In some parts of the U.S. — the Northeast, the Pacific Coast, the mountain states — hikers live for the summer and its warm days. Not here, where Summer is equated with still air, sticky clothes and sweat-stung eyes. 

While some of that may be true, it’s not the full story. Approached the right way summer can be enjoyed just as much as the banner seasons of fall and spring. Just in a different way.

Some thoughts on how to embrace summer on the trail.

First, why?

You like to hike, right? So why not in summer. Here’s what keeps us from taking a summer hiatus.

The green. If you live in a lush, warm environment, you’ll want to appreciate what that means to be enveloped from forest floor to the canopy in a world rich with flora. It’s a world constantly in flux: from the blooms of elderberry, sumac and rattlesnake root in mid June, to the first tinge of fall color in the sweetgums and sourwoods, the woods are worth watching.

The critters. It’s funny how we recoil at the sight of snakes, but rejoice when we cross paths with a box turtle. The latter loves the heat and is on the move come mid-June. You’ll see those snakes out as well, while at dawn and dusk the larger local mammal populations are on the move.

The birdsong. Early morning and evening are when birds, like hikers, are at their best in the woods. 

The quiet. Multiple layers of leaves, you’ll quickly discover on a summer hike, make the best insulation. I regularly hike a trail that’s within 50 yards of an interstate highway. In winter, you can’t escape the ruckus; in summer, you’ve no idea the road is there. There is one delightful exception to the quiet rule … .

The noise of night. We love staying on the trail past dark in summer because that calming quiet of the day quickly gives way to a raucous cacophony come sundown. Are those frogs? Are they crickets? And … my God, what was that? (Likely the Hitchcockian scream of a bobcat.) 

Now, how?

Now, some tips on coping with the heat on your hike.

Minimize the heat Maybe you can’t ignore the heat. But you can minimize its debilitating effects.

Clothes. Wear lightweight clothes, preferably clothes that breath. Button-style fishing and hiking shirts typically have ample vents and mesh that do a good job of keeping you cool by letting you vent body heat. 

Pants. If you’re not a fan of shorts, the good news is there are several relatively inexpensive lightweight nylon pants on the market. Some even come with UPF sunblock protection. The protection that long pants offer can be especially welcome in summer. If you’re on an exposed trail, that protection from the sun is great. If you’re on a trail meandering through tight vegetation, long pants are good protection from poison ivy/oak/sumac and other irritating plants, and from ticks; the little pests can still weasel their way onto your skin, but it’s a harder task.

Drink (a k a hydrate). Water is important whenever you exercise. It’s especially important in the heat, when you’re sweating more than on a cool day. Two key points when it comes to water.

• Remember to take it. At the bare minimum, take a liter of water. Even if you’re doing a 1/2-mile nature trail, take a liter of water. If you’re going longer, say, between 2 and 5 miles, take two liters of water. If you’re going much beyond that, take two liters as well as a filtering device to get more water along the way. Note: The later only works if you are hiking in an area where the water is devoid of chemical pollution. 
• Make it so you’ll want to drink it. Do you look forward to a nice, tepid glass of water, water warm enough to brew tea? Likely not. If you use water bottles, the night before a summer hike, fill the bottles 3/4 full and toss them in the freezer. In the morning, top off your ice bottle with water. If you use a hydration pack, fill the bladder with as much ice as possible, then fill with cold water. 

How to dress (and undress)

Wet bandana. Soak a bandana in water, drape it around your neck. When you cross a stream, refresh the bandana. It goes a long way toward keeping your body heat regulated.

Cotton … refreshes. Normally, you’re discouraged from hiking in a cotton T-shirt. In cold, even cool weather, your T-shirt gets wet from sweat, you stop to take a break, you catch a chill. On a really hot day when you’ll only be on the trail when it’s hot, that sweat-cooled T serves as a form of air conditioning. Do be sure to have a dry T waiting for you when you get back to the trailhead. 

Take extra socks. Even if you’re only hiking 4-5 miles, take an extra pair of socks. Feet get sweaty in the heat (especially if you’re wearing Gore-Tex shoes), the sweat gets absorbed into the socks. Even if you’re wearing wicking wool socks, there’s only so much wet they can wick. When socks become wet, the friction generated by your moving feet will cause blisters. Change socks before you hear an audible squish coming from your shoes.

