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Fill 'Er Up
Beat dehydration. Keep your tanks topped off with a water-wise plan.
By Selene Yeager
On Wednesday, August 4, 1999, Raffi Kodikian and David Coughlin, two best friends in their mid-20s, pulled into Carlsbad Caverns National Park. The plan: Hike into Rattlesnake Canyon, enjoy the evening, and head out the following day. Trouble started when the two Easterners got turned around in the craggy, sun-bleached New Mexico desert. With only 3 pints of water and a bottle of Gatorade between them, the two lost hikers were soon parched and panicking. They searched for salvation in prickly pear cactus fruit; it made Coughlin vomit. As the weekend approached, the two men formed a suicide pact. On Sunday, August 8, Kodikian plunged a 4-inch folding knife twice into his friend's heart.
Rescued later that day, Kodikian testified that Coughlin was begging to die. He ultimately got 2 years in prison. The rest of us got a grim reminder that water is our most essential "gear." Did severe dehydration alone lead to Coughlin's murder? We may never know. But water clearly affects all aspects of life-appetite, energy, warmth, cooling, recovery, injury prevention, acclimatization, and clear thinking.
"Our bodies are more than 60 percent water," says Gregory Davenport, owner of Simply Survival, a wilderness education program based in Stevenson, WA. "Our brains consist of more than 70 percent water. It doesn't take a lot of fluid loss to have both running pretty poorly."
First There's Thirst
Thirst is one of the earliest signs of mild dehydration, which begins when you've lost just 1 percent of your body water-not hard to do when you're hiking with 40 pounds on your back. It's also one of your best cues to drink, says backpacker Gus Hoffman, M.D., of Brigham Young University in Provo, UT.
Being a hardy bunch, backpackers often march through this dry-mouthed spell and straight into further dehydration. "This is dangerous because as you become more dehydrated, you may lose your thirst," says Dr. Hoffman. "When you don't drink enough, you put your body under stress. Your body responds by releasing epinephrine and norepinephrine, which can actually make you feel a little euphoric."
The water-wise plan: Sip continuously rather than guzzling a quart every few hours. Use a water bladder or easy-to-access bottle so you can drink easily and often. Never put off drinking.
Brain Drain
"Without water, your mental capacity goes down the toilet in a day or two," says Davenport, author of Wilderness Survival. Not only does your sludgelike blood supply inadequate oxygen and nutrients to your brain, but since your gray matter itself is mostly water, your neurotransmitters stop firing as they should.
"I've watched professional navigators lose the ability to do simple map work at 5 to 6 percent dehydration," says Bob Moon, a National Park Service biologist who has conducted dehydration research for the U.S. military. What's more dangerous is that once mental capacity goes, panic sets in. "Panic is the worst source of mental stress. It elevates your metabolism, further depleting your energy stores. And it worsens your mental state," says Moon.
The water-wise plan: NEVER ration water. Even if you don't know where your next source is, drink as your thirst dictates. "You don't want to start making dumb decisions early in your ordeal," says Moon. "Clear thinking will help you find water and survive." (For tips on finding water, see Know-How on page 93.)
To Eat or Not to Eat
Eating isn't a problem for most of us, unless we don't drink enough. "Loss of appetite happens at about 2 to 3 percent dehydration," says Moon, "which can occur in just a couple of hours of sweating. Your body shuts down your appetite as a way of conserving its water, which is needed for digestion."
The water-wise plan: Eat and drink regularly. Water will keep your appetite primed and food helps replace sodium lost to sweat. If water is scarce, Moon recommends that you "stick to carbohydrates, since they require less water to digest."
Running Hot and Cold
In temperatures above 80 degrees F, you have less than a week to live without water. "Perspiration is a highly effective cooling mechanism," says Moon, "but you need adequate fluids for it to work." Otherwise, you risk overheating, which increases blood pressure and pulse rate, causing you to burn off even more water.
Likewise, water can help you keep warm during cold-weather excursions. "Dehydration is an often overlooked contributor to hypothermia," says Moon. "You need energy to create body heat and stay warm. Proper hydration is essential for maintaining that energy."
The water-wise plan: In summer, drink cold water. It makes your gut muscles contract, quickening the rate at which water is moved into your intestines and absorbed. Stick with hot drinks in winter, so your body can absorb the fluid with minimal energy output.
The Energy Equation
Water in your blood helps transport and metabolize vital nutrients to fuel your body. When you get dehydrated, your blood begins to thicken. Now it's harder to get the nutrients, and you can't flush out waste products as easily. "Lactic acid begins to accumulate in muscle tissue, causing soreness and fatigue," says Dr. Hoffman.
What's more, our joints are lubricated by our body's fluids and our muscles depend on the right balance of minerals to contract and relax optimally, says Tod Schimelpfenig, an emergency medical technician and National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) instructor from Lander, WY. Cramps, weakness, fatigue, and headaches can all be signs of dehydration.
Finally, your muscles need nutrients to recover after a long day. Drink plenty of water when you reach camp, says Schimelpfenig."Beer doesn't count."
The water-wise plan: Drink up at the first sign of fatigue. When you're done for the day, wash down a bagel or an energy bar with about 12 ounces of water.
Published in BACKPACKER magazine, August 2002. Copyright © Rodale, Inc. 2002
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