills...and I have gotten used to the heat and humidity of the southeastern U.S. I'm good to the low 80s as long as I have water. Prefer it at around 60-70 degrees if I can get it. If you don't have to hike in the heat I would wait until late Sept or October, less bugs and better temps.
I think nothing you are likely to see on the AT is too hot. But I DO believe that one must adjust pace to suit the conditions and exercise some common sense. Tackling things like the climb out of Lehigh Gap in the heat of the afternoon seems unwise compared to tackling them early in the morning. And thirty mile days with a heavier than average pack seem like an invitation for problems as well. But it is possible to keep plugging onward despite most heat.
rswanson
08-02-2006, 14:59
It seems like every time I've hit the trail this year, its been at least 90 degrees. A tip I learned from hiking in the Southwest earlier this year: wear some cotton. A lightweight cotton t-shirt or tank that you keep damp will give you some measure of relief. A wet bandanna on your head will help. This helped us through some 110+ temps in the Grand Canyon in May where the advice was when your hair dries, rewet your shirt & bandanna.
It's contrary to the accepted logic of wearing synthetics but when there is no danger of hypothermia, you don't need polypropylene clothing. Make sure your socks & drawers aren't cotton, of course, and bring an extra t-shirt to sleep in. Oh, and make sure you're not lugging around a 3lb, 15 degree bag.
blackbishop351
08-02-2006, 15:05
It seems like every time I've hit the trail this year, its been at least 90 degrees. A tip I learned from hiking in the Southwest earlier this year: wear some cotton. A lightweight cotton t-shirt or tank that you keep damp will give you some measure of relief. A wet bandanna on your head will help. This helped us through some 110+ temps in the Grand Canyon in May where the advice was when your hair dries, rewet your shirt & bandanna.
It's contrary to the accepted logic of wearing synthetics but when there is no danger of hypothermia, you don't need polypropylene clothing. Make sure your socks & drawers aren't cotton, of course, and bring an extra t-shirt to sleep in. Oh, and make sure you're not lugging around a 3lb, 15 degree bag.
I find the exact opposite. I'm a very hot natured person, and I sweat a LOT. To me, there's absolutely nothing worse than a sweat-soaked T-shirt. Especially when the humidity is high and there's not much breeze (like now, in NC), cotton just keeps the sweat on your skin from evaporating. You need something that wicks really well. I'm a little on the cheap side, so I just get polyester exercise clothing from Walmart. Pick up a shirt for about $12. They work great, certainly much MUCH better than cotton.
As always, just my .02 :D
rswanson
08-02-2006, 15:10
I find the exact opposite. I'm a very hot natured person, and I sweat a LOT. To me, there's absolutely nothing worse than a sweat-soaked T-shirt. Especially when the humidity is high and there's not much breeze (like now, in NC), cotton just keeps the sweat on your skin from evaporating. You need something that wicks really well. I'm a little on the cheap side, so I just get polyester exercise clothing from Walmart. Pick up a shirt for about $12. They work great, certainly much MUCH better than cotton.
As always, just my .02 :D
I probably should have qualified my comment. It might not be too comfortable but it could save your life.
rswanson
08-02-2006, 15:21
You know what? On second thought, I'm gonna say your right. If humidity is above, say, 50% then evaporative cooling probably won't take place and being wet isn't going to help much to provide comfort. If might help to prevent heat stroke if there's a breeze but that's about it. Living in Maryland you'd figure I'd know that first hand.
blackbishop351
08-02-2006, 15:25
I probably should have qualified my comment. It might not be too comfortable but it could save your life.
I'm not quite following you here...
You drink water so you can sweat...you sweat for evaporation.....the evaporation cools you off.
Cotton doesn't let the sweat evaporate. When the T-shirt is so soaked that you can wring it out, you're wasting most of the water you're drinking.
Synthetic wicking materials are designed to allow more, quicker evaporation. Water will leave the material even in a situation where sun-drying is the only option. Sitting in the sun doesn't FEEL cool, but the evaporating water is still cooling your body.
