PSA if you are going to go hiking this summer

[nadinbrzezinski]

and trust me, we love to do it... please, PLEASE, carry ENOUGH water with you... listening to Rescue squads going on dehydrated call, after dehydrated call...

I know it is heavy, but damn it, please, please carry enough water.

[Xipe Totec]

1. I always carry extra

Because I always bump into tenderfoots who where not prepared.

One bottle of gatorade, sealed, to give away as aid.

Four liters of water for me, in recycled bottles.

[nadinbrzezinski]

3. Good for you

[quinnox]

2. yes indeed

I had first hand experience, last year in the summer time I went on a hike of a famous large rock formation nearby, and didn't take any water, but took pop instead. When I got to the top, I started feeling dizzy and then started to throw up, and had to sit down and felt weak. It was a very hot day, like in the 90s. I really wondered if I was going to be able to go back down the steep path that we went on to go up, and that maybe I would need to be airlifted off the top or something. And I'm in my early 40s, so its not like I'm elderly. Well, another hiker saw me in distress and shared his water with me, and then after a time I felt a lot better and was able to make it back down. (I thought of him as kind of a guardian angel, to be honest)

Don't take pop, take water and plenty of it! The caffeine in pop will dehydrate you.

[nadinbrzezinski]

4. That is but one reason

I don't own one, and maybe will get one in a while, camelback. When we go hiking we take camera gear as well. So, here is what we carry in my backpack.

At least four bottles of water... a first aid kit, a whistle, a fire starter, two rescue blankets, and yes, some meds for headaches, as well as fast energy sources, like granola bars and fruit.

Did I mention the fifty feet of paracord and the rescue knife?

And that is for a day hike...

Last time we went, the quake came rumbling next day... and we might have had to spend some time on the trail.

But as a former rescue worker it is kind of fun to try to avoid that... oh and yes cell phones, maps and compasses, not that the cell phone could get a signal, but hey... If we came across an emergency we would mark point on map and while one stays with people needing help, the second would walk out map with location on hand.

[petronius]

19. I like a mirror to go with the whistle, and a SPOT for rugged no-cell-phone areas

Plus a small LED light, water purification tablets, and some tinder (vaseline+cotton) to go with the fire starter...

[nadinbrzezinski]

23. Yup, I knew I was forgetting some

by the way, this works like a charm too... as long as you really break it up first.

[obamanut2012]

27. There are hydration packs that will fit all of that

Plus the water bladder.

I have several different ones, from several different companies, for different excursions. My favorite one even has a compartment for trekking poles.

[hlthe2b]

5. Or know where you can get water & supplement your water with an approved filtering device and iodine

or a filter or device (steripen) that is bacteriocidal and virucidal, in addition to filtering or killing parasites. One ought to be able to carry enough water for day trips, but you never know when someone in your group is going to come unprepared or you might be delayed.

Having a bottle you can run water through a simple coffee filter to remove debris and silt and then use one of these


will give you an extra safety margin. Very light weight and worth its weight in gold if you need it, both hiking, backpacking and third world travel (as well as hurricane or other emergencies that might down your local water plant). I have no financial interest in this device. There are also excellent filter system alternatives.

[nadinbrzezinski]

6. Absolultey

[Sgent]

7. Although it might be somewhat useful in hurricane situations

a lot of the water available then (at least where I'm at) is brackish.... so not great.

Rainwater (unfiltered) is also fairly safe -- not perfect, but almost always better than getting dehydrated.

[hlthe2b]

9. Lots of options for pre-filtering the debris in brackish water...

I got to try out a multitude of methods in a remote area of India a few years ago for two weeks without treated water access. None of the eight of us got sick, though some of the water still smelled and looked pretty awful --even after filtering and treating.

But, yes, certainly rainwater would be comparably safe if that were an option.

[nadinbrzezinski]

14. There are a few other options as well

if you need water and there is not much close by.

Why I carry some of the crap I carry when hiking, the rescue blanket will make a good unit to get water by solar collector. Not every efficient, quantities are low... but might keep you alive.

[zappaman]

8. Thanks!

I never thought of carrying water on a hike before!
K & R!

[hlthe2b]

11. Feel better?

As one who has come to the aid of more than one party of hikers--either unprepared, experiencing injuries, or ill from altitude in my years living in Colorado, sometimes what is "obvious" to you is clearly not to others.

[zappaman]

13. I will on my next hike!

I've often wondered what to do about my thirst while hiking and now I know.
I've already recced so here is a kick in the hopes that someone else might learn this info!

