View Full Version : Still thirsty after drinking...
hikerjohnd
03-16-2005, 10:16
I recently switched to a Hiker filter (from MSR Waterworks) and this past weekend was the first time I have used it (well the second - the first was an overnight in Florida - filtered about 3 L total then). I know I was getting dehydrated, but I experienced a weird sensation when I watered up - even after drinking I was thirsty / had a dry mouth. I first chalked it up to the newness of the carbon filter, but even by day 3 the sensation was still there. I believe in treating water - if there is a cootie out there, I'll catch it and my Dr. has advised against chemical treatment.
Has anyone experienced this? Any thoughts? :confused:
icemanat95
03-16-2005, 10:32
Takes a while for that water to work through your system. You can be drinking and still be dehydrated. By the time you feel thirsty, you are over a quart low. If you never make up that quart, you'll still feel thirsty.
I drink almost constantly while hiking. I keep 2 liters on me if at all possible and drink A LOT. Frequent pee breaks become a valuable method of judging your level of hydration.
Toss a packet of sport's drink concentrate in once a day as well, the extra electrolytes and such are good for you when your water throughput is high.
During hot summer months I probably drink upwards of 1.5 to 2 gallons of water a day when hiking. But then I sweat a lot.
minnesotasmith
03-16-2005, 10:43
Try knocking off the caffeine and salt (lots of it in the sports drinks), and I'll bet you'll be better off.
schwenkler
03-16-2005, 12:38
Since you have a filter, you have the ability to drink at the water source, so drink as much as you can hold while there before you hike on. If you're not using a hydration system, I find that I drink a LOT more water when I use one than with a bottle.
hikerjohnd
03-19-2005, 22:36
So once I begin to feel the effects of dehydration, is there a normal time for rehydration? Like, start drinking and then wait an hour before going in the pool? Kinda curious - I'm notorious for not dinkiing enough. :)
schwenkler
03-19-2005, 22:50
I forget where, but I read it takes 2-3 days to rehydrate, but it probably depends on how dehydrated you are. Check your urine color. Darker = more dehydrated. If it's clear, you're in the clear. And a headache is a good sign of rehydration.
Yea, sounds like dehydration. Could be a side affect of the chem. in the filter, if so is probably in conjunction with the dehydration.
Bear in mind that most (seems to me 90%) Americans are chronicly mildly dehydrated. That is just during "normal" activity. So if you only drink what is normal, then hike all day, you are compounding the problem.
I have learned, for ME that is: I get a headache, I is dehydrated. I then drink "till I burst" or at least it feels so. Usually I don't feel better for a few days. I once let it go too long, spent 4 hours in a hospital with chest pains & 2 Ltrs of IV fluid. No heart trouble, I was just that dry.
Jack Tarlin
03-20-2005, 23:12
Schwenkler and Doctari are right. Most hikers are somewhat dehydrated ALL the time, and for a simple reason: They're not drinking enough water. In hot weather, while exercising strenuously, folks should be drinking six to eight quarts of water a day. That's two gallons, and almost nobody drinks that much.
A few tips: I drink the better part of a quart of water firsat thing in the morning before I even start out; the theory is that it won't keep me from getting thirsty, but by putting a quart in me right away, it postpones the thirst by floding the system before I even start hiking. I also take a big drink every time I get to a decent water source (I also check my water bottle levels at every source to make sure I'm not running too low; this is CRITICALLY important if you're using a hydration system/suck tube. Get in the habit of checking your supply or sooner or later, you'll run out several miles from the next water. I also keep a full quart by my head at night so if I wake up several times during the night, I'll take several short drinks; this keeps one from "drying out" during the night. And lastly, don't forget to drink water when you're in town.....many folks drink nothing but beer in town. In addition to this, and in addition to all that soda, fruit juice, or milk, it can't hurt to drink plenty of water, too. The easiest way to do this in town is to ask for ice water with your meals, and drink this instead of or in addition to an alternate beverage. But the key thing is drink a lot of water and drink it often. Dehydration weakens muscles and tendons, and leaves you chronically fatigued. Most of the time when hikers complain of feeling poorly, feeling exhausted, all achy and irritable......these are all symptoms of chronic dehydration, and this is easily avoidable. Drink water BEFORE you get thirsty, and drink even when you're NOT thirsty, and however much you're drinking, start drinking more.
