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Sunday, February 05, 2012
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Hi everyone. I know summer is the worst time to hike due to heat, but as a student, that is the only time I have available. I'm planning on hiking in June and July and looking for any hiking partners. I'm a 28 year old female and I have plenty of experience hiking and backpacking all over the US and Canada. Currently it's just me and my sister is meeting me for 2 weeks of the trip. Contact me if you're interested:
soarinfaith@yahoo.com |
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Please avoid the desert at this time of the year it is dangerous.
When you hike in the north make sure that you rest between 09:00-16:00 when the temperatures are too high. Look for a shade and rest.
Enjoy the hike!
Below is a copy of my post on the 3rd page of this thread. Following a post from pjblank:
pauljblank wrote
i hiked from kibbutz dan till latrun last summer, and hope to continue this summer all the way down to eilat. i know that the summer is not the best time to do this, but i am cautious and managed quite well last summer. my plan is to do the remainder of the trail in two segments: 1) latrun to arad sometime in early july 2) arad to eilat in august. i would be very happy for company along the way. i also tend to hike "in style". although sometimes i will be camping out, i will have a car and, when convenient, will return to the car (by hitchhiking or taxi) and return to tel aviv or elsewhere to sleep. be in touch if you are interested: pauljblank@aol.com.
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I have cautioned you last year about summer hiking, and you did quite well in the northern part of the country.
While the section from Latrun to Arad in July is not something I recommend, it is doable mainly because you can find shade to rest during the hot hours of the day (10:00-16:00).
From Arad to Eilat in August it is a LIFE THREATENING ADVENTURE! I strongly avise not to attempt this section. Temperatures in the shade are in the high 30's or low 40's (100-110F) all day long, but there is no shade to hide, the air is extremely dry. Hiking in summer in the desert means exposure to extremely high risk of dehydration and hyperthermiya.
Do not attempt hiking in the desert in summer, you are risking your life!!!
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Yankale -
On what basis do you make such wide-sweeping pronouncements? Agreed, there is a risk, but there is also a risk any time you get into a car. Please try to contribute by offering suggestions about heat acclimatization, and proper hydration, rather than just out-right negating. People have been living in the deserts for thousands of years without outright dying, so clearly the desert is not 100% fatal. |
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 | ed |
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ashen yashen wrote
Yankale -
On what basis do you make such wide-sweeping pronouncements? Agreed, there is a risk, but there is also a risk any time you get into a car. Please try to contribute by offering suggestions about heat acclimatization, and proper hydration, rather than just out-right negating. People have been living in the deserts for thousands of years without outright dying, so clearly the desert is not 100% fatal.
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Ashen - I think you are being unfair to Yankale. Yes, people do live in the desert. And for the most part those people were born in the desert and learned since childhood how to survive in the desert in the summer.
This is an English language website geared towards North Americans and Europeans, not Bedweans (sp?). For a Northern climate college student choosing summer because of the school schedule who does not have years of desert experience ... the desert in the summer is too dangerous.
If I was asked by someone coming from the Middle East (or Florida for that matter) to New Hampshire about winter camping (which is Oct - May) in the White Mountains, I would unequivacally tell them that it is too dangerous and they should not even consider doing it anytime other than the summer. I have gone camping in the White Mts. in the winter and would do it again.
For me and most of the readers of this forum, hiking in desert in the summer is too dangerous and should not even be considered. For you maybe not. For those who read the hebrew edition of this forum, the white mts would too dangerous. |
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On the basis of experience. I live in Israel for the past 55 years and hiking in the country for 40 years. I hope it's sufficient credit. This is not only my own expereicne but widley accepted by the most experienced hikers in Israel. You do not hike between 09:00-16:00 in summer time and on hot days, and you do not hike in the desert in summer time.
Those people who lived in the desert for thousands of years know how to behave there. True: the desert is not 100% fatal, but even 10% is extremely high. Every year we have few fatalities in the desert including tourists, you do not want to join them. Such fatalities are among day hikers who took a relatively short walk in the desert (few hours). Nobody in his right mind hits the desert in summer for a long hike such as the desert part of the INT.
