I've had my doubts for a while about the popular strategy of drinking till your bursting at the seams at water sources, allowing you to carry less water. Your GI tract can absorb, at a maximum (think heavy exertion in hot weather), about 1 liter of water an hour; with moderate temps and/or exercise a more realistic limit is 400-500mL an hour. Any excess of that is excreted by the kidneys, which I find happens to me a lot if I try this strategy. So, best case scenario, I'm just not getting the full benefit from my intake.

What can be more insidious is that urinating also eliminates sodium. If you're using more than you're replacing with food, you can develop hyponatremia (water poisoning), which can be fatal. Eating commerically prepared meals can offset the sodium loss because they're so salty, but I know a lot here make their own. Something to consider. Anybody else dealt with this issue?

I've been dehydrated a lot - it tends to happen in Arizona, but I have never experienced hyponatremia, even when loading up on fairly large amounts of water. While I follow a low salt diet in town, out in the woods I consume a fair amount, adding diluted Gatorade to my diet. I did experience salt deficiency once - I would not want to repeat the experience.

A lot probably has to do with the ambient relative humidity. You lose water very fast when the RH is around 10% - much less when it is higher.

I use the camel method all the time when backpacking and haven't had any issues. I'll genarally down a liter of water while I'm filtering then sip while I hike the rest of the day. I've really only heard of Hyponatremia in marathoners or triathletes and the odd college frat hazing rituals. Hikers generally stop and eat lunch and snacks while hiking. Most of the people affected with it have been drinking gallons of water in a short time on a dare, or are in long duration events where they are sweating water out as fast as they drink it and unable to snack or drink sports drinks readily.

Just empirically, I know that a lot of folks hiking longer distance believe in the adage of "tank up and camel up" at water sources when hiking in relatively warm weather when water sources are far away. 'Tank up' being to fill water bottles, and 'camel up' being to drink as much as you can at the water source.

I'm uncomfortable with the idea that this suggests "drinking till you're bursting at the seams", however. It often includes stopping to eat a meal near the water source (particularly if shade is to be had or can be created). If a person has arrived at a water source somewhat dehydrated, I think they can suck down quite a bit without ill effects. And I would suspect that the ill effect would result in enough discomfort that would alter how or if a person could hike, hence I suspect this is somewhat self-regulating. Again, just empirical, no medical background for me. But I remain a believer in the adage, tempered as always by common sense and "listening to your body".

I've never met anyone who had hyponatremia. Indeed, most foods seem to have an overabundance of salt, and folks that hike the way that I do tend to be eating a bit as they go along.

I tend to use the phrase "camel up," but I'd probably better change that - I never thought about people interpreting it like you mention. (I suspect you knew what most of us meant - but a newcomer to the sport might not.) Usually, since the places I hike are similar to the Gorge in frequency of sources, "camel up" to me means finish the quart I'm carrying and refill it (or maybe, if I've arrived with only a mouthful or two left on a hot day, refill and drink until I'm not thirsty - about a pint, max, then refill and move on.)

I have had the onset of hyponatremia, in the Gorge one nice hot summer weekend. I was sweating a lot, drinking plentifully, and then skipped supper (my hiking partner had not slept the previous night to get to the Gorge in time; he skipped his supper and, since I was tired, too, I decided to skip mine.) The next day, still drinking often, I started feeling generally crappy around mid-day - no energy, stopped sweating, etc. (Someone told me later that it could have been onset stages of heat exhaustion, but was more likely hyponatremia.) We stopped, fixed a good lunch (actually, the previous night's supper), then had a heavy snack a bit later, and felt fine by evening. I've never skipped supper since.

A few years ago, I started using an electrolyte drink mix (Hydralite, formerly Gookinaid, in my case), half strength, in my drinking water when hiking or backpacking. Not only do I feel a lot better at the end of the day, but I don't get as thirsty and my body utilizes the fluid better. Until I started using it, I'd get thirsty and drink a lot of water only to have it go right out the other end, or so it seemed. Using the electrolyte mix in my water also seems to help the familiar female old age complaint known in the TV ads as "overactive bladder." In other words, I don't have to get up so often at night. I like Hydralite because it contains less sugar and salt than many other electrolyte mixes, and has only a slight citrusy flavor. The minerals are closer to the proportions found in prescription oral rehydration salts. Just the smell of Gatorade makes me sick, and the bottled type contains high fructose corn syrup. YMMV, obviously!

I pretty much ruled out all the electrolyte drinks because of the sugar levels (I've been diagnosed with Type II diabetes, which I'm currently able to control without medication.)

