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Was that the hardest C hike I have led or am I totally out of shape after a 3 week vacation?
A few days before the Cougar hike, I decided I needed to get back in shape by doing the Grouse Grind twice. It was probably not a great idea because my legs decided they needed a vacation from me and went on strike!
With bravado, I lead 11 North Shore Hikers for 10 hours and 20 min –yes, we got into D hike territory! As it was an exploratory, we encountered no other hikers. I am pretty sure this mountain is too difficult for the average hiker with its rolling terrain of 100 m up and down, repeated over and over again.
To summit would have made it an overnight trip or coming out at 1 am, so we turned around after 2 pm (5+ hours one way).
Coming back in the smokey still air, one person got heat exhaustion and the team really rally around the hiker with electrolytes, cold water to drink and doused with more cold water on the head to bring their body temperature down.
How do we get overheated? (This is my personal experience/opinion for what it is worth and not NSH) When we exercise, our core body temperature gets hot and heats up our blood. This blood is carried up to the brain from the back of our necks. If the blood is too hot, it causes inflammation of the brain, which leads to dizziness, fever, heat exhaustion, etc. it is important on hot days, to drink plenty of fluids with electrolytes, (When I was hiking the Grand Canyon in 115F, the locals recommend bags of salty potato chips, juicy citrus fruits, frozen juice boxes, 3 litres of water minimum and cans of salty tuna salad.)
Prevention: wear a hat with a wide brim or neck cover to cover the back of the neck and forehead from the hot sun. The goal is to keep the blood going to the brain as cool as possible. Bring two bandanas: wet them in creeks and put one on the back of the neck and the other around the forehead. Repeat at the next creek to keep the bandanas cold. If you still feel overheated, dunk your head in the creek – wet your hair and your shirt. If required, dunk your entire body – get the core temperature down as quickly as possible. Drink plenty of electrolyte water and carry a water filter/UV wand/tablets. Rest under shade until you feel better.
Our trip was bookended with the last ancient forest in Whistler. Sadly, one of the trees has fallen over since my last visit. The trees are over 1000 years old. Quite the treat!
The 16 mile creek logging road is badly deteriorated. This is probably my last car trip to this beautiful forest. An e-mountain bike might be the better way to access this trail in the future.
Thanks to the eager 11 hikers, our 3 drivers and end person whose adventurous spirits were infectious and inspiring! I hope to see you all on my next trip!
P.S. we saw lots of chanterelle mushrooms too
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This topic was modified 2 years, 7 months ago by
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