Hydration

[CJ-7]

What do you guys (and gals) do to replace all that water lost from sweating on a hot day when you are up a tree for hours? Do you carry water or Gatorade or have groundies sent it up, or do you use a Camelbak (I tried that this weekend and it seems the way to go)?

 

[treeclimber165]

I try not to spend so long in a tree that I need water sent up. On trims, I still have shade. On removals, I try to leave myself some shade as long as possible. I drink water before going up and usually sit in the shade and drink water after descent. The less extra stuff I carry with me, the faster I can get around the tree. If necessary, water or Gatorade is only a minute away if I want it. Why tote water around for an hour when the groundie can send it up?
I've heard those Camelbaks can get nasty with mold after a while.

 

[SpikedSupra]

Heat Tips

Hey Guys,
You happened to touch a subject that I may be of some help. When working in extreme heat you should of course try to maintain hydration by drinking lots of mineral enriched fluids but there are other important factors that could help you make it through a day much easier. When consuming fluids try not to consume extremely cold fluids because it can send your body into shock. The best fluids to drink are slightly below room temperature. Also, Drenching yourself in ice cold water can cause sudden body shock. It's VITAL to keep up with your fluid intake and don't try to work through a fluid break. As little as 5% of body weight lost as sweat can cause Heat Exhaustion and 10% can cause circulatory collapse or heat stroke.

Try to consume electrolytes constantly....some common electrolytes are Chloride, Calcium, Phosphate, Magnesium, Sodium, Potassium, Sulfate, and Bicarbonate. Try to consume some of these electrolytes through meals like consider eating a small, mineral enriched, meal between jobs. Your body loses these vital minerals through persperation. Dont use salt as a sodium electrolyte substitute though. This will dehydrate you quickly. Also, try to eat light because heavy food digestion can raise body temperature. Try to make it back to the truck for a quick A/C break occasionally to relieve body temperature.


Take note that a noticable lack of sweating(dry skin), disorientation, and rapid pulse are the first signs of heat stroke! If you suffer any of these symptoms stop what you are doing and get to a cooler area at once! This CAN be life threatning in a matter of minutes!

Now, profuse sweating, nausea, dizziness, weakness, and headache are symptoms of the less severe but yet still health threatning Heat Exhaustion.

These are things that you should definitely know because I can speak for all of the Florida guys on here when I say its BLAZIN hot down here.

 

[tshanefreeman]

Regarding Camelbacks............

Treeclimber165 stated that he "heard those Camelbacks can get nasty with mold after a while."

This is true in that if something is left damp/wet in a dark area that lacks proper circulation of air to dry it, it will mildew and give the appearance of mold.

I have personally used Camelbacks for not only tree climbing, but also for competitive mountain biking. They work great in both instances, but one must remember that it is only more weight to haul up and around the tree or hills. I agree with Treeclimber165 in that I typically only work long enough in a single tree that the need to re-hydrate is minimal...........keeping in mind that I seriously hydrate before entering the job. A simple clove in the tail of a climbing line can have the water there in a matter of seconds.....

The best way to minimize the chances of mildew is to custom bend a metal coat-hanger (coated perfered) to shove down into the Camelback's bladder when not in use. This will allow for the bag to dry out and therefore never grow the unwanted. Make sure to rinse before refilling and then you are free to work away.

 

[treeman82]

I picked up a ritzy titzy camel back this past fall for climbing. I don't particularly care for it up in a tree. Reason for that being I probably don't have it set up right as far as my nozzle goes. I usually just bring a 5 gal. igloo cooler to the job along with cups and bottles. If I need water I just have the groundies send it up. Problem with that though is if you are really high up pulling it just exhausts you more. However it is kind of fun to see how far you can launch the disposable bottles from in the trees.

 

[TREETX]

I will start by saying I have no clue what summer weather is like in SE Michigan. Here in Austin, it is brutal. I would say that hydration needs here are different. So are temperature related climbing issues. It is way too hot to wear gloves much less any kind of chainsaw protective gear like chaps, etc.

With that in mind, I think a camelback would just sweat a hole in your back. What works best for me is to know what kind of work the day holds and hydrate accordingly starting the night before. Drinking lots of water through the night and especially in the morning before work. If you wait until you are in a tree and dehydrated, it is too late - no amount of water will help at that point. I am digressing as usual but basically, water before, bananas between jobs, and water sent up on a rope.

Now the weather is anything but brutal - rain and a high of 83. Normally it is 98 to 100+.

Are those camel backs cumbersome??

 

[treeman82]

I have the answer! Today I went to a bagel shop for lunch and came across this energy drink. I only drink gatorade as far as that stuff goes. However the bottle itself was what attracted me to this product. The name of the product is "Trek Energy Drink" or something of that nature. The bottle itself is a heavy duty plastic, if you can think of the smaller gatorade bottles, it was like that but more strong. The top is the real kicker though. Its got a twist off top that you can do in one turn of the wrist. On the cap is a plastic ring through which is placed a small `biner which comes with the drink. I believe I paid about $2.00 for it. The drink itself comes in Orange and berry type flavors. I got the Orange as I figured it would be something I would like. The taste if you will was that of a slightly watered down Sunny Delight. Definatley something to check into at the deli's, if not for the drink itself then at least for the bottle.

 

[Tom Dunlap]

This is a great thread. Here in the Twin Cities we're having a little jungle weather so I've been downing a lot of fluids.

