Summer is the best time to hike: the snow has melted, the flowers are blooming, and the skies are blue. But unfortunately, that also means it can often get ridiculously hot, so you need to know how to go hiking in hot weather.
I’m really heat-sensitive, but I always want to go hiking even if it’s way too warm out. After years of experience (and some not-so-awesome trips where the heat really beat me), here are my tips for hiking in the heat.
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Acclimatize to the Heat
If you aren’t used to the heat, it can decimate your energy levels. You will hike much slower and get tired earlier than usual. That means that you can’t just jump into your regular hikes when it is hot out. You have to start easy until you have acclimatized to the heat.
Depending on where you live, you may be able to go hiking just gradually acclimatize by ramping up to longer and harder hikes. It can take about two weeks to get used to hot weather. But that doesn’t work if you live in a place that is usually fairly cold.
You can also deliberately expose yourself to heat to acclimatize yourself ahead of hot weather. It’s possible to work on your heat tolerance through sauna, hot tub, or hot yoga sessions.
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