how hot does it need to be before you STOP hiking and stay in the AC?

[DavidNH]

Where I live, it's now 93 or 95 (who's counting?) and humid and there's heat advisories up. No way I'm hitting the trails in this heat. I don't like to hike when the temp is much over 85. Over 90 and I'll stay home if I can.

How about you? I imagine that for the southerners 95 is nothing. Must be in the 90's every day in Georgia all summer!


DavidNH

[Rasty]

Mid 90's and I am done.

[Wise Old Owl]

Ditto I give up when Coach Lou's home made cheesecake melts.

[George P Burdell]

If it's over 90 degrees, I hike to only two places: 5000+ft peaks and swimming holes. Most of my swimming holes are unbearably cold if the air temp is below 90.

[GoldenBear]

Enduring the heat.

I've done day hikes on the A.T. when the weathercasters are saying, "Heat index over 100. Stay inside and avoid strenuous activity, particularly during the afternoon." Pleasant? Not a bit. Endurable? Yes.
However, talk to me a week from today when I do a five-day section hike in weather that shows no sign of letting up in its heat and humidity.

[Slo-go'en]

I did the last 20 miles of PA to the DWG on a heat index advisory day once -- it was beyond brutal even though we got up and started moving about 4:30 am that morning.

I don't do well in the heat so I take the summer off for the most part. That's one reason I'll never do a true thru-hike. Between the heat, humidity and thunderstorms the last 3 weeks or so, I haven't been doing much outside lately.

[Sarcasm the elf]

If I'm alone, it has to be in the triple digits (Fahrenheit of course) with high humidity before I change my plans, and most times I will just hike earlier and later in the day and take a nap in the shade during the hottest times of the day. If I have my dog with me, I will bail or adjust my plans when the temperatures hit the low '90's maximum and sooner if she tells me that it's too hot for her.

[Teacher & Snacktime]

Ditto I give up when Coach Lou's home made cheesecake melts.

Coach makes homemade cheesecake? How does one acquire this delicacy? And why is he asking me to pitch extra snacks to him from the highway?

[Sarcasm the elf]

Coach makes homemade cheesecake? How does one acquire this delicacy? And why is he asking me to pitch extra snacks to him from the highway?

Yes he does, one of the reasons his winter pack was 60lbs last time I saw him was the 8lb brownie bottom cheesecake he had hiked in as a surprise. It took me three days to eat my quarter of it...

[Wise Old Owl]

I was so dissapointed when he didn't show up with it in DWG, Shared my Coleman Blueberry Cheesecake with him.

[Mrs Baggins]

If it's just me and hubby, we'll go. If it's the group I lead I'll cancel for "extreme heat advisory" because I can't trust some people to bring enough water or wear the proper clothing. I know.."they're adults"...but I feel that they are my responsibility when I'm leading a hike and I won't take the chance of someone getting heat stroke/dehydration. I know which ones I can count on to show up with a tiny bottle of water and tell me "That's enough for me. I don't drink much water." I've sometimes carried my own 2 liter water bladder and several extra bottles of water just in case.....

[peakbagger]

I did a hike yesterday with a group. It was 90 plus and high humidity We all drank plenty of water and had electrolytes if needed. We kept a reasonable pace. I planned the hike to be on the north side of the mountain with a mostly shaded ridgeline and the hike out along a brook. I also fill my water bladder with ice cubes in the AM. It stays colds until is empty and I freeze my spare bottle.

[MuddyWaters]

its not the hiking, its the sleeping thats the problem.

Trying to sleep when its 85F and sweaty and sticky with high humidity just plain sucks. You cant fall asleep till after midnight when the temp finally drops low enough.

Just stick to 5000 ' + elevations in NC/TN and its tolerable

[ChinMusic]

I'm in NY closing in on CT. The heat/humidity is brutal. I rolled my ankle a week ago and my wife has driven from Illinois to support my hike for ten days.

My strategy for the heat is for her to meet me at road crossings about every five miles. I get in the car w AC, drive to a convenience store, buy a large Slurpee, go back to trail, repeat.

Works great but reality will hit when she leaves.

