This July heatwave in the lower Hudson valley has been pretty horrendous, even if it's worse in other locations. It's been very hot and humid all month, but this week every single day is over 90 degrees with a debilitating humidity. For various reasons, even knowing it gets hot very quickly, today I was delayed and went out a little later in the day than I should have, about 10am.
First now looking back a few hours later, I ask what was I doing out there at the apex of the heatwave? (I didn't know it was going to be the apex), but my answer is not a surprise to those who like to be outdoors and active: I was feeling too cooped up inside, and I enjoy being outside every day whenever possible. So you go out into the heat and see how it is, instead of just listening to other's talk about it. When you're an outdoor person, you somewhat test yourself against the elements, whether it be summer heat or winter storms.
But little did I know that the worst of the heat would come early in the day. Later I think clouds and a surprising wind that I noticed higher up on the ridge kept it from getting even hotter -- but by 1:45 pm it was 103f with a 'feels like' 117, just after I got home from my 3 hour outing. Actually when I was on the bike climbing the small hills back to the house, I had a serious feeling and wondered if I would actually make it back home because the heat was so oppressive.
A few times before, but one time specifically, I got very dangerous heatstroke after a 30 km running race that also featured very hot muggy conditions. That time I ran the first half of the race pretty hard like everyone else, but the second lap got insanely hot. I did finish, walking a great deal but running some because I wanted for it to be over with. Shortly after crossing the finish line I kept walking but soon was resting on the ground, in agony with my head spinning and bad nausea.
I couldn't stand up that time, and had a very messy situation play out where vomit came out and something else came out the other end, and all the while so dehydrated that I couldn't stand up. The feeling I had was that I just wanted to be left alone so I didn't really ask for help, but people did bring me some water. Eventually I made it back up the hill to my car where I ran the AC and re-hydrated for quite a while before driving home.
Today the heat was actually significantly worse. I carried two small bags of ice that I put either under my hat or behind my neck, but it was still very sticky and draining to move in the forming heat with the forest blanketed with humidity. I did what I often do on run-hikes: hike up most of the hills, then run the flats and downhills, especially when it's hot.
But the forest was truly stifling today, as hundreds of bugs swarmed around my head and torso, some settling in the drenching sweat on my face and arms. I've never experienced worse bugs and I think it's because the weather has been much hotter and more humid than normal. I have noticed that the bugs all this week have been much worse. Today I was able to outrun the bugs a little when I was running, but when going slower up hills the bugs inundated me, which also happened to me bike riding the other day: sometimes because of the steepness of the hill, I couldn't ride fast enough to out-ride the bugs.
At the lake I refilled my bottle, put half of my remaining ice into my smaller bottle to drink right there, and the other half to put under my hat for the return trip. But the heat was picking up significantly just before noon, and I was feeling it. The heat index was about 110 then, and the hills dragged on, with me dragging a hundred or more bugs in a cloud around and after me, when I was running. I knew I was getting it really bad when even running down the steeper hill at the end, which is usually fun, was difficult.
Finally getting home, I knew I was in a bad way, as I got water first, then sat down on the tile, soon to be lying down on the tile, for 15 or 20 minutes, as my body struggled to return it's over-heated systems to normal. I was able to take a shower with great effort and bending my head down to avoid dizziness, and then I rolled into bed and fell into a half sleep, half delirium. An hour and a half later I was able to drink more and eat for the first time, and was feeling much better.
But I didn't taste any salt on my salty rice chips, very strange to experience that. Yes I should have taken a salt pill sooner, and even had some with me on my outing. But a salt pill will only help you utilize water better when you're losing lots of water and salt -- it won't prevent heatstroke in such extreme conditions. I was able to drink a lot of water out there. Heatstroke and dehydration are linked but they're not entirely the same condition.
In any case, the moral is to continually learn from experience, and learn when to alter your plans to avoid bad situations. Today it was a little bit of a close call, so a reminder, but I've been much worse off other times and have learned from those situations. You have to learn to know your limits even as you challenge yourself. Understanding yourself deeply in any way won't come automatically; you have to want to learn.
I just felt like saying that, it has little to do with anything here except that it's often said you should know your limits. But to me there is no inherent knowledge of one's limits; it's hard-won knowledge.
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