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Besides getting heat exhaustion, bee stings and falling down scraping my knee this hike would have been more fun if the weather was cooler or we started earlier. We started our hike almost 9 a.m. and the heat was already rising.
The trailhead was at the end of Ramon in Palm Springs. The name of the trail is North Lykken. We started off o.k. until I climbed a couple of feet up the mountain. I started feeling a little queasy from the heat so I rested on a rock. After drinking plenty of water I felt better and continued on. The others were fine.
As we continued toward the second mountain the loose dirt gave way under my foot and I fell landing on my hand and knee. Luckily I didn't get hurt, I only got a few scrapes on my leg. There was no shade and it was starting to get very hot as we continued on our hike. We stopped to take a break and drank some water. I sat on a flat rock near a flowered bush that was loaded with little black bees. If only I had bug-repellent clothes like the shorts Leo was wearing in the above video, I ended up getting stung five times on my shoulder.
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| A foil like blanket that gave shade from the sun |
When we finally reached the second mountain, that's when things got worst. Gordie completely ran out of steam. He had heat exhaustion to the extent where he couldn't continue on. Luckily he had a Mylar Thermal Blanket in his back pack. Jim held it over Gordie's head to give him some shade, while Leo and I continued up the mountain. We wanted to see how much farther it was to the top of the mountain. When we reached the top there were black picnic tables to rest on. I came back down to help hold the blanket with Jim to give Gordie more shade. At this point, I was getting worried. I had imagined calling 911 and a helicopter rescuing him on the side of the mountain, while my friends and family watch us on the 5 O'Clock News. Fortunately, Gordie cooled down and was able to walk slowly up the mountain top and rest on the picnic table. He was fine going down the mountain. What a relief!
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When we reached the bottom of the mountain we walked through a residential area until we got to the main road, Palm Canyon. We stopped at a liquor store and bought a couple of soft drinks before we got on the bus to take us back to the car.
Jim and Leo were diehards when it comes to extreme heat. I don't know how they do it. My guess is that they are true athletes and proves they are in much better shape then Gordie and me.
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| 5 miles 2100 foot elevation change on a hot day |
5 comments:
Linda and Gordon, sounds like a scary hike. I'm glad you guys are okay. Karen
So glad that it all turned out ok in the end. What a hike!
Linda, when I get to be Gordie's age, SHOOT ME!!!
Jim McJunkin
Jim, LOL! That is so you! Hey, we miss your sense of humor. The next time you come to the desert, let's all get-together.
Thanks, Karen & Jennifer, that was some hike. We learned a lesson from this experience.
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