[The Cleaner]

I just read on Mt Leconte's site that they have only recorded a temperature high of 80* only twice.Once was last year,one of the warmest years in recorded history.On the hottest summer day here in Greeneville TN it will be 10 to 15* cooler on the higher elevations of the AT.Even when it's a cool 70* on the AT if you start hiking you will think the temperature is warmer than it is.The high humidity and the dewpoint prevent your sweat from evaporating and cooling you off.As for the sticky, sweaty feeling when you get to your campsite go to the spring and fill up your largest water container(a good reason for packing one of at least 4-6 liters). Find a place a little ways away and take your sweaty clothes off and rinse off with the 52* spring water.Put on your camp clothes and you'll feel a bit better.....

[Rain Man]

I know which ones I can count on to show up with a tiny bottle of water and tell me "That's enough for me. I don't drink much water." I've sometimes carried my own 2 liter water bladder and several extra bottles of water just in case.....

I was on a hike a few weeks ago (not the actual leader, though) and a new woman hiker showed up with "weird" gear and I learned ONE small water bottle for a 3-day Memorial Day weekend hike. When I was told the second day about her one water bottle and offered her a spare liter bottle, she got offended and huffy! Some people just bring their "drama" with them onto the trail.

As far as myself, I will hike it heat, but it tires me more than any mountain, even though I cut my mileage. Was hiking the Foothills Trail in South Caroline where I grew up. Heat index went over 100. We spent over two hours in a lake for lunch break, near shore in the shade, cut our miles, and actually cut our hike short (went back a few months later in the fall to finish). The day we quit, I spent the afternoon and evening at a local friend's home, drinking liquids, eating egg salad (had a big craving), and napping. Was happy to be driving home the next day instead of crossing the final mountain with no water sources.

But for my 5-mile practice hike at Radnor Lake State Natural Area locally, I'm happy to hike in the heat for preparation.

Rain:sunMan

.

[Butterfly58]

I have MS and it's a real problem with the heat. Not sure how I'm gonna make it through the summer next year on my thru hike. I'm hoping that my body will somehow adjust to being outside all the time and make it easier. Otherwise I may have to do a flip flop in order to avoid the worst of the summer heat. I live in Florida so the summer heat and humidity are brutal. Just walking brings on heavy sweat. You'd think I'd get used to it, but I don't.

[johnnybgood]

I'll do long day hikes when the weather becomes hot, starting no later than 7ish. This way I'm getting two-thirds done before it gets too hot.

[MyName1sMud]

After spending 29 years in the Great State of Mississippi....

NOTHING is too hot outside of an oven. :)

[kayak karl]

80 degrees.
now where is the thread "How cold does it have to be....." :)

[johnnybgood]

Air temperature is not as much an indicator as moisture content (humidity), + stillness of the air, when putting an exact number on when is too hot.

[Snowleopard]

ChinMusic, the current forecast out of Boston is this weather in Mass. is expected to break by next weekend, so you should be OK when your wife leaves. Western Mass. will be very humid through next Friday, but temps will be a bit lower by midweek, but still 80s with high humidity. The combination of high temps and high humidity has been brutal. It's very unusual for the humidity to be this high here (dew point high 60s to low 70s).

June was very wet. Combined with the heat, mosquitoes will probably be bad so don't forget the DEET and headnet.

[Sir-Packs-Alot]

"How Hot Does it Have to Be Before You Stop Hiking" ? Without getting long-winded with the obvious (my favorite hobby :) ) ... that's REALLY a HYOH border that lies in a different place for everybody ... EXCEPT to say ... BETTER SAFE THAN SORRY ! If nothing else - if you are hiking in temps over 90 degrees - common sense would tell you to adjust your hiking to trail conditions (which is always a good rule to live by ANYWAY) and try not to minimize any mitigating limitations or health conditions you might have ... either to yourself ... or to your peers. If yesterday's hiking in the heat has weakened you - you may need a break to recover ... or ... try hiking the majority of your mileage earlier and / or later in the day and slow down - take lots of breaks during the hottest part of the day. If you are having a harder time with the heat than expected and your schedule can be adjusted to take a zero day or shorten your distances ... try that. If you are not under tree cover much of the day - don't get scorched ! If you are hiking on rocks much of the day - be aware of the heat being radiated back up off the rocks compounding the problem (oven effect). (Like many hikers up in PA right now). Hydrate a lot - before / during / after your hike. If you are hydrating properly (pushing that water into the intestines - you should be drinking enough til that point when you JUST start to feel slightly nauseous (don't drown either). Salts and electrolytes need to be repelenished - try some of the products available - like Gatorade (powdered/ready made/tablets), a non-sugar type Gatorade product (Nuun tablets) - or my favorite way to keep from "boking out" - nibbling on Jelly Belly "Sports Beans" during the day (energy/electrolyte replenishment). BE CAREFUL IN THE HEAT.
22394