I'm worried you're giving people advice that could lead to heat illness and/or dehydration.
blackbishop351
08-02-2006, 15:28
And one other thing....I forgot for a minute. A guy told me about this a long time ago, and it really makes sense. When you're wearing soaking wet clothing, any evaporation that DOES take place has to cool all that water before it can cool your skin. As we all know, the specific heat of water is VERY high. So you're even worse off with cotton, because you're wasting what little cooling you get on the water in the shirt.
joec,
Handling heat is harder than cold. Afterall, you can put on more layers when it gets colder, but you can only take off so much. However, folks who live and work in hot latitudes get along. I live in Texas. Nuff sed.
1) Heat + humidity + direct sun + wind speed all affect how you feel and how you should adapt. This is sorta like the heat index, but perhaps broader and much more individual.
2) "Adapt" - a good word - You can handle heat by changing behavior. But that means you have to be aware of your state of health - and be cautious with heat. Play it safe.
a. Wicking clothing is better than no clothing to keep you cool.
b. Block the sun. Sun on your skin makes you hotter than sun on your clothing.
c. In direct sun, wear a wide-brimmed hat. The brain can overheat, just ask Fritz Hahn, the guy who founded Outward Bound.
d. Hydrate ahead of time. Don't wait until you are thirsty.
e. When you stop after activity, you will sweat profusely, dehydrate faster, and not cool significantly better because some of that sweat will go to waste. Better to keep moving, even if you move more slowly. And cool down slowly with a 'walk-down' -- after walking or climbing hard, walk slowly for a few minutes to let respiration slow and temperature drop.
f. If temperatures reach the mid 90s, take a siesta in the heat of the day - from noon to 3 p.m.
g. Consider using a hammock. When temps get high it is harder to get a good night's sleep. You can also use the hammock for your mid-day siesta.
h. Consider using a hammock at rest stops. When temp and humidy are high, a hammock will be the coolest place around. When it is very hot, a hammock can keep you going when nothing else will.
Today along the midcoast of Maine.
hopefulhiker
08-02-2006, 17:28
one trick is to wet a bandana and wrap it around your head or one of those with the gel that you put in the refrigerator, remember a wide brimmed hat, extra water and drink as much as you can at the water source. also gator aid seemed to help some
one trick is to wet a bandana and wrap it around your head or one of those with the gel that you put in the refrigerator, remember a wide brimmed hat, extra water and drink as much as you can at the water source. also gator aid seemed to help some
We seem to have conflicting advice. A wet cotton bandana cools one. A wet cotton tee shirt doesn't. The science behind these conflicting claims escapes me.
FWIW. I find a damp cotton tee shirt cooling, whether the dampness comes from sweat or dunking in water. In the winter a sweaty cotton tee shirt keeps moisture close to the body and makes the body cooler.
I suspect strongly that the same thing happens during the hot days of summer. Those with a different theory should explain why cooling happens in winter, but not the summer. Until then I think I'll continue my practice over the past six plus decades.
However, no one should take my advice, necessarily.
Weary
We seem to have conflicting advice. A wet cotton bandana cools one. A wet cotton tee shirt doesn't. The science behind these conflicting claims escapes me.
FWIW. I find a damp cotton tee shirt cooling, whether the dampness comes from sweat or dunking in water. In the winter a sweaty cotton tee shirt keeps moisture close to the body and makes the body cooler.
I suspect strongly that the same thing happens during the hot days of summer. Those with a different theory should explain why cooling happens in winter, but not the summer. Until then I think I'll continue my practice over the past six plus decades.
However, no one should take my advice, necessarily.
Weary
The difference is between being soaked with sweat lost by the body that refuses to evaporate versus water supplied from outside.
Footslogger
08-02-2006, 17:58
[quote=weary]FWIW. I find a damp cotton tee shirt cooling, whether the dampness comes from sweat or dunking in water. In the winter a sweaty cotton tee shirt keeps moisture close to the body and makes the body cooler.
============================
Doesn't that depend a great deal on the body temperature underneath the garment and whether or not there is any noticeable evaporation taking place ??
Reason for asking is that if I am hot and sweating and I have on a cotton T-shirt (that basically HOLDS on to the moisture) AND there isn't any wind to speak of ...I'm hotter not cooler. Plus ...the T-shirt just keeps getting wetter and wetter.