Kozmic Zian
03-21-2005, 08:44
Yea.....Hydration. A good thing to do when hiking is to 'camel up' in the am, before starting out for the day. I always drink a bottle at the spring before I stash for the days walk. Then, around noon, 'camel up' (drink a whole bottle) again. Also do that when reaching camp for the evening. While walking, I sip from the bladder. That way I always pee clear and feel good while hiking. Nothing like that good Mountain Spring Water, guys. Drink Up!KZ@:p
It's a symptom of high blood sugar/diabetes.....
It's a symptom of high blood sugar/diabetes.....
Good point: if you are drinking AND peeing (clear) "all the time" See your doctor ASAP. Especially if a friend mentions that you smell like nail polish remover (acetone) a sign that there may be a "Sugar problem".
The drinking & sweet smell are signs your body is trying to rid itself of excess sugar that it cannot effectivly use.
Quick totorial on diabetes: usually diabetes is a lack of sufficiant insulin (a hormone) or total lack of it.
Think of insulin as a doorman for sugar to get into the body's cells, Sugar has no "Key" or arms to open the door, Insulin MUST open that "Door" for sugar.
Non insulin dependent (NIDDM): reduced insulin production, usually fixed by medication & diet.
Insulin dependent (IDDM): No or minimal insulin production, requires shots of insulin (or the brand new inhaled version) at least daily, sometimes more.
So sorry for deviating from the topic, thought it important.
Doctari.
Yea.....Hydration. A good thing to do when hiking is to 'camel up' in the am, before starting out for the day. I always drink a bottle at the spring before I stash for the days walk. Then, around noon, 'camel up' (drink a whole bottle) again. Also do that when reaching camp for the evening. While walking, I sip from the bladder. That way I always pee clear and feel good while hiking. Nothing like that good Mountain Spring Water, guys. Drink Up!KZ@:p
I have used the "camel up" method with much success for years. Same approach mentioned by KZ with another bottle thrown in right before I got to bed. I can't stand carrying water up and down hills all day if I'm not drinking it.
The whole 'chronic dehydration' thing is an urban myth that has absolutely no support. We get nearly enough water to survive just from the food we eat, and we can go for days without any water at all with no ill effects.
If you're still sweating when active, you're not dehydrated. If you still have adequate motor and cognitive skills, you're not chronically dehydrated. If you do happen to go several days without any water and start to turn into a Republican, then a few cups of water will fix you up in about ten minutes. Hyponatraemia (too much water) is probably a bigger danger than dehydration.
Next people will be saying that if you shiver you're hypothermic. *sigh*
Don't get me started on 'sports drinks'.
See: http://www.bushwalking.org.au/FAQ/FAQ_Salt.htm
dje97001
03-22-2006, 08:31
If you're still sweating when active, you're not dehydrated. If you still have adequate motor and cognitive skills, you're not chronically dehydrated.
Yeah but correct me if I'm wrong, but one of the signs of SERIOUS impending danger is when you STOP sweating (and are still exerting energy/producing heat and yet are unable to otherwise cool off)--could result in heat stroke, right? Also, by the time you notice your sweat has stopped, or by the time your pals notice (and recognize) you've lost motor and cognitive skills you are already in trouble. You may not technically be fully dehydrated but come on, if you get to that point you risk permanent health consequences.
The whole 'chronic dehydration' thing is an urban myth that has absolutely no support. We get nearly enough water to survive just from the food we eat, and we can go for days without any water at all with no ill effects................................
Be advised that death due to dehydration can occur in 3 days (or less in hot weather) and no one normally lives more than about 5-6 days without water. You also shouldn't eat without water.