[UnfamousK]

My hiking partner is a Boxer, a breed that doesnt too well in the heat.....above 90 ill go solo as to not risk her, wont camp when its this hot tho.....no sleeping in high humidity for this guy

[Cyngbaeld]

I CAN hike when it is hot, but I'd rather not. I can mend fences when it is 104* in the shade with a heat index of 122 and the fenceline is in the sun, but I'd rather not. I only do that sort of thing when the goats got out AGAIN and have to be contained pronto. Anyhow, once it goes over 90-95, I'd rather not do anything too strenuous. When we have triple digits for months on end and the low is 85-90 you have to work in the heat though.

[Mayer]

I'm on the trail now in northeast pa and have been hiking through the summer. It's hot. You get up and start hiking at dawn; take a nap at noon, restart around 5. Once you break a sweat your body acclimates. Happy trails

[MuddyWaters]

I'm on the trail now in northeast pa and have been hiking through the summer. It's hot. You get up and start hiking at dawn; take a nap at noon, restart around 5. Once you break a sweat your body acclimates. Happy trails

Yep, we did that in New Mexico a few weeks back. Hike 5:30am - 10 am, and 4-7pm. Avoided 12-4 pm at all costs if its sunny, just find shade and chill. Wasnt so much the temperature the high elevations, as the limited shade and direct sun exposure. Humidity of course was not a factor.

[Datto]

121*F by my watch. That would stop me. I'd thought Germanator hiking past me was a mirage. He'd told me there was ice cold Pepsi and potato salad with fried chicken back down the trail. I'd known I was talking to an apparition but I went ahead and asked the apparition how far back down the trail was it. Germanator told me not more than a mile.

I must have thought on that for a few minutes before deciding if that apparition was lying to me I was going to get upset when it cooled down.

Decided to get up and backtrack a ways down the trail to see if I could see anything. In the distance I could see a group of people gathered around the cache. I'd just come from the cache not too long ago and there wasn't any gathering of people there where I'd filled my water bottles. It must be another apparition.

Decided to hike on down to the cache anyhow. Low and behold there was an ice chest full of Pepsi and all the potato salad, slaw and fried chicken you could eat. Right in the middle of the trail. What luck that my dream led me down there.

Curses would get her trailname later that day. She had camped just up the hill further than my tent and Germanator hadn't seen her tent. She didn't find out about the iced drinks and food down at the cache until after it was over and gone.


Datto

[Dogwood]

I've hiked in AZ, CA HI(to some folk's surprise HI has a VERY DRY and HOT side on each island that might be compared to some of the terrain I've hiked in in AZ), NV(the most arid state in the U.S. and one of the hottest!), TX, UT including Canyonlands NP(some VERY REMOTE areas), Capitol Reef NP(again some VERY REMOTE AREAS), Death Valley NP(VERY REMOTE areas), Big Bend NP, Grand Canyon NP(in some very remote off trail high risk areas), Guadalupe NP, Joshua Tree NP, etc as well as the Mojave and Chihuahuan Deserts in temps as high as 116*.

The CONFIRMED hottest I've ever felt was 129* at 10 P.M. at night in Death Valley NP. I would not hike in the day in those 129*temps if I had the choice. I would hike at night.

On the 900 mile Hayduke Trail(mostly a route though, not a true trail by ANY means) I hiked during daylight hrs in 114* plus temps where H20 was EXTREMELY HARD to find at times. I work with the DRY heat well but when you add in 100% humidity it becomes like additionally hiking with a wet blanket over you. I try to avoid that type of hiking or under those conditions. 90* with 100% or very high humidity gets to me much faster than just the hot dry heat alone. I think I've built up a good tolerance and knowledgeable respect for hiking and working outdoors in high heat as a Landscape Architect who doesn't confine himself to behind a desk 5-6 days/wk.