Ever since that one episode, I've been careful about how much I drink and I make sure I eat a little bit regularly - salted nuts during the day, with a freeze-dried entree at night. (Current favorite is the lower-sugar varieties of Enertia brand.) That seems to have done the trick.

OM, do you know those guys, the Gookin's? Ed Gookin was one of the geology lab tecs at SDSU when I went to school there. He was a great guy and always helpful. Whenever we did geology field work, he would let us have packets of Gookinaid; with Gordon Gastil's projects he would give us boxes full of the stuff. If I remember right, the story was that him and his running buddies got together and collected sweat. Then they just analyzed them in the Geology department and added some flavoring to the mix. Two flavors; fruit punch(always tasted a little sweaty to me) and lemon (lemon was good). He also got us into orienteering; that guy could move fast in the back country. I have often wondered what happened to Gookinaid. Thanks for bringing that up.

I think BrianLe said listen to your body; that is probably the best general advice anyone can give. If you are thirsty, by all means drink more water at a water stop. But if you fill bloated, I think it is time to stop. With water, that feeling seems to come a lot faster than food as well so its not like you have to wait 15 or 20 min. When I am going out for a desert trip, I hydo up the day before...all day long I make sure I actually drink plenty of water. But I never drink till I think I will burst.

You should check out the electrolyte powder made by the makers of Emergen-C - it's got stevia instead of sugar, which also has the fringe benefit of making the packets extremely small and light.

Thanks, Lori - I will.

Yeah, I kind of did it to myself a couple years back, just not thinking, and also from starting hiking when I'd been taking in very little in the way of electrolytes.

I simply make sure I keep eating. when I do stop at a water source and down a bunch, I am usually eating a snack at the same time.

(I also don't "drink till I burst" - but I will drink a lot. )

Funny, one of the first orders I made for Gookinaid, I placed an order with the man himself. An employee of mine had her quadraplegic, wheelchair, Olympic medalist son use some to settle his stomach and race using it also.

Never knew there was a camel up term. Thought tanking up meant filling up your stomach with water or whatever. I have a little left from years back, quit using Gookinaid, didn't seem to effect me. Maybe should try some again to see if I can do over 22 miles in a day, in my old age, to set a new high mileage day for myself.:)

I used Gookinade for my long runs, back when I did that sort of thing. Worked just fine.

Glenn, that does sound like heat exhaustion, or quite possibly borderline heat stroke. That you stopped sweating is a dead giveaway... that is one of the hallmark symptoms of heat exhaustion and stroke. You are lucky that it didn't go any further. Hyponatremia does not cause you to stop sweating, but it does cause cerebral swelling (which is how it kills people).

MNS

Thanks, MNS - I always wondered which it was. When I noticed I had stopped sweating, I simply slowed way down, took more frequent breaks, and a long lunch break with a nap. After I ate supper, and got a good night's sleep, I felt a lot better and didn't have any problems the next day - but I didn't push that day, either. (Ending up going home a day early, and several miles short of my goal. One of the nice things about the Red River Gorge is that it's easy to bail out if things go south.)

This is why I drink my water one cup of coffee at a time. I never drink more than 2 cups per hour...
We used to put Gookinaid in our canteens rock climbing.
Jim

I am sort of impressed that a good number of you are familiar with Gookinaid. Way to go Ed (Gookin). There is probably a particular age range that knows about it...

Especially if they read a article in Runner's World in the 70s that discussed the slow absorption of high sugar energy drinks and the Gookinaid alternative.

Hard to tell the difference between heat exhaustion and water intoxication; some of the literature is confusing.

Check this reference: http://editiondigital.net/publication/?i=56078

American Red Cross put their wilderness first aid pubs on the web - and it's pretty good stuff (I think, but I'm not a Medical Professional).

Steadman

Thanks for posting this. I would agree with you - this is good information, miles ahead of what the ARC used to publish.

oldranger

You're welcome.

When the key discriminators are urine color, amount drank, and thrist (which may or may not be present due to nausea) training to recognize what is going on by the VICTIM seems to be key to making the right treatment decision in the field.

Steadman

Your urine should have a slight color to it. If it's running clear, your drinking to much. it's always a good idea, especially in hot/dry climates to have some sort of electrolyte replacement drink powder. Hyponatremia is a possibility from not consuming enough salt. From my personal experience it had a slow incubation period. It took at least 5 days before I started getting symptoms. Since then I always bring and use extra salt in the backcountry. I also make and prepare all my own backcountry food.