chai guy
07-17-2007, 10:57 PM
Everyone has their own way of beating the heat in the desert, but I thought I'd share what works for me.
I'm a desert rat, I grew up in Southern California, and have spent much of my time hiking around places like Joshua Tree, Trona Pinacles, Death Valley, The Salton Sea, The Black Rock Desert and other such seemingly inhospitable places.
A few tips:
1. Clothing
Look to the people who live in the desert, the Bedouins and such. Notice that they're not wearing tank tops and shorts. They wear long, loose clothing, with very little exposed skin. This is not just for reasons of modesty. They are taking advantage of something known as evaporative cooling. The sweat is able to be trapped between you skin and the fabric, helping to keep you cool.
One hiker last year "Speshul 41" wore a "man dress" and it seemed to work well. Me, I was comfortable wearing a long sleeve shirt, and long pants. Just remember to keep them loose.
You also need to wear a hat that totally covers your face and neck. A baseball cap in the desert is going to leave you with a sunburned neck. I Love this hat from a company called Kavu called a Chilba, it's awesome and will keep you totall protected (and very chill!)
http://www.kavu.com/store/pc/mac_viewPrd.asp?idcategory=5&idproduct=161
Keeping everything covered means you won't have to worry about sunscreen either (which is heavy to carry, a pain in the butt to apply, gets in your eyes and only acts like a dirt magnet anyway).
2. Sunbrella
Some people liked to carry an umbrella for protection against the sun, golite and other companies make special ones specifically for hikers in the desert. The problem of course is when it gets windy, as it often does in the desert, these things then become problematic to carry. Some people swear by them, but I was happy with a large hat and being covered up.
3. Hike "Siesta Style"
During the heat of the day (noon-4:00pm) I would usually be found under a rock or cactus enjoying what little shade the desert offered,(timing this to be at a water hole is ideal, though not always possible) about this time I would see a parade of hikers walking past and I would often ask the question of them "Mad Dog? or Englishman?" they would shoot me a puzzled stare. Later in the evening, usually around 7:00pm, when the air had cooled considerably and the sun had dipped down behind the mountains I would hike past their tent where they were fast asleep, exhausted from the heat.
Hike early-Hike late- Siesta in between!
4. Camel Up!
When you get to a water hole, take some time, eat some food, drink, drink, drink and drink. If you can time your arrival for the heat of the day (noon-4:00pm) even better. It's so easy to become dehydrated in the desert, remember that!
I'm a desert rat, I grew up in Southern California, and have spent much of my time hiking around places like Joshua Tree, Trona Pinacles, Death Valley, The Salton Sea, The Black Rock Desert and other such seemingly inhospitable places.
A few tips:
1. Clothing
Look to the people who live in the desert, the Bedouins and such. Notice that they're not wearing tank tops and shorts. They wear long, loose clothing, with very little exposed skin. This is not just for reasons of modesty. They are taking advantage of something known as evaporative cooling. The sweat is able to be trapped between you skin and the fabric, helping to keep you cool.
One hiker last year "Speshul 41" wore a "man dress" and it seemed to work well. Me, I was comfortable wearing a long sleeve shirt, and long pants. Just remember to keep them loose.
You also need to wear a hat that totally covers your face and neck. A baseball cap in the desert is going to leave you with a sunburned neck. I Love this hat from a company called Kavu called a Chilba, it's awesome and will keep you totall protected (and very chill!)
http://www.kavu.com/store/pc/mac_viewPrd.asp?idcategory=5&idproduct=161
Keeping everything covered means you won't have to worry about sunscreen either (which is heavy to carry, a pain in the butt to apply, gets in your eyes and only acts like a dirt magnet anyway).
2. Sunbrella
Some people liked to carry an umbrella for protection against the sun, golite and other companies make special ones specifically for hikers in the desert. The problem of course is when it gets windy, as it often does in the desert, these things then become problematic to carry. Some people swear by them, but I was happy with a large hat and being covered up.
3. Hike "Siesta Style"
During the heat of the day (noon-4:00pm) I would usually be found under a rock or cactus enjoying what little shade the desert offered,(timing this to be at a water hole is ideal, though not always possible) about this time I would see a parade of hikers walking past and I would often ask the question of them "Mad Dog? or Englishman?" they would shoot me a puzzled stare. Later in the evening, usually around 7:00pm, when the air had cooled considerably and the sun had dipped down behind the mountains I would hike past their tent where they were fast asleep, exhausted from the heat.
Hike early-Hike late- Siesta in between!
4. Camel Up!
When you get to a water hole, take some time, eat some food, drink, drink, drink and drink. If you can time your arrival for the heat of the day (noon-4:00pm) even better. It's so easy to become dehydrated in the desert, remember that!