Air out your feet on breaks. Even if you’re just taking a 5-minute snack break, sit down and liberate your feet from your shoes and socks. Drape your socks over a branch to dry, let your hot, sweaty feet have a moment to cool. 

Maybe you can’t beat a spring or fall day on the trail. But summer does have something to offer.

Give it a chance.

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More tips

This is an abbreviated version of our GetHiking! Guide to Summer Hiking. For the full guide, which includes information on the best times to hike and the best places to hike, go here.

The post Don’t let the coming heat keep you off the trail appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

At hike’s end, every person on the trip couldn’t wait for the next hike to begin.

Why?

Because we worked with the heat rather than against it. On the hike in, a 4-mile walk with plenty of climbing exposed to the sun, we stopped at a water crossing, dropped our backs and cooled off in the stream. We took frequent breaks in the shade. We took advantage of the occasional breeze that penetrated the trees. We took our time.

When you see ads for hiking boots or daypacks or hiking clothes, you see pictures of happy people wearing fleece, perhaps a knit hat, framed against the colors of fall and a brilliant blue sky. Just looking at the ad you can tell the temperature is 64 degrees — perfect weather for hiking. Rarely do such ads show someone bathed in sweat and swathed in cobwebs under a milky sky. The summer hiking experience just doesn’t sell. Which is a shame, because there’s so much to experience in  summer.

With a few precautions you’ll find it’s not a bad time to be on the trail. Today, as we head into the first official weekend of summer, we share these hot weather hiking tips from our book, “Let’s GetHiking!  A Quick and Comprehensive Guide for the Aspiring Hiker.”

Drink up. Rather, drink, drink, drink up. And not just while you’re hiking. A good hydration program is ongoing. For instance, two days before a big hike I make sure to have a water bottle with me at all times. I’m not drinking constantly, but its constant presence reminds me to drink more. On the trail, be sure to have plenty of water with you. Your two main options:

• Camelbak: This is a bladder that straps to your back (it’s inside a daypack); you drink from it through a tube and mouthpiece. Advantage: It’s extremely convenient making it more likely that you’ll drink. (I went through 100 milliliters of water during a two-hour mountain bike race recently; had I used bottles I would have consumed about half that.) Disadvantage: They’re a little more expensive (the basic Camelback is around $50) and because they rest against your back, the water tends to heat up on hot days.
• Fanny pack water bottles: For training purposes, a minimalist fanny pack holding two bottles works well. My favorite is the DoubleShot (available at REI for about $35), which holds your basics (car keys, cell phone, an energy bar or two) and a pair of 21-ounce water bottles. (The bottles slip into the pack at an angle, making them easier to access and less inhibiting to your stride.)
• Tip: Whichever route you go, keep the water cold. For the Camelbak, that could mean loading it up with ice, then topping it off with water; for the water bottles, I like to fill them three quarters full the evening before and stick them in the freezer. Top ‘em off with water before heading out the next day. In both cases you should have tasty water for most of your hike.

The cotton exception. There’s a saying in the outdoor world: Cotton kills. (I know, it’s always seemed like such a friendly fabric.) It’s homicidal appellation comes from the fact that if you sweat in cotton, cotton keeps the wetness close to your body. If its cool to cold out, that wetness can send a dangerous chill through your body. That’s the same reason why cotton isn’t such a bad thing in summer. Your cotton T-shirt gets sweaty wet, it sticks to you, it helps cool your body. Kinda like a big wet body bandana.

Bring extra socks. Along about mile 5 on a hot, humid summer hike you might start hearing squishing with every footstep. Wet feet quickly lead to blisters. Swap out those socks before they cause trouble.

Body Glide. I’ll try to put this delicately: on a hot, sweat-inducing day, parts of your wet body my be in constant contact with your wet clothing. Back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. Before long, you’ve got some serious chaffing going on. Applying a lubricant to your more susceptible body parts can greatly reduce the risk of rubbing yourself raw. A favorite of mine is Body Glide, which works like a roll-on deodorant and does a good job of minimizing friction.

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Let’s GetHiking!

The 109-page “Let’s GetHiking! A Quick and Comprehensive Guide for the Aspiring Hiker,” covers the basics of getting started on the trail, from what to wear on your first hike to trail etiquette to the benefits of trekking poles. Learn more here.

GetHiking! Southeast Podcast

This week on the GetHiking! Southeast Podcast: Our 5 Favorite Group Campsites. Give a listen here.

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