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Welcome to the Desert
Jun. 16th, 2008 03:24 pmWith Yaoi Jamboree coming up this weekend and ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
nightengale's visit so recent, figured it couldn't hurt to post some hints for people visiting the Sonoran Desert.
Hi. Welcome to the Desert.
Guess what? It's hot here.
That should be a no brainer, but for some people, it isn't. As I'm writing this, it's 108f/42c here in Tucson and 111f/43.8c in Phoenix, where the Con is at. Y'know that tingly feeling when you're baking something and you open up the oven to peer inside? It's like that when you're outside. Every minute.
What this means: DRINK WATER. Not just liquid, w-a-t-e-r. Caffinated beverages such as soda, coffee and tea are diuretics. They make you pee. Peeing is water that is leaving your body in a non-heat cooling manner. Alternate these drinks with non-diuretics. Juice, gatorade/powerade, water, what ever.
Carry a water bottle with you. Everywhere. It's not a fashion statement, it doesn't make you preppy in the So Cal way, it's a survival thing. Bottles don't have to be anything special. Buy a cheap bottled tea or juice or soda, save the bottle and refill it every time it gets low. Have an extra on hand in case you lose the first or someone needs it. Cool drinks are also better than cold, your body won't have to work as hard to absorb it.
Seriously, cannot stress this enough. Drink Water. It's not an exaggeration to say I drink over a gallon a day, just to stay hydrated.
Apparel:
Bring clothing that your skin can -breathe- through. Natural fibres, cotton, linen, etc, are good. Slightly loose is better than slightly tight. If you can, do not bring anything polyester. Em found out the hard way.
Hats, hats are your friend. Wide brim more so than baseball. Once again, not a dork thing, survival thing. Mr. Sun is not your friend.
Sunscreen. Religiously, if you're going outside. If you can't, cover up with light-weight clothing. Mr. Hat and Mr. Loose Cotton Long Sleeve shirt are your friend.
Don't even -think- about going barefoot outside. Seriously. Don't.
Moisturiser is also your friend, so you don't cross your legs and have a mini-blizzard of dead skin cells from the calves down. (You think I kid?) Chapstick can also be used on rough elbows and hands in a pinch.
'But Auntie Icka', you might whinge, 'I'm not planning on going outside, I'm going to be in the air conditioned hotel the entire time.'
Hahahaha, I scoff at you. Welcome to a little thing called 'Humidity'.
I can hear you Southerners laugh at that. You know Humidity, that's when it's over 90f/32c and 110% Humidity outside and still not raining.
Um. No. I'm talking the opposite. Think it's been as high as 17% humidity this past week and as low as 4%. The rest of the time it's hovered between 7-12% humidity. We're talking Mummy making weather.
Humidity doesn't care if you're inside or outside. You'll get dehydrated either way. See point number one: Drink Water.
Things to look for/Warning Signs:
If you get COLD and have the chills, your body has run out of water to cool itself with. Get inside ASAP and get something to drink. This is -not- a good thing.
Headaches, dizzy, cramps, tiredness, watch out for heat exhaustion. Once again, get cool, get something to drink. A bath might help, a nap usually will.
There's a few other symptoms, but it mainly boils down to pay attention to how you're feeling. As stated, we found this out the hard way with Em. If you feel weird and don't know why, ask someone. Either a native or a medical staff. Heat -kills-.
If you need more than water because your electrolytes are low and you don't have access to Gatorade or Pedalite, I've had decent luck with mixing a bit of salt and sugar with water to replenish missing minerals. Salted/pickled foods may also help, -in moderation.
Now, that being said, don't let the heat or the humidity scare you away. Despite the fact that a good number of the fauna are poisonous and most of the fauna are full of spines, I seriously believe the Sonoran desert to be one of the scenic and wonderful places in the world. If you get the chance or the inclination, go out and enjoy it. Go smell the Mesquite, see the Saguaro and the Ocotillo and the Cacti (but don't touch!).