It's a symptom of high blood sugar/diabetes.....
i used to have an unqenchable thirst and urinate 4 or 5 times in the middle of the night,extreme wieght loss on hikes,extreme leg cramps,i found out i was diabetic.no more problems after getting blood sugar under control:cool: neo
fivefour
03-23-2006, 09:36
i have been so severly dehydrated that it took me several days to fully recover. i couldn't eat either due to the "battery acid" effect of food on my throat. i wasn't drinking enough water during the hike combined with consumption of alcohol that night. it was our last night in thank god. i will not make that mistake again.
sdoownek
03-23-2006, 10:15
Sounds like we need a lesson referencing the rate of absorption of water by human beings. (eg, quantity over time)
Doing the "camel" thing doesn't work. You're not a camel. You're a human being, as flawed as that is. Your body will excrete more fluid than you're capable of bringing in to replace it, given extended physical exertion. Without getting into a heated discussion about hyponatremia, sure, I know a lot of you do it, and swear that it works for you. That's great and wonderful, and I'm glad it does. Scientifically and physiologically, however, it doesn't.
The stomach and small intestine, given pure water (or even water with a slight salt concentration) cannot absorb any more than 7 to 10 ounces in any given 15 minute period. The excess isn't water used and is either urinated out as waste, or is harmful in the fact that it dilutes salt concentrations. See water intoxication.
Just another viewpoint, take it or leave it.
:)
Sounds like we need a lesson referencing the rate of absorption of water by human beings. (eg, quantity over time)
Doing the "camel" thing doesn't work. You're not a camel. You're a human being, as flawed as that is. Your body will excrete more fluid than you're capable of bringing in to replace it, given extended physical exertion. Without getting into a heated discussion about hyponatremia, sure, I know a lot of you do it, and swear that it works for you. That's great and wonderful, and I'm glad it does. Scientifically and physiologically, however, it doesn't.
The stomach and small intestine, given pure water (or even water with a slight salt concentration) cannot absorb any more than 7 to 10 ounces in any given 15 minute period. The excess isn't water used and is either urinated out as waste, or is harmful in the fact that it dilutes salt concentrations. See water intoxication.
Just another viewpoint, take it or leave it.
:)
:D i think i will leave it lol,coming from you:cool: neo
Way back in tha day when I went on boyscout trips they gave us salt tablets with our canteens full of water. I havent done that since, but one time I had severe leg cramps after a hard day and someone at the shelter gave me some "electrolyte tablets" but I don't know what they were actually called or what they contained...and I also had some gatorade and a meal, but the cramps evaporated quickly and by the time I was getting in my sleeping bag i felt fine.
mambo_tango
03-24-2006, 01:41
Actually I would have to agree with Sdoownek. Sipping water over a long period of time makes more sense to me than guzzling it all at once. When I do that I just have to use the restroom sooner.
Actually I would have to agree with Sdoownek. Sipping water over a long period of time makes more sense to me than guzzling it all at once. When I do that I just have to use the restroom sooner.
Maybe you want to try eating a tiny bit of food every few minutes throughout the day - perhaps that makes more sense than stuffing all of that food in three times a day. Or how about an Integrated Intravenous Hydration and Nutrition System? :)
Didn't anyone read the link I posted? It's all answered either in there or on links on that page. It's not rocket science, and it's no more a matter of opinion than gravity is.
I hear that 'hydration systems' are being thrown in for free with every purchase of snake oil these days :)
Most people confuse 'dehydration' with just being hot. People try drinking to cool down, but when we're exerting ourselves the blood flow to the stomach is cut back so our stomach doesn't know what to do with its contents. We consequently feel nauseous - and still hot, so we try to drink more. Then we throw up. If someone is overheating, then tipping a cup of water over their head is probably more efficacious than drinking it. Our digestion system is designed for 'batch processing', not 'flow processing'. Fill it up and let it do its job. When it feels empty put some more in. It's not complicated.
