Hypothermia?

These mountains, some of the highest in the world, enjoys a surprisingly temperate climate with sunny days, cold nights and a yearly mean temperature around 16°C (61°F).

Hypothermia is much less a risk in the Cordillera Huayhuash than many lower mountain ranges of the world.

Still, we were wet & cold while climbing over some of the high passes. It was well below freezing. Wind chill is common. Expect to be huddling behind wind breaks to eat lunch.

Tim Leadem of the Sierra Club calls hypothermia the greatest single cause of death among amateur hikers.

Hypothermia is profuse loss of heat from the body core. Despite all warnings, a high percentage of hikers still set off with insufficient clothing.

Signs & Symptoms of Hypothermia:

• shivering (may be absent in later stages)
• numbness
• lack of co-ordination, slurred speech
• confused or unusual behaviour, poor judgement
• body temperature below 35 degrees C (95 degrees F)
• loss of consciousness (in extreme cases)

First Aid:

• remove wet clothing and dry the casualty
• put on dry clothes
• keep the head warm
• put the hiker into a pre-warmed sleeping bag
• add hot water bottles into the bag or, even better, have another hiker strip down to underwear and climb into the sleeping bag with the victim to share body heat
• if the casualty is alert, have them drink warm liquids & high calorie hot food

The best strategy is prevention. Stay warm and dry. If you start to get a chill, drop what you are doing and climb into your sleeping bag until warm.

snow on the tent

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Heat Exhaustion? Sunburn?

Bring a broad brimmed hat — it's easy to get burned. The air is thin at high altitude.

Though rare on mountain hikes, you still should be alert to prevent a progressive overheating emergency. Watch for signs of heat cramps, which often precedes heat exhaustion, and the potentially fatal heat stroke.

Signs & symptoms of heat cramps:

• severe muscle contractions, usually in the legs and the abdomen
• normal body temperature (usually)

Treatment:

• cool the body (wet the clothes)
• have casualty rest in a cool place
• drink fluids
• stretch and massage muscles

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Dehydration?

Plan to drink far more liquids than normal. It is not unusual to drink 4 - 6 litres of fluid / day).

Keep your water bottle handy. Consider adding powders to make fluid intake a little more palatable.

Many hikers are using Platypus, Camelbak, or Dromedary hydration systems these days – but good old water bottle(s) will do just as well.

Check the colour of your urine as an indicator to see if you are drinking enough liquids.

Stay hydrated.