Just be prepared.
-any other hints or tips from fellow desert rats?
nightengale's visit so recent, figured it couldn't hurt to post some hints for people visiting the Sonoran Desert. Hi. Welcome to the Desert.
Guess what? It's hot here.
That should be a no brainer, but for some people, it isn't. As I'm writing this, it's 108f/42c here in Tucson and 111f/43.8c in Phoenix, where the Con is at. Y'know that tingly feeling when you're baking something and you open up the oven to peer inside? It's like that when you're outside. Every minute.
What this means: DRINK WATER. Not just liquid, w-a-t-e-r. Caffinated beverages such as soda, coffee and tea are diuretics. They make you pee. Peeing is water that is leaving your body in a non-heat cooling manner. Alternate these drinks with non-diuretics. Juice, gatorade/powerade, water, what ever.
Carry a water bottle with you. Everywhere. It's not a fashion statement, it doesn't make you preppy in the So Cal way, it's a survival thing. Bottles don't have to be anything special. Buy a cheap bottled tea or juice or soda, save the bottle and refill it every time it gets low. Have an extra on hand in case you lose the first or someone needs it. Cool drinks are also better than cold, your body won't have to work as hard to absorb it.
Seriously, cannot stress this enough. Drink Water. It's not an exaggeration to say I drink over a gallon a day, just to stay hydrated.
Apparel:
Bring clothing that your skin can -breathe- through. Natural fibres, cotton, linen, etc, are good. Slightly loose is better than slightly tight. If you can, do not bring anything polyester. Em found out the hard way.
Hats, hats are your friend. Wide brim more so than baseball. Once again, not a dork thing, survival thing. Mr. Sun is not your friend.
Sunscreen. Religiously, if you're going outside. If you can't, cover up with light-weight clothing. Mr. Hat and Mr. Loose Cotton Long Sleeve shirt are your friend.
Don't even -think- about going barefoot outside. Seriously. Don't.
Moisturiser is also your friend, so you don't cross your legs and have a mini-blizzard of dead skin cells from the calves down. (You think I kid?) Chapstick can also be used on rough elbows and hands in a pinch.
'But Auntie Icka', you might whinge, 'I'm not planning on going outside, I'm going to be in the air conditioned hotel the entire time.'
Hahahaha, I scoff at you. Welcome to a little thing called 'Humidity'.
I can hear you Southerners laugh at that. You know Humidity, that's when it's over 90f/32c and 110% Humidity outside and still not raining.
Um. No. I'm talking the opposite. Think it's been as high as 17% humidity this past week and as low as 4%. The rest of the time it's hovered between 7-12% humidity. We're talking Mummy making weather.
Humidity doesn't care if you're inside or outside. You'll get dehydrated either way. See point number one: Drink Water.
Things to look for/Warning Signs:
If you get COLD and have the chills, your body has run out of water to cool itself with. Get inside ASAP and get something to drink. This is -not- a good thing.
Headaches, dizzy, cramps, tiredness, watch out for heat exhaustion. Once again, get cool, get something to drink. A bath might help, a nap usually will.
There's a few other symptoms, but it mainly boils down to pay attention to how you're feeling. As stated, we found this out the hard way with Em. If you feel weird and don't know why, ask someone. Either a native or a medical staff. Heat -kills-.
If you need more than water because your electrolytes are low and you don't have access to Gatorade or Pedalite, I've had decent luck with mixing a bit of salt and sugar with water to replenish missing minerals. Salted/pickled foods may also help, -in moderation.
Now, that being said, don't let the heat or the humidity scare you away. Despite the fact that a good number of the fauna are poisonous and most of the fauna are full of spines, I seriously believe the Sonoran desert to be one of the scenic and wonderful places in the world. If you get the chance or the inclination, go out and enjoy it. Go smell the Mesquite, see the Saguaro and the Ocotillo and the Cacti (but don't touch!).
Just be prepared.
-any other hints or tips from fellow desert rats?