I've done 12 hour shifts on metal roofs in the tropical sun (35+ degrees C, 95%+ humidity) using cutting torches and removing metal roofing sheets and girders. It doesn't get any hotter or sweatier than that. The biggest danger is drinking too much and throwing up. Eventually you learn to only drink a mouthful or two every hour or so. No one on our crew was allowed to drink 'sports drinks' because they got sick and threw up every time. No one even bothered taking water onto the roof let alone strapped a 'hydration system' onto their back. Every hour or so we'd get off the roof into some shade, grab a couple of mouthfuls of water and pour some water over our heads. It was hard work but we managed.
Getting concerned about not drinking enough while walking in a temperate climate is a bit like worrying about freezing to death in the tropics. It's possible, but someone would have to be really dumb or determined in order to pull it off.
Oh, I should add that in addition to feeling hot when exercising, people tend to breathe through their mouth, making it dry. That's not thirst - it's just a dry mouth.
Maybe the next big thing will be 'evaporation systems' - ie a water tube that drips water on your head :)
sdoownek
03-24-2006, 04:13
Maybe you want to try eating a tiny bit of food every few minutes throughout the day - perhaps that makes more sense than stuffing all of that food in three times a day.
And with that statement, you have fully proven my point.
In the future, I would suggest that you educate yourself before holding opinions you know nothing about other than your own blue-collar experience leads you to believe crackpot ideas.
sdoownek
03-24-2006, 04:25
Your body will excrete more fluid than you're capable of bringing in to replace it, given extended physical exertion.
Just thought I'd say that again.
sdoownek
03-24-2006, 04:57
Yes, I realize I should leave this alone.
Yes, I realize I'm hijacking this thread.
Yes, I realize that I should just say "OK" and let stupid dogs lie.
However, I simply cannot believe that people can be this f'ing stupid.
You, quite simply, don't understand what dehydration is. You keep referring to overheating, as if overheating and dehydration are dynamically linked. They may be statically linked whereby dehydration can bring about overheating, but to profess anything else is, well, a steaming pile of crap.
when we're exerting ourselves the blood flow to the stomach is cut back so our stomach doesn't know what to do with its contents. We consequently feel nauseous - and still hot, so we try to drink more. Then we throw up. If someone is overheating, then tipping a cup of water over their head is probably more efficacious than drinking it.
You also don't understand digestion either, evidently.
What part of "The stomach and small intestine cannot absorb any more than 7 to 10 ounces of liquid in any given 15 minute period." don't you understand? Are you really that rock-hard stupid? Reference Bass and Nagla's work on rate of absorbtion in the late 90's at UCB. Reference every single unbiased academic study on dehydration.
What you're referring to are the redneck bluecollar uneducated morons who work in the heat for 4 or 5 hours, thereby increasing their body temps, and then go guzzle a liter of water in 30 seconds. Blood pressure then drops, as the body tries to bring about some semblence of thermo-equilbrium, and when it can't, it purges the offending material. Duh.
7 to 10 ounces in 15 minutes is quite different than 32 ounces in 30 seconds.
You're also drawing reference to a hard afternoon in the sun, working. I'm referring to six months of daily aerobic exercise. To infer that the two are the same gives further proof to your inability to understand the issue at hand.
The human body is flawed in that it will give off more fluid than it's capable of bringing in, creating a deficit. Guess what that's called?
Our digestion system is designed for 'batch processing', not 'flow processing'. Fill it up and let it do its job. When it feels empty put some more in. It's not complicated.
That's total crap. You could not make a more incorrect statement. You obviously also fail to understand nutrition.
whatever you do, fall in love with water...when ur off trail or on trail keep sipping till you pee ur britches off and then some........don't worry about over watering.......you'll know when you have enough, but keep it there by drinking at least 8 ounces per hour while hiking and 2-4 per hour on ur zero days
hikerjohnd
03-24-2006, 12:17
I am glad to see I started a thread that still has folks talking... I have abandoned the "camel up" idea - it did not work for me (and after reading a bit I see why...) I have made an effort to stop and drink every 15-30 minutes in order to be sure I am getting enough. I am going through 4-6 liters a day just for drinking, but so far when I am hiking that seems to be enough. I also make an effort to drink something with electrolytes at the end of the day - just to be on the safe side. Increasing my liquid intake seems to have helped the thirst issue - at least it isn't a problem for me right now - we'll have to see how that changes as the weather warms up.
