DRINK PLENTY OF WATER IN THE FIELD!

"Dehydration, not heat stroke, is the principal cause of death in Death Valley. Heat stroke is a problem in hot, humid air where your body cannot keep cool enough by the evaporation of perspiration. In the hot, dry air of Death Valley, the situation is just the opposite: Your body is cooled very effectively by evaporation, but at a dangerous rate of dehydration. On an average summer day in Death Valley, you can lose over 2 gallons of water just sitting in the shade; hiking in the sun, you can lose twice as much! Without enough to drink to replace it, the loss of 4 gallons of water is almost certainly fatal, and even the loss of 2 gallons could have fatal results.

    "The first sensations of thirst begin with the loss of a little over a quart of water. By the time you have lost a gallon you begin to feel tired and apathetic. Most of the water lost comes from your blood, and as it thickens, your circulation becomes poor, your heart strains, your muscles fatigue, and your head aches. With further loss of water you become dizzy and begin to stumble; your breathing is labored and your speech is indistinct. By the time you have lost 2 gallons of water your tongue is swollen, you can hardly keep your balance, your muscles spasm, and you are becoming delirious. You are likely to discard your hat, clothes, and shoes, which only hastens your dehydration and suffering. With a loss of more than 3 gallons of water you will collapse, your tongue and skin shriveled and numb, your eyes sunken, your vision dim, and your hearing almost gone. Bloody cracks will appear in your skin and you'll soon be dead."

   From Richard Lingenfelter, 1986, "Death Valley and the Amargosa", p. 12, 13

Here are some tips from experience:

1. Drink a lot of fluids the evening before the day you will spend in the field
2. Drink a full quart of fluid the morning of the field work
3. Eat hard candy during the day while drinking a lot of water. The sugar in the candy will metabolize the water so that your body will use it rather than allowing it to pass straight through.
4. Take a bandana in the field and if you begin to be overheated, wet the bandana and put it around your neck and on your forehead.