One thing I wish no one would ever have to experience is water intoxication or hyponatremia which I experienced for 3 straight days in Agua Dulce CA in the Mojave Desert on the PCT. I felt like an axe had been embedded in my head, couldn't walk or think straight, eat, had NO energy, and I kept vomiting. I did just about everything doctors tell you NOT to do to avoid water intoxication. I did get over it after those 3 days though. To this day when hiking in hot weather I take electrolyte replacement supplements and NEVER gulp LARGE quantities of water at a time.

[Dogwood]

BTW, all those temps I quoted were not heat index temps they were just the air temp. It can get damn hot with little to no shade in SoCal on the PCT, AZT, in NM on the CDT(Whew!), and in Hawaii Volcanoes NP on the shadeless lava flats.

[OzJacko]

No fixed figure for me.
Straight temperature comparison is irrelevant.
Humidity and breeze need to be considered.
What we have had in PA and NJ the last few days is well within what I can deal with for temperature alone.
But the humidity, lack of breeze and mosquitoes are putting me well out of my comfort zone.
But as part of a thruhike it is something you have to go beyond what you would CHOOSE to do a day or section hike in.

[Dogwood]

But as part of a thruhike it is something you have to go beyond what you would CHOOSE to do a day or section hike in.

Well said! You get that! Have a GREAT journey OzJacko. Those conditions will not last forever.

[The Snowman]

when its really hot out I just walk down to the beach

[OzJacko]

when its really hot out I just walk down to the beach

With a name like yours I would think you only get a few hundred yards before you simply drain away.
:-)

[rocketsocks]

No fixed figure for me.
Straight temperature comparison is irrelevant.
Humidity and breeze need to be considered.
What we have had in PA and NJ the last few days is well within what I can deal with for temperature alone.
But the humidity, lack of breeze and mosquitoes are putting me well out of my comfort zone.
But as part of a thruhike it is something you have to go beyond what you would CHOOSE to do a day or section hike in.True, I've been out walking for the last 5 hours, and though it's hot, the humidity is down a bit so it's tolerable...that said, I know I'm goin home tonight, not to a tent....huge difference.Thru-hikin is a cut above, no doubt.

[Pedaling Fool]

Interesting article on AC http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/culture/2013/07/before-air-conditioning.html

Seems like many of us want to go rush in indoors when it gets a little hot. Can you really call yourself an outdoor enthusiast if you run for AC cover:confused:

[gizzy bear]

I'm in NY closing in on CT. The heat/humidity is brutal. I rolled my ankle a week ago and my wife has driven from Illinois to support my hike for ten days.

My strategy for the heat is for her to meet me at road crossings about every five miles. I get in the car w AC, drive to a convenience store, buy a large Slurpee, go back to trail, repeat.

Works great but reality will hit when she leaves.

sounds like a plan...for now... good luck chin music!!! do you have the ankle wrapped and braced? just wondering?

[Tipi Walter]

its not the hiking, its the sleeping thats the problem.

Trying to sleep when its 85F and sweaty and sticky with high humidity just plain sucks. You cant fall asleep till after midnight when the temp finally drops low enough.

Just stick to 5000 ' + elevations in NC/TN and its tolerable

You got that right---the sleeping. And the noseeums. One of my worst trips was a 22 day backpacking slog from the Tellico River fish hatchery to Big Frog Mt and back to Reliance on the BMT in June 2012. It was in a TN furnace because Knoxville was getting 106F temps and I was hiking along the Hiwassee River and stuck on the low ground for too long. Saw a rattlesnake, saw a copperhead, saw a bird caught in a spider web---crap you don't see unless you're hiking in the jungles of Panama. Here's the trip report---(below).