Ooh - Someone seems to have a bug up their nether regions. Sounds like a first year uni student. You know, the ones who are enormously impressed with their newfound knowledge. Keep at it. Eventually you'll figure out that the sum of human knowledge amounts to substantially less than not much.
Given the choice between taking the word of a pompous, self-important twat or someone who has habitually engaged in long, hard exercise under exteme conditions, I'll take the word of the latter, regardless of the colour of their collar. I hear that some people grow a beard at thirty and spend the rest of their lives defending themselves from anything that contradicts their own prejuduces. Try providing links to papers that support your position, otherwise it's all just badly phrased, inappropritely aggressive posturing :)
http://www.bushwalking.org.au/FAQ/FAQ_Salt.htm
http://ajpregu.physiology.org/cgi/content/full/283/5/R993
http://www.bushwalking.org.au/FAQ/FAQ_NoakesBMJ.htm
sdoownek
03-25-2006, 22:11
Eventually you'll figure out that the sum of human knowledge amounts to substantially less than not much.
Antea came from a small town in southern Italy. She possessed remarkable artistic, as well as mathematical talents. She stared at the clear night sky through a large eastward window of the Albert Einstein Institute in Golm, near Potsdam. The Institute had been set up at the end of the 20th century, in proximity to where Einstein had once owned a holiday cottage. A good part of the research at the Institute was concerned with the problematical issue of “quantum gravity”, which attempts to unify the principles underlying Einstein' general relativity with those of quantum mechanics --a mystery at the very basis of the laws of the world.
This was the direction of Antea's own research. But she was a newcomer; and she had some unorthodox, not yet fully formed ideas as to how to proceed, some of which were fundamentally at variance with those of her colleagues.
That night she had continued to work well into the small hours, in the Institute’s upper library, at a time when all the others had long left for their beds. She had been studying some old research pertaining to gigantic energy emissions taking place at the centers of some galaxies. It is indeed fortunate, she thought to herself, that the Earth and the solar system are nowhere close to any of these, else they would be, in entirety, almost instantly vaporized. The established explanation of these stupendous explosions is that each is powered by a black hole of immense proportions.
Antea knew that a black hole is a spacetime region within whose interiors lies a structure known as a "spacetime singularity" -- whose scientific description is still profoundly elusive, and which depends upon the still missing theory of quantum gravity. But Antea's real interest was not so much galactic black holes as even more monstrous explosions. The explosion to end all explosions; or rather the one that began them all. The Big Bang. She mused that It was the origin of all things good, as well as of all things bad. Yet the spacetime singularity in the Big Bang provided mysteries even greater than those in black holes. Antea knew that at the root of these mysteries lay the secret of how to unite Einstein's large-scale theory of spacetime, and gravity, with the quantum-mechanical principles of physics.
It was a cold, yet peaceful, night; and the stars were unmistakably clear. For a while, Antea stood in a pensive state, her arms folded, resting on the balustrade over the staircase, and staring at the patterns of the stars through the large window -- she did not know for how long. She always felt awe as she contemplated, in that vast -- seeming hemispherical dome, the great distance of those tiny pinpricks of light, though it counted but little compared to the greater enormity of cosmological scales. Yet, she thought, if some cosmic explosion were to become visible to her now, no matter how far away, its little photons would have experienced no time at all in reaching her. The same could apply to the tiny gravitons produced in the explosion, which would be felt by the Institute’s gravitational wave detector, some 250km away. She felt moved, chilled, by the thought that she would in effect be in immediate, direct contact with the explosive event.