'Slogger
Frolicking Dinosaurs
08-02-2006, 18:03
The section you plan to hike has lots of water and shade. Since you're fired up, go but build in extra rest breaks and use the available water to cool your body off. I've done the wet cotton T-shirt trick. It works best in low humidity. Wetting my hair & bare skin and wearing as little as possible seem to work better for me in high humidity.
Brushy Sage
08-02-2006, 18:56
I went to Marshall, NC today, about 15 mi east of the AT, and much lower elevation. The temp got up to 89, which is very hot for this area. The www.wunderground.com forecast shows a moderating trend of about 5 degrees by next week. For most of the section you will be hiking, there will likely be temps of high 70s to low 80s (no guarantees!!). As you approach Hot Springs, downhill for several miles, you will get much warmer, and will no doubt be sweating when you arrive in town. Sounds to me like a very good week for a summer hike. Just don't go up on that Firescald ridgeline if there's a chance of lightning.
blindeye
08-02-2006, 19:35
today is tough. outside it's 98 HUMID and just ugly. on the trail i might zero this one!
SGT Rock
08-02-2006, 20:27
We seem to have conflicting advice. A wet cotton bandanna cools one. A wet cotton tee shirt doesn't. The science behind these conflicting claims escapes me.
FWIW. I find a damp cotton tee shirt cooling, whether the dampness comes from sweat or dunking in water. In the winter a sweaty cotton tee shirt keeps moisture close to the body and makes the body cooler.
I suspect strongly that the same thing happens during the hot days of summer. Those with a different theory should explain why cooling happens in winter, but not the summer. Until then I think I'll continue my practice over the past six plus decades.
However, no one should take my advice, necessarily.
Weary
I would say only do the cotton bandanna thing if you can change the water out for cooler temps or you are in a place with low humidity. The Appalachians probably don't qualify as low humidity.
If you put water on you in high humidity it will feel cool initially, but as the water heats up from your body heat, it will be just as uncomfortable as a sweat soaked hot cotton T-Shirt since the water will not evaporate, just make you even more muggy feeling. If you can stop and change it out as it gets to this point it will feel OK again, otherwise you won't enjoy this.
Personally I have found the moisture wicking T-shirts are better than cotton even in the desert. I've also started wearing one of those cool vest things under my body armor to help cool off. I keep it in an ice chest and only break it out when it gets about 104F.
buckhead
08-02-2006, 22:01
It's never too hot to hike. I just take a little extra time at the streams to cool down. Especially if hiking through the Smokies. Those streams will cool you down.
Here in north Alabama, rattlesnakes and Copperheads are the problem. Not to mention, the ticks and spiders. I don’t go in our local wilderness in the summer. It's really thick the places I like to go. There's not even a trail. It is pure hell. Takes all of the fun out of the adventure.
Nightwalker
08-02-2006, 22:18
The temps could be a little lower than what is printed due to higher elevation. It would depend on where the weather station is. It's also cooler under the canopy. Just know your limits, drink plenty of fluids, and take needed breaks. And if you have any reason to worry, please check with your doctor, I noticed that you were 52. If it's just a comfort thing, it's still likely to be sticky.
4 degrees cooler per 1000 feet elevation increase, more or less.
To me, according to the side of the mountain that I'm on--S hotter, N cooler--the trees can make it seem more humid, especially with no breeze.
Planning my hike next week and see the high temp are upper 80's. I don't have to go next week, can wait for cooler temps. Just wondering how hot is too hot for you guys? I am 6'2 and 235 lbs in decent shape, but want to enjoy as much as possible.your gonna sweat no matter how hot is, besides in the woods it's cooler
Nightwalker
08-02-2006, 22:27
h. Consider using a hammock at rest stops. When temp and humidy are high, a hammock will be the coolest place around. When it is very hot, a hammock can keep you going when nothing else will.
A hammock can be watered down a bit, and will cool the bejeebers out of you when you're roasting in mid-day. I try to take a lunch nap when I'm gonna be hiking long miles into the evening, and the cooling from a wet-hammock nap will start my second half off a heck of a lot more comfortably.
fiddlehead
08-03-2006, 02:36
I don't have a whole lot of fun when it's over 90 and i'm still out hiking.