As backpackers I believe we have to take the bad with the good---and pull all 4 seasons no matter what. Some won't go out in the winter, some won't go out in the summer. Heck, just be happy to have two legs that work and hit the trail. The weather has nothing to do with it.

http://tipiwalter.smugmug.com/Backpacking2012/Tipi-Walter-Big-Frog/27876657_XQ78Gv#!i=2352190236&k=mqGMJtg

[gizzy bear]

No fixed figure for me.
Straight temperature comparison is irrelevant.
Humidity and breeze need to be considered.
What we have had in PA and NJ the last few days is well within what I can deal with for temperature alone.
But the humidity, lack of breeze and mosquitoes are putting me well out of my comfort zone.
But as part of a thruhike it is something you have to go beyond what you would CHOOSE to do a day or section hike in.

perhaps PA and NJ didn't get your memo...low humidty, with a light continual breeze and no bugs...i have often wondered why anyone would go to NJ... on purpose... anyhoo... good luck to you!! :)

[The Solemates]

i'm a 3-season hiker....but i hike the opposite seasons many do. i dont hike in the summer. i cant stand it even though im from the south. in the summer i head to the lake and/or beach almost every weekend instead.

[fishfeet]

I'm a thru-hiker in Greenwood Lake, NY at the moment. After going through Pennsylvania over the last couple weeks, it is now officially my least favorite state in the union. It was the worst heat I've ever endured in my life over such a long period and im born and raised in central florida. There has yet to have been such thing as "TOO HOT" however on the trail. You cant just not hike. You cant afford to just sit out the summer. After being on the trail this long im now convinced that its 99% mental, or at least thats what i like to think. And anyways... sleeping in the heat is much worse than hiking in it, especially when theres no moving air. The trees provide plenty of shade during the day.
my trail name is "Brain Damage" by the way.

Shout out to all my fellow hiker trash. keep it trashy!

[Omaha_Ace]

I don't mind hiking into the 90's, but I have trouble sleeping happily in anything over mid-70's, so I will do dayhikes all summer, but I save the tenting for mid September through Early June. And yes, I much prefer winter tenting to summer - easier for me to keep a warm baseline in winter than a cool one in summer. And I always enjoy people's reactions when they ask how my weekend was and I tell them I went camping...in February.

[Another Kevin]

I haven't been out in weeks because of troubles in Real Life. Normally I wouldn't let the weather stop me. But I confess that with all the humidity, I've missed it less than I ordinarily would.

To quote my daughter, last summer, "it was way too hot last weekend to go hiking. "

"So what did you do? "

"We went hiking. "

I do draw the line at downright dangerous weather. There are conditions under which above-timberline travel can be nearly suicidal.

[Migrating Bird]

How hot is too hot? Don't know: in early June while hiking SOBO from Glencliff, NH to Windsor, VT, I nearly cashed in due to heat (95 degrees) and pushing too hard to meet the wife. Then, I did manage to get in a 27.5 mile benefit hike for Cystic Fibrosis on June 22nd on the Taconic Crest Trail (awesome experience) in between the heat waves. I pulled a hamstring on 4th of July water skiing at 6:30 am, trashed a shoulder last Saturday morning brush hogging my friends property when I hooked a tree with the ROPS on my tractor and it fell on me.

Another Kevin, life gets in the way too often sometimes but I try to think "it's all good" builds character, believe that and I have a bridge to sell if anyone's interested. The heat, it too shall pass, tonight in Western, MA the low is going to be around 50!

[hikerboy57]

i can hike into the mid 90s, even when its humid. its the bugs that get to me. i can take either separately, but together?
gotta hand it to this years nobos.its been a heckuva year, weatherwise, so far.

[Dogwood]

...i have often wondered why anyone would go to NJ... on purpose... anyhoo... good luck to you!! :)

I don't spend too much time in NJ anymore, typically less than 2 months a yr. I just find other places more interesting and my work, other residences, hiking, and traveling take me to those places. But, in all fairness to the state most visitors who complain about it, and yes I agree there is a lot to not be enamored with, aren't familiar with the more scenic more wild parts of it like the beaches below the central part of the state, the lakes, upper Delaware river, Kittaniny Range which is part of the Appalchian Mts, the south, and other areas to the west. I actually have thru-hiked with people on the AT who had never been there before but basing their perspective on other's limited near sighted opinions thought when we got to the AT in NJ we would be hiking under smokestacks, along polluted rivers, and through people's backyards.