There are some easy ways to monitor your hydration level. The first alarm is if you are just plain thirsty. Drink up. Then, your urine will give you clues about your water needs. If you drink fluids but don't urinate, you need more fluids. The deeper the color of the urine, the more fluids you need to drink. Another way is to pinch your finger tip to push the blood out of the capillaries. If you can say "Capillary Refill" before the color returns to the nail bed, you need more fluids.

Tom

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

2% loss of hydration can effect cognative abilites.

No booze the night before.

chug lotsa water in the morning.

dring water constantly as the day goes by

mix in some gatorade or other electrolyte source (bananas, kiwi...Forrest aint totaly dumb, just young and squirrely. Remember we had to work with Matt for a while before he saw the light )

drink more water on the way home

soup with lunch and dinner

cerial with lotsa milk as a bedtime snack

Water when i wake up at nigh

Tom, i was working with John on Black Dog Rd. by the power plant. "Water water everywhere and not a drop to drink!"

 

[treeman82]

Thanks John

 

[CJ-7]

John, I'm afraid to ask, but with all that hydration, what do you do when you find yourself up a tree without a piddle place?

 

[SpikedSupra]

Breakdown

John I am not sure what you meant by

Forrest aint totaly dumb, just young and squirrely. Remember we had to work with Matt for a while before he saw the light

but everything listed in my first post is completely true. I learned this in my Anatomy/Physiology II class last fall. So there is no totally dumb to it but a totally correct. I saw the light a while ago. good call on the Bananas and Kiwi. Actually here is a breakdown of electrolyte sources from different foods so everyone knows the best way to get their electrolytes....

Sodium rich foods: bacon, ham, sausage, catsup, mustard, relish, processed cheese, canned vegetables, bread, cereal

Potassium rich foods: bananas, peaches, kiwi, figs, dates, apricots, oranges, prunes, melons, raisins, brocolli, potatoes

Calcium rich foods: milk, cheese, dried beans, green vegetables, shrimp, canned salmon or sardines, black strap molasses, calcium-fortified tofu, almonds

Magnesium rich foods: vegetables, nuts, fish,whole grains,
peas, beans

Phosphate rich foods: beef, pork, dried peas, dried beans

Eating meals containing these products on a daily basis will do you well in keeping a high level of electrolytes in your body at a consistency. You need these electrolytes because they are what induce electrical stimulas in the body when saturated in fluid. Your body needs these electrolytes to keep an equivalent in positive charges(cations) to negative charges(anions) to maintain homeostasis(keeps your body functioning at a consistency eg. Body Temperature).

I know a few of you think I am writing all this to show off so you can think that if you want. I said a long time ago that I would help people on this board with any subject matter that I am knowledgable in and I happen to excel in this field. I hope someone learned something from this and if you have any further questions about symptoms that may occur in the field and what they might mean to any other basic questions dont hesitate to ask. You have helped me with trees and now I want an opportunity to help you all.

 

[TheTreeSpyder]

Very nice Forrest!

i like dunking head in pool or hose and letting the fan exhaust from the air cond. blow it off me. Sometimes a handheld blower, using that on wet kidney area really helps drop the body core temp fast, sometimes almost too fast. Evaporation is key here, especially when sweat can't normally evaporate to keep ya cool, because the air already has too much water in it, and doesn't want to hold yours, the air is still.

Down here in some of the nicer areas, they have heat exchangers on the pools, so the pool gets warmed, and the cool air gets blown out a compressor! On a hot day, we always check for that one! It is so cold sometimes, it can about knock ya over!

 

[Rob Murphy]

The very first thing in the Morning drink a tall glass of water before anything else, build a habit.
Which water, straight from my tap is propably better than anything you guys could get in a bottle . Sorry to brag but it is true.
Even when you aren't working or sweating hydration is very important to good health and healing.
I think JPS covers most of it !! Scott carries a camel back type system he thinks it great. I use a 2litre flask which i get sent up at regular intervals.

A lot of headaches are related to lack of hydration.

Although some people say "with a head like yours Murph it should ache!!"



And if you are really thirsting for something more out of life try John 7:37. :angel:

 

[Rob Murphy]

Originally posted by John Paul Sanborn


Water when i wake up at nigh

[/B]

JPS
Are you waking up at night to go to the toilet because of all the water you've been drinking ?????

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

I find it is much easier to get back to sleep if I do it to pee because I woke from dehydration.

CJ, I'm a big dude, I can hold it i make sure I pee before I go up a tree (like the chip box) then I can usualy hold anything before I need to come down. If the tree is more then 4 hours, then I need a lunch break anyways. Been so hot here, I ain't bee pee'in much anyways.

 

[Toddppm]

All good advice, when it's going to be hot you should be drinking mega amounts of water everyday not just the day before a big job. I take a camelback when trailriding, I tried to use it when working a couple days but it's a pain with the hose getting in the way.

 

[Jumper]

H2O and lots of it

I start off the morning with a litre of filtered water. I have stopped drinking coffee for the summer because it is a diuretic(Sp?). And I drink about another 4 litres, about 1 US gallon during the course of a really warm day. Salt with food......I can not stand the flavour of Gatorade, or the sweetness, so just stick with plain old water.

 

[DDM]

Originally posted by CJ-7
John, I'm afraid to ask, but with all that hydration, what do you do when you find yourself up a tree without a piddle place?

Just Yell Down at the ground person Heads up!!!!

 

[treeman82]

This is the drink I was talkin about fellas. I am not trying to push a product for profit here. I just think that it is a good idea.
http://www.trekenergy.com:7999/trek/0618/page.jsp?page=7