Adventure Network : Skills & Technique : Five Paths to Hotness: Tips to keep your cool when it's hot.

by Michael Hodgson

Heat is a funny thing? Worshipped by some, it's cursed by others. One time it's a beach lover's fantasy, another it's a desert walker's nightmare. Ask a Bedouin about desert heat and you probably won't get much of an answer. For them heat is a fact of life, neither good nor bad. If you're a Bedouin, heat just is, and you learn to adapt to it. There are five ways to get hot under the collar and suggestions to help you adapt to the heat of the moment, wherever that might be:

Air temperature? As the air approaches and exceeds body temperature, it will act like a conventional oven, cooking you slowly. There's not much you can do about it other than seek pockets of cooler air, like in sheltered nooks among the rocks, in caves, or near water.
Conduction? Anyone who has walked barefoot knows only too well that on a sunny day the ground's surface can be like a hot stove--much hotter than the air temperature. This is because anything directly exposed to the sun will absorb its radiated heat, irrespective of the air temperature. To cool down, avoid ground that's been exposed to the sun for a long time or dig underneath the surface.
Radiation? When the sun shines directly onto your skin, it is actively heating you up, no matter the air temperature--it's like standing in a microwave oven. Just step out of the sun into the shade, or wear a broad-brimmed hat and loose-fitting, light colored clothing to stay cooler. In the high Andes you can broil in the sun and shiver in the shade, inches away from each other.
Convection? A breeze normally cools you down because it evaporates your sweat more quickly. If the wind is strong enough, however, it can turn a basic scorcher into a blast furnace, dramatically accelerating moisture loss. Clothing can help to reduce the effects of wind.
Metabolism? As your body functions, so it generates heat as a by-product. The more work you make your body do, the more heat it puts forth. Want to cool down? Slow down! It's worse if the outside temperature is not what you are used to. Your body needs time to acclimatize if it is not used to being in hot environments. Go easy until your body adjusts to its new environment--about one week or so.