As she stood there looking to the east, she was startled by a momentary and unexpected streak of green light, just as the dawn was about to come upon her, whereupon the deep red of the Sun broke through. While she knew the phenomenon of the “green flash” and its well-established physical explanation, she had never actually witnessed it before; and it created in her a strange emotional effect. This experience mingled with some puzzling mathematical concepts that had been troubling her throughout the night.
Then an odd thought overtook her:
“The most important single insight that has emerged from our journey is that there is a deep unity between certain areas of mathematics and the workings of the physical world. If the ‘road to reality’ eventually reaches its goal, then there will have to be a deep, underlying simplicity about that end point.
“There are two powerful driving forces that have strongly influenced technology yet usually go unmentioned in serious discussion, for fear, no doubt, that their influences may seem to have drifted too far from the strict rules of proper procedure. The first of these is beauty, or elegance. The second is something that can arise in development of technology and has a much more powerful impact than mere mathematical elegance, something referred to as a ‘miracle’.
“The two are not unconnected, yet beauty is the most easily accepted. There is undoubtedly beauty in Euclidean geometry, which forms the basis of the most profoundly accurate physical theory, namely the theory of space as formulated by the ancient Greeks. Fifteen hundred years later came the extraordinary elegance of Newtonian dynamics, with its deep and beautiful underlying simplistic geometry structure.
“Yet miracles are doubted, as their inexplicable origins leave room, by definition, for disbelief. Numbers that previously seemed to have little to do with one another were found to be the same, as was the case when Candelas solved the equations leading to 317206375. It may be that Dirac’s discovery that his relativistic wave equation automatically incorporated the electron’s spin seemed like a miracle; as had Boer’s use of angular momentum quantization to obtain the correct atomic spectrum of hydrogen; and likewise Einstein’s realization that his approach to gravity through the curved space of general relativity actually gave the correct answer for the perihelion motion of Mercury.
“One thing is certain, however.” she thought. “What’s really going on is beautiful.”
While Antea watched the Sun rise, she realized that a great many questions that had been profoundly puzzling and sometimes terrifying, even in modern times, had found answers.
She returned and covered her latest computations and notes with the large printed words, “beautiful miracles,” then vowed to continue her work with a slightly shifted goal: understanding the crucial underlying factors that govern the mysterious relation between mathematics and the physical world.
It is within the discovered answers that we are now required to ask innovative questions. We need new, powerful ideas that will take us in directions significantly different than those currently being pursued. A slight shift is all that’s required.
sdoownek
03-25-2006, 22:20
I hear that some people grow a beard at thirty and spend the rest of their lives defending themselves from anything that contradicts their own prejuduces.
Do what you want; I no longer care to change your mind.
You've got your opinion, based in your reality, backed by your experience.
I've got my opinion, based in the reality that I know, with basis in my experience.
The intelligent come to the recognition that in the course of solving the tasks that our minds create, there needs to exists the tolerance to accept all concepts, inclusive of those that seem ignorant, derisory, and inadequate.
What I find particularly amusing about this topic is the presupposition that backpacking is an 'extreme sport'. Nothing could be further from the truth. Backpacking is not far removed from a leisurely walk in the park, and it seems reasonable to desribe it as 'mild exercise'.
I regularly choose to walk around town rather than drive, and frequently walk around 10 - 15 km in the tropical sun with no hat, no water and several kilos of books in my pack. It's a doddle. I drink a cup of water before I go (if I remember), and usually don't drink again until I get home several hours later. Walking in the bush really isn't that different. Whether in the bush or at home, I generally drink water and coffee at mealtimes and breaks, and the only reason to drink more in between would be to moisten my mouth or cool myself off a bit. Seriously, people get so worked up about hydration while backpacking, but unless you're running a marathon or 'adventure racing', you really don't need any more water than if you were walking the same distance in your hometown.
