What
As we roll into summer, bringing enough water really is the number one safety tip. SOTA operators are always trying to reduce the weight of their pack and a big part of that is the amount of water they carry. The Mayo Clinic recommends 3.7 L of fluids for men, 2.7 for women per day. Temperature and exercise raises that minimum significantly.
Why
Dehydration can quickly bring death to all ages. The older you are the more dehydration affects you due to heart efficiency, being more susceptible to electrolyte imbalances, and more. Severe heat injuries can result in swelling of the brain, seizures, kidney failure, coma and death. I’ve run out of water due to a malfunction in my pack and forgetting to resupply and I was miserable.
We’ve recently had a death on a small summit near my house due to dehydration, and the SOTA community has had a close call when an operator recounted how he forgot to re-fill and “came-to sitting in his truck with the air conditioning on, not knowing how he got there”.
What I And Others Do
First, I brief the weather. My minimum for a half day hike is 2 L, if it’s going to be warm, 70 - 80, 2.5 L L, 80+, 3 L. I hydrate before I leave the car, and make sure I have water at the car for my return. Consider having an electrolyte replacement additive for hot days. Look up signs and symptoms of dehydration and heat injury so that you can recognize it in yourself and others. Learn how to treat a heat injury for yourself and others.
Turn back if you identify a lack of water early. SOTA operators tend to be very goal oriented, be aware of that and force yourself to mitigate that risk. If you run out of water on a hot day, consider stopping and staying in the shade until it cools off (don’t let a made up schedule kill you). Don’t be afraid to ask others for water.
Visit HamNinja.com/safety for my safety article, and HamNinja.com/safetytips to see all the tips as they are published. I have more safety tips to come.
The Ham Ninja’s SOTA Safety Tips
SOTA Safety Tips is a weekly series of quick tips to remember to improve safety of the hobby. This was inspired by the SoCal SOTA group’s meetings on this topic and will be sourced from my own and others' experience. Don’t forget, you also need to support your group and others with this knowledge. I’ll keep these as short as possible. Send feedback to safetytips@HamNinja.com.
My Experience
I am not a safety or health professional, doctor, or other expert, just an amateur, be careful out there and do your research. I’ve activated 817+ summits since Oct of 2017 in Southern California, Arizona, New Mexico, and several other states. Over that time I’ve hiked 2,540+ miles and climbed 626,000+ feet. I don’t have skills beyond class 3 hiking and really “scrambouldering” and light snow pack are my upper skill limits. I was an Army medic and was a certified EMT. I have received training on desert survival, and recurrent first Aid training in other roles. Remember: First Aid is a perishable skill.
You can contact me at safetytips@HamNinja.com.