I've learned to stop hiking and sit in the shade when it gets that hot. I'd rather get up at 4 am and get miles in, then stop at noon until about 4 and then go at it agin. Dawn and Dusk are awesome times to be out on the trail. The BEST!
Tipi Walter
08-14-2006, 09:40
[quote=buckhead]It's never too hot to hike. I just take a little extra time at the streams to cool down. Especially if hiking through the Smokies. Those streams will cool you down.
This is the attitude to have: It's never too hot to hike, never too cold to hike, never too windy to hike, etc. I gotta take the better with the best.
icemanat95
08-14-2006, 10:09
Planning my hike next week and see the high temp are upper 80's. I don't have to go next week, can wait for cooler temps. Just wondering how hot is too hot for you guys? I am 6'2 and 235 lbs in decent shape, but want to enjoy as much as possible.
A lot depends. In 1995 I was in Pennsylvania during early and mid-July. We had daily temps averaging in the high 80's and 90's with very high humidity and went through about a week of high very high 90's up to 105 or so during the day and 80's at night. We all hiked. People switched to night hiking, or getting up really early in the morning and hiking until mid-day, then siesta through the heat to hike between 6 and sundown or so. That worked.
The big thing is not to get too ambitious when the heat is up...that'll kill you, and I mean that literally. Keep the pace at something you can manage. Drink lots of water (toss in some gatorade for electrolytes), and if you start feeling weak or ill, take a breather, heat exhaustion has a way of sneaking up on you, and if you ignore it, it'll turn into heat stroke before you know it.
The more environmentally uptight amongst us may balk at this idea, but if the heat is really starting to mess with you, at the next stream you get to, go downstream from the watering point, take off your pack and boots, and lay down in it. The cold water will suck away a lot of the excess body heat quickly and get you back to feeling alright for a while. The crud that washes off your body will be diluted to insignificance within a few hundred yards further downstream, and you'll feel a hell of a lot better for it.
It's never too hot to hike. I just take a little extra time at the streams to cool down. Especially if hiking through the Smokies. Those streams will cool you down.
This is the attitude to have: It's never too hot to hike, never too cold to hike, never too windy to hike, etc. I gotta take the better with the best.
Well, if you're taking time at streams to cool down you're not actually hiking. There's been more than a few people that have woken up face down, passed out from heat exposure. And a few have never gotten up. This also can happen when exposed to extreme cold.
Strong winds aren't likely to kill you, but they can knock you down!
The Solemates
08-14-2006, 12:44
It doesn't get hot in the Smokies.
Brushy Sage
08-14-2006, 14:14
I wonder if we'll get a report on this hike. How hot was it?
I decided to wait for a couple of weeks. The big thing in my mind was the low temp at nite. A good nites sleep is something that is impossible to me if the temps are to hot. I will go this coming Monday and it looks like the projected temps are in the mid 80's for the high and mid 60's for the lows. I can handle that.
I wonder if we'll get a report on this hike. How hot was it?
It was so hot the fire hydrants were praying for dogs.
It was so hot Mel Gibson stopped by a synagogue just to get a cold reception.
berninbush
08-15-2006, 18:05
Just did an "unintentional urban hike"-- in other words, I was delivering some papers to another building in the skyscraper-bedecked area where I work, and it turned out to be much further away than I expected! I probably walked 3 or 4 miles. Obviously I didn't have a pack, but the temperature was over 100 F with humidity adding several more degrees to that. Shade was sparse, and the concrete was reflecting heat like crazy. I was also wearing a calf-length 100% cotton dress. And I wasn't carrying any water.
:D And you know, I enjoyed it. Thank goodness for my comfy Tevas.
mweinstone
08-15-2006, 19:59
slow down. stop alot. wet your self at every oppertunity. drink crap in your water like salts. and above all, think cool thaughts.
It will help to drink lots of water and hike with a partner. Preferably my two brothers. They can't hike very far ,they are working on it, but they do make the miles go by very quickly. You will fall over with laughter before heat stress.