[hlthe2b]

16. I'll bet if sarcasm will keep you cozy. ...

Your feet will never so much as touch a sharp pebble along the path, snakes will run in the opposite direction, bears will spray themselves with pepperspray to avoid you and a pack of "gentled" wolves will guard your campsite each night.

No worries at all.....

[zappaman]

29. And it keeps away the dingos, mate! n/t

[taterguy]

10. Thanks, mom

[nadinbrzezinski]

12. Thanks for reminding me why you belong on ignore

there, much better.

[taterguy]

22. Is this the 11th time I've made it onto your ignore list?

One more and I get a toaster!

Right?

[SidDithers]

32. Hehehe....

Sid

[kdmorris]

38. I've only made it on her ignore list twice now

I'm doing something wrong, dammit!!!

[FarCenter]

15. Officials urge nearly 200,000 residents to boil water after pipes break in Monmouth

MONMOUTH COUNTY — There are about 185,000 residents in 22 towns affected by the collapse of three large water pipes at NJ American Water’s treatment plant at Swimming River Reservoir, according to William Heine, spokesman for Monmouth County.

Residents in the 22 towns are under a boil-water advisory and the entire county is being asked to conserve. There is a mandatory ban on outdoor watering and county residents are being told to shorten showers.

“We understand it’s an inconvenience,” said Richard Barnes, spokesman for NJ American Water, “but we are asking customers to conserve as much water as they can.”

The county was hit doubly hard as this is a particularly hot holiday weekend when tens of thousands will flock to the shore. It is not uncommon to see a spike in usage during a typical summer weekend, Barnes said. “Generally, when it’s hot, people use more water,” he said. “It is a concern. Demand is usually up in the summer.”

The problems began at noon on Friday when a 90-foot span of a wooden bridge collapsed, disabling three pipes at the company's water treatment plant.

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2012/06/nearly_200000_could_be_without.html

Even at home, you can't always rely on the stuff you rely on.

[nadinbrzezinski]

17. True, and every so often I have gone and boiled my water

AGAIN... hey, actually I still do, for coffee.

[FarCenter]

20. A History of the World in 6 Glasses

http://www.amazon.com/A-History-World-6-Glasses/dp/0802715524/ref=pd_sim_b_1

beer, wine, spirits, coffee, tea, and Coca-Cola

which generally have anti microbial properties due to alcohol or high acidity.

The funniest blog sequence from the boil water alert:

Q. I gave my dog water from the tap before I knew about the boil water alert. Will he be alright?

A. Yes. After all, they drink out of the toilet and lick each others butts.

[nadinbrzezinski]

21. Oh absolutely

if our water quality goes down to the crapper again, I can see people drinking a lot more beer than they do today... and for kids, weak beer... (and those of us with gluten allergies will have to find the RICE variety)

[hlthe2b]

24. That questioner must never have experienced a dog with diarrhea...

yes, they can tolerate a lot, but you don't want to push their "threshold"....

And, given how few "edumacated" humans bother to wash their hands, we end up the human equivalent of "licking butts"--sorry to be crude, but that's the truth.

[cherokeeprogressive]

18. I thought that's what "water pills" were for...?

[Adsos Letter]

25. And TICKS...check yourself for ticks if you've been out in the woods. They're bad this year. n/t

[nadinbrzezinski]

26. You of course are correct!

[pinboy3niner]

31. My little brother had a bout with Lyme disease from a tick after one of our fishing trips

His ordeal lasted nearly a year.

And some three decades ago I worked for the guy whose son reportedly was the first case of deer tick Lyme Disease in the U.S. The father was very prominent in the Democratic Party, an old JFK advance man who was the stage manager for one of the recent Dem conventions.

[taught_me_patience]

28. Don't expect the stream on the map to be there

they can dry up... leaving you without water.

[nadinbrzezinski]

30. Of course in the backcountry around here

what stream?



but that is an excellent point.

[SidDithers]

33. Just an easy Saturday night, relaxing with a glass of wine and the police scanner...nt

Sid

[zappaman]

34. Although that might seem odd to you, many ex-cops/former firemen(women)/retired EMTs...

...do still like to monitor scanners.
It's in their blood.
To each their own.

EDITED to fix a typo.

[kestrel91316]

35. Watch the weather forecast. Don't GO hiking if it's supposed to be over 90F.

Hell, I almost won't go if it's supposed to be 80F.

[nadinbrzezinski]

36. Why we prefer to do it, NOT in the summer

Hell, when I go to cover a fire, I got some of my supplies in the damn truck!

[kestrel91316]

37. The ONLY place I'd ever hike in the summer is the High Sierra.

Not even that San Gabriels. They are for spring and fall. Santa Monicas are for winter.