Water Isn’t that Important, Is It?

If you don’t drink enough water, you can die.

Simple stuff?  Yes.

An obvious statement?  Yes.

Doesn’t need to be repeated for the umpteenth time?  Apparently not.

Young hiker dies at South Mountain

Firefighters: 115-degree heat too much for boy, 14

July 21, 2009 5:16 PM

By Doug Murphy

Ahwatukee Foothills News

On Monday morning, a 14-year-old boy from Alaska who was visiting relatives in the East Valley died after becoming dehydrated and suffering heat stroke while on a hike in South Mountain Park the day before.

Firefighters say the family was hiking for several hours when the teen became disoriented. Firefighters were called around 11:30 a.m. and when they found the group, far up a trail off Pima Canyon, the boy was not breathing.

“He’s coming from Alaska (and) he’s never been in the heat like this,” said fire Captain Dorian Jackson, a spokesman for the department.

The temperature was around 115 on Sunday, although the heat radiating off the rocks probably increased the temperature.

The desert can be unforgiving and Jackson said the key is to stick with the basics.

“Make sure you drink plenty of water the day before and carry plenty of water,” Jackson said.

Hikers should also wear a hat and loose clothing to protect from the heat. It’s also important for hikers to apply plenty of sunscreen and set a reasonable pace in hot weather so they won’t overheat and get into trouble.

Obviously this was a horrible situation, but it’s not exactly a rarity out here in the desert.  The trail the boy was on is about seven miles of strenuous hiking.  It takes a little over four hours to complete if you’re in decent shape, longer if you need lots of rest breaks.  If you’re already well hydrated before starting out, you will need to carry a gallon of water with you and be finishing it off by the time you get back to the trail head (drink at a rate of about a quart per hour).

The main points I want you to take away from this are BE AWARE and KNOW YOUR LIMITATIONS.

Being aware simply means understanding the environment you’re in.  If you want to go hiking, biking, or whatever in a new place, don’t be afraid to educate yourself.  Ask around.  Talk to people who are familiar with the area and LISTEN to them.  Walking around the block in extreme temperatures isn’t much of a problem.  Hiking up a mountain certainly can be, so find out from people who have done it if there are any special preparations you need to make.

“Know your limitations” tends to get quick responses of “Oh, don’t be a baby” and “Push through those limitations!”  Quite frankly, that is a foolish mindset.  The boy who died was from Alaska and his body wasn’t ready to handle a high level of exertion in extreme heat.  It had nothing to do with “being a baby” or “sucking it up.”  It had everything to do with his body being unable to thermo-regulate.

I’ll use myself as an example:

I live in Tempe, Arizona.  Today it should top out at around 110 or so which is a nice break from the 116 we had yesterday.  I spend a fair bit of my day outside and my vehicle doesn’t have air conditioning.  The gym I train at has a couple of swamp coolers, but they don’t do much to cool things down when the humidity starts to creep up.  I am fine with all of this.  I am comfortable in the truck and I wear a hat outside.  I drink about a gallon and a half to two gallons of water a day and I sweat very easily.  Bottom line, my body is used to this climate and I find it quite comfortable.

A few years ago, I went with my wife to homecoming at Penn State in October.  We also stayed with her family for about a week in upstate New York.  There was no snow on the ground, but the average temperature was in the 40’s.  All you people from the north can laugh, but I froze my tail off!  My body is fine at higher temperatures, but I’m ready to throw on a sweatshirt if it gets much below 70.  My body literally has no idea what to do with cold temperatures except to shiver uncontrollably.  I’m sure I looked ridiculous all bundled up in everything I packed while everyone else was wearing light jackets, but at least I was almost warm.  If I had tried to dress like a local…hello hypothermia!

Get a clue, people.  I’m tired of reading articles like the one above.

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