[Dogwood]

I'm a thru-hiker in Greenwood Lake, NY at the moment. After going through Pennsylvania over the last couple weeks, it is now officially my least favorite state in the union. It was the worst heat I've ever endured in my life over such a long period and im born and raised in central florida. There has yet to have been such thing as "TOO HOT" however on the trail. You cant just not hike. You cant afford to just sit out the summer. After being on the trail this long im now convinced that its 99% mental, or at least thats what i like to think. And anyways... sleeping in the heat is much worse than hiking in it, especially when theres no moving air. The trees provide plenty of shade during the day.
my trail name is "Brain Damage" by the way.

Shout out to all my fellow hiker trash. keep it trashy!

Do you think it fairer to say the conditions you hiked in in PA are the worst you experienced? Those hiking conditions in PA you experienced can be experienced in a great many other states at that time of the yr! It's not so much the state that's the worse. But, you adapted, got through it, and you didn't let it deter you which is what thru-hikers have to do if they are to complete their intended thru-hikes. Keep it going. Enjoy the journey although sometimes it seems it's not so enjoyable at the immediate time you're on the journey dealing with and overcoming the challenges. If you don't know that yet you'll prolly realize it at some pt maybe not until after you finish your AT thru-hike. Those tough times don't last forever. I see you're still completing the goal!

[Cookerhiker]

its not the hiking, its the sleeping thats the problem.

Trying to sleep when its 85F and sweaty and sticky with high humidity just plain sucks. You cant fall asleep till after midnight when the temp finally drops low enough.
...

Right on! My worst AT section hike was in NJ in mid-June with very oppressive humidity and as you said, the worst part was trying to sleep at night while sweating over every inch of the body. Cowboy camping was out because of the mosquitoes.

One advantage of section hiking is choosing the time of year when you hike.

[Cookerhiker]

....i have often wondered why anyone would go to NJ... on purpose... anyhoo... good luck to you!! :)

I'm a NJ native but didn't hike the AT there; my early hiking from childhood was in Harriman Park, NY which was closer. So I'm not defending NJ in that regard. But more than one AT thruhiker has told me that NJ was one of their favorite states. Perhaps it's the expectations gap, i.e. it was nicer than they were mentally prepared for.

Anyway, after I prematurely ended my section hike because of the crappy weather, I returned in late August and had a great hike in both NJ and NY.

[fishfeet]

i agree with hikerboy57, its the bugs that will just drive you literally insane this time of the year. the heat would be easily bearable if it wasnt for the bugs. Over the past few weeks we literally cannot stop to take a break without getting absolutely destroyed by mosquitoes and no-see-ums. So every break, all day, is just rushed and completely miserable, and theres never really a time to cool down. I, as well as others ive seen, have also gone to wearing some sort of bug net over our heads to stop from swallowing flies all day long.

[Tipi Walter]

i agree with hikerboy57, its the bugs that will just drive you literally insane this time of the year. the heat would be easily bearable if it wasnt for the bugs. Over the past few weeks we literally cannot stop to take a break without getting absolutely destroyed by mosquitoes and no-see-ums. So every break, all day, is just rushed and completely miserable, and theres never really a time to cool down. I, as well as others ive seen, have also gone to wearing some sort of bug net over our heads to stop from swallowing flies all day long.

A good headnet makes all the difference and is part of my standard load and packed without thinking. I hate noseeums too as they itch and cause welts but if your eyes and ears and mouth and nose are covered the world gets 70% better.

http://tipiwalter.smugmug.com/Backpacking2013-1/Tipi-Walter-Slickrock/i-kKrjmcg/0/M/600_252784982-M.jpg
Pumping water in my sea to summit headnet.

[snowblind]

While I have no doubt most of us can endure hiking in high heat and high humidy, I go hiking to have FUN. Hiking in that, especially long distance hiking, isn't what I consider fun. Don't recall any fun moments hiking a 20 mile day with high 90's and >70% humidity. Food and water consumption amounts didn't matter, since well ALL know that affects attitude. It wasn't fun, and that's exactly what I hear from the thru-hikers I know who are out there now in the heat. Wasn't fun then, and doubt those specific environmentals will ever be, regardless of the terrain. Well, barring someone comes up with a Dune still-suit soon.