by wazza » September 25, 2009, 4:11 pm
Ter
ok, got 30 mins to go over a few hints for you.
No doubt this will be a very well prepared / coordinated trip , so wont go over that too much.
So will focus on you as the individual and no doubt others will offer their experiences as well.
As i said before, dont think this is a jolly down the local tourist track, even if its a well tracked area. We have given major assistance to people who thought they knew the issues every year in the middle of no where.
Feb, wont be that hot , ie 55, but it will see some very direct sun, proper hats with neck, ear and facial protection are a must. Legionaire style are even better but check out the rating on the material, good quality with a UV standard is worth chasing.
In Australia, we use the saying Slip Slop and Slap, so make sure a good sun block is essential, ratings of 40 up are available and well advised.
a bum bag that has a portable water bottle will make your days easier, even in those sort of Temps, your looking at a probably 5 -7 Litres of water per day, assuming ur exercising somewhat. Of this, some of this intake will be included in ur cooked food. Tea and coffee are drinks you tend to rely on back home, but if you add sugar to them, it can act as a diuretic somewhat.
Take some powdered sports drink sachets, dont try to take the actual drinks in bottle, weight issues.
Many of the " Sports drinks " are so full of salt and Sugar, they work in reverse for you.
U can get these from good pharmacies, and 1 brand name is Gastrolyte, good flavours and many members will say, thats for use if you have diahorrhea etc, correct. a Pharmacist will give u good professional advice, a sports shop is a retail outlet ( ok both are )
It has a balanced electrolyte balance when mixed with water, and will replace the sodium, potasium , etc lost during sweating and dehydration etc, also good of you have diahorrhea.
Take some Imodium for diarhorrea, and if you do get this STOP ur walk as you will dehydrate immediately if you continue.
Shirts - make sure they have good collar protection, T shirts will see u sunburnt.
Good lightweight trousers, suggest the North Face style, easy to wash and dry and also have the zip out trousers to make shorts !
Boots - now this is ur saviour here, a cheap pair wont last you a week, on rocks, shale, and the sand takes no enemies for grit inside you shoe. Get a good breathable shoe , Northface etc with Gortex ( breathable ) makse sure u have extra laces ! socks good reliable socks, not nylon as they rub and blisters will stop u in ur tracks. Look at good ankle support as well,
Dont laugh at this . i have been given good boots and they didnt last a week, why ?? well the glues they use on the soles to keep it all together melted and the things broke down and thrown away. standing on sand at 55 degrees melts your shoe.
Look at the sole and look at the way its stitched / moulded etc
Sleeping bags, dont skimp on this, u need to find out the weather at night time, temps down to 0 Celcius are very common for that time of year. Match your temps to the bag u will buy,
Food - probably have a calorie intake of 3-4000 kj ?? make sure its not sugar loaded, but still take some snacks for sure. Snacks, that will withstand the temps in the day time. Nothing worse that a pkt of prized Jelly Babys melts into a blob.
Heat awareness, remember to try and keep in touch with your water intake, first thing u will notice is, you havent had a pis* all day, not a good sign, kidneys working overtime to retain what fluid you have taken in. Keep an eye on the colour, dark , orange, brownish, - Kidneys not happy ! and mild dehydration.
Headaches are not because you cant log on here ! its another sign of dehydration, first signs and u need to STOP, rest, water intake, shelter and shade.
Dont get sucked in, I feel better now and its only 8 km to go, you wont get there.
Dry skin, pinched and not rebounding, dizzyness, nausea and vomiting, blurred vision, stumbling, STOP ! STOP STOP, this needs medical assistance , if vomitting u cant take the water and IV's are the way. cool them down also with cold packs in the groins and auxillas.
Make sure u have adequate travel insurance that actually covers you for this event, read the fine print.
Back to work and fire off any questions , i will get back to them later today.
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