Anyone who is drinking more than two litres of water in a day in addition to coffee and food and is not engaged in extremely intense exercise is drinking more than they need. As I mentioned before, when people exercise they get hot and, since they tend to breathe through their mouth it gets dry. That's not thirst and it's not dehydration. A frequently quoted definition of dehydration is having lost at least 3% of your body weight. Think about that one for a while.
sdoownek
03-25-2006, 23:04
Backpacking is not far removed from a leisurely walk in the park, and it seems reasonable to desribe it as 'mild exercise'.
OK. Sounds good.
Skidsteer
03-25-2006, 23:23
I've done 12 hour shifts on metal roofs in the tropical sun (35+ degrees C, 95%+ humidity) using cutting torches and removing metal roofing sheets and girders. It doesn't get any hotter or sweatier than that. The biggest danger is drinking too much and throwing up. Eventually you learn to only drink a mouthful or two every hour or so. No one on our crew was allowed to drink 'sports drinks' because they got sick and threw up every time. No one even bothered taking water onto the roof let alone strapped a 'hydration system' onto their back. Every hour or so we'd get off the roof into some shade, grab a couple of mouthfuls of water and pour some water over our heads. It was hard work but we managed.
I get you, Aramis. But I've worked construction my entire adult life(a significant portion of which was in San Antonio, Texas) and grew up farming. It's "difficult" to explain to folks who've never lived that life just how different it is from simply hiking up and down trails.
Of the relatively few things I fear on the trail(A.T.), dehydration is the least of them.
mrmike48/4000
03-26-2006, 10:29
take everyones advice and use it wisely!!!! nitewalker
longshank
04-03-2006, 11:28
What I find particularly amusing about this topic is the presupposition that backpacking is an 'extreme sport'. Nothing could be further from the truth. Backpacking is not far removed from a leisurely walk in the park, and it seems reasonable to desribe it as 'mild exercise'.
I regularly choose to walk around town rather than drive, and frequently walk around 10 - 15 km in the tropical sun with no hat, no water and several kilos of books in my pack. It's a doddle. I drink a cup of water before I go (if I remember), and usually don't drink again until I get home several hours later. Walking in the bush really isn't that different. Whether in the bush or at home, I generally drink water and coffee at mealtimes and breaks, and the only reason to drink more in between would be to moisten my mouth or cool myself off a bit. Seriously, people get so worked up about hydration while backpacking, but unless you're running a marathon or 'adventure racing', you really don't need any more water than if you were walking the same distance in your hometown.
Anyone who is drinking more than two litres of water in a day in addition to coffee and food and is not engaged in extremely intense exercise is drinking more than they need. As I mentioned before, when people exercise they get hot and, since they tend to breathe through their mouth it gets dry. That's not thirst and it's not dehydration. A frequently quoted definition of dehydration is having lost at least 3% of your body weight. Think about that one for a while.
Anyone who has done any sort of extended hike with ambitious daily mile-goals knows that it is not "mild excercise" as you so dismissively phrase it. As far as consumption goes, the body's metabolic rate is highly adaptable to the demands you place on it. It is far from static. Anyone who has looked at basic nutritional ideas would know this. While hiking, I take little sips constantaly, as well as little bits of food. I also increase my water intake when approaching a source, but more for logistical purposes than anything else. In addition to little bites, I enjoy three primary meals a day.
longshank
04-03-2006, 11:31
I get you, Aramis. But I've worked construction my entire adult life(a significant portion of which was in San Antonio, Texas) and grew up farming. It's "difficult" to explain to folks who've never lived that life just how different it is from simply hiking up and down trails.
Of the relatively few things I fear on the trail(A.T.), dehydration is the least of them.
I have worked in a sheet metal factory, done roofing, set headstones in graveyards, as well as other forms of manual labor. It is a different type of excercise, but no easier or harder.
KirkMcquest
04-03-2006, 11:38
I've also worked tough jobs. The one thing that's different is that at the end of the day, you get to go home, eat good food, and sleep in your nice warm bed!
i would venture to say that your electrolytes were down. You should carry something along the lines of emergc.