Fitness Files: Horrors of hiking in the heat

Two hours into a hot El Moro hike, I caught Natalie, who’d hiked ahead.

Miki, a hiker new to our group, was with me.

“Natalie’s training for an all-day, uphill Sierra trek,” I told Miki.

“Where?” asked Miki.

“Can’t answer that,” Natalie said, in flat tones.

“How far?” Miki continued.

“Can’t say,” said Natalie.

I looked at Natalie, alarmed at her listless, vague answers. She’s our orienteering expert — knows trails to the mile, trail maps, place names. Her color seemed normal, but her eyes, downcast, were fixed on the trail.

“You OK?” I asked

“Just want to get to the car,” Natalie said.

We stopped. Miki draped a wet scarf on the back of Natalie’s neck. I emptied my extra water bottle into hers.

“Want us to pour water on your head?” we asked.

“No,” she answered, refusing to rest. She hiked the last 40 minutes to the parking lot flanked by Miki and me.

Once there, she sat in the shade for an hour, drinking water and snacking.

That morning, Natalie emailed Miki and me:

“I’ve never had problems on El Moro before. Thanks for your assistance. When I hiked Saturday (Ice House/Cucamonga Peak,) the temperature wasn’t bad and I had plenty water. We stopped at the Saddle beside a man and dog without water. My friend filled a container with water for the dog. So Saturday we saved a dog, and yesterday you saved me. I think the universe was speaking, as I watched a hiker rescued yesterday, and a lady in Arizona who died biking in the heat.”

Later, I called Natalie.

“I canceled plans for the day,” she said

Natalie’s busy with consulting, grandmothering, all-out boot camp workouts and a lively social schedule. If she stopped her forward momentum, then she must have been severely affected.

“How do you feel now?”

“Better, but I was weak, nauseated, woozy. I called my daughter to say I’ll do just half the high Sierra hike next month.”

“You don’t know how you’ll feel,” I said, “too soon to make up your mind.”

Hot-weather hiking requires extra care to prevent such meltdowns.

Nationalgeographic.com describes five heat-related deaths of hikers this year in Arizona’s extreme heat. It advises wearing bright-colored clothing, which is easily spotted by rescuers, starting early, acclimating with at least three weeks of hot hikes before the long one, hydrating the night before and packing electrolyte drinks to prevent imbalances caused by water overconsumption. Furthermore, it says, stick together, going at the slowest hiker’s pace, and watch for dehydration signs: headache, fatigue, disorientation, nausea, vomiting.

Modernhiker.com says, “During most hiking, you’ll lose about a liter of water every hour, and strenuous hiking in hot weather can more than double that.” That means hikers sweat out 4 1/3 cups of water normally, but in hot, fast climbing, hikers might lose close to nine cups an hour! Sounds unbelievable.

Modernhiker.com advises small sips because the “body can only absorb a half liter of water every hour.” Take more water than you think you’d need — and sip often, it adds. Thehikinglife.com recommends carrying a liter for every hour hiked.

Miki, who enjoys views and wildflower photos, calls my hiking group’s pace “a forced march.” Hot, speedy hiking — about 18-minute miles up and down El Moro’s hilly trails — causes heavy water demands.

I couldn’t follow Modern Hiker’s clothing advice: wicking fabrics and long sleeves as a sun shield — no cotton.

I can’t tolerate synthetic “wicking fabrics,” which hold in heat, opting for cotton shirts, which breathe. UV-rated “arm sleeves” protect my arms while allowing air circulation through open T-shirt sleeves.

Of course, wear big hats and UV-rated sunglasses, and apply sunscreen 20 minutes before the hike and every two hours after, especially on the nose, forearms and tops of ears. There’s no such thing as a safe tan.

One behavior to consider: Eat on the nine-mile El Moro hike. Some sites recommend small snacks of complex carbs like fruit and crackers to ward off electrolyte imbalance. I’d prefer food to sweet electrolyte drinks.

Natalie is a savvy hiker, but now she’ll pack extra water, sip more often and snack. She’ll continue Miki’s “wet scarf trick.”

Saturday’s 11-mile Ice House hike to almost 9,000 feet probably required more than one day’s recovery before she rejoined her regular Monday power-hiking group.

“I’ll ease back into practice hikes in heat,” she says. “Dehydration is scary. Maybe I can do the Sierra trek after a month of acclimating, but I know the signs of dehydration, and I’ll sit it out if I have to.”

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Newport Beach resident CARRIE LUGER SLAYBACK is a 72-year-old marathoner who brought home first places in LA Marathons 2013 and 2014 and the Carlsbad Marathon 2015. She lives in Newport Beach.