It's not a matter of risk it's a matter of wise behaviour. I've posted somewhere else: It is not just a risk of dehydration, but also a high risk for hyperthermia.
Among those who ignore standard safety rules (see above) the risk is not like getting into a car but is extremely high for dehydration, getting a hyperthermia and a fatality becomes a real danger.
I rest my case. |
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if i can join in this conversation, last summer i hiked from kibbutz dan to tel aviv and had a great time. i appreciated the warnings i got from people concerning the dangers of hiking during the summer, as it made me more cautious, but, ultimately, there weren't more than a handful of days that it was too hot to hike and even then only in the middle of the day. if you have enough water and a good hat and sunglasses, and you don't overexert yourself, i don't think hiking in the summer creates a risk in and of itself. what is true, however, is that the trail was virtually empty as people do stay away during the summer. during passover i'm going back to israel to contineu the trail and hope to finish it up by doing the southern half this summer. i am sure the south is potentially more dangerous to hike during the summer than the north, but, again, with proper precautions you should be fine. |
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Thank you. This is the sort of detailed answer I was hoping for, rather than the curt "don't do it," which comes out a bit condescending over text.
I think we should open a new forum for exactly these issues of safety, so we can have a more in-depth discussion of them. |
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Let me rephrase what I've said: You can hike in summer in the northern part where you can find shade during the hot hours of the day.
Trying to hike the desert in summer is dangerous, potentially life threatening!
I strongly advise not to try to hike the desert in summer.
Every season we have few hikers who know better, and these are the hikers who find themselves in emergency rooms, or worse....
Enjoy the hike. |
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Yankale and Paul both make good points. I'll say again that on our first hike, we spent almost the entire month of June on the trail, both in the desert and farther north. In the north, it was hot, but water sources were spaced closely enough that we never had any trouble. We took long lunch breaks to avoid hiking during a few of the hottest hours of the day, but we covered a lot of ground and did fine. At some points we did 20 miles (32 km) per day.
So it can be done, but I can see why Yankale makes a blanket recommendation to stay off the trail in the south. If lots of people go out on the trail during the summer, some will get into trouble and may die. If no one goes out on the trail, no one gets into trouble and no one dies. Yankale's advice is the most responsible advice a guide could offer.
Paul, if I were you, I'd do as much of the desert as possible during the Passover break when the weather would (hopefully) be cooler. Then, during summer, you could return to the section near Tel Aviv and work your way south, maybe even all the way down to Arad. That would enable you to finish more of the trail and at least lessen the risks.
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i hiked from kibbutz dan till latrun last summer, and hope to continue this summer all the way down to eilat. i know that the summer is not the best time to do this, but i am cautious and managed quite well last summer. my plan is to do the remainder of the trail in two segments: 1) latrun to arad sometime in early july 2) arad to eilat in august. i would be very happy for company along the way. i also tend to hike "in style". although sometimes i will be camping out, i will have a car and, when convenient, will return to the car (by hitchhiking or taxi) and return to tel aviv or elsewhere to sleep. be in touch if you are interested: pauljblank@aol.com. |
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I have cautioned you last year about summer hiking, and you did quite well in the northern part of the country.
While the section from Latrun to Arad in July is not something I recommend, it is doable mainly because you can find shade to rest during the hot hours of the day (10:00-16:00).
from Arad to Eilat in August it is a LIFE THREATENING ADVENTURE! I strongly avise not to attempt this section. Temperatures in the shade are in the high 30's or low 40's (100-110F) all day long, but there is no shade to hide, the air is extremely dry. Hiking in summer in the desert means exposure to extremely high risk of dehydration and hyperthermiya.
Do not attempt hiking in the desert in summer, you are risking your life!!!
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| I have some experience hiking through Makhtesh Ramon in the summer. Last year I decided to take a two hour hike along a clearly marked path. I brought six liters of water with me, a hat, and a map. After the first hour the sun had reached its zenith and I started getting dizzy. I turned around and walked back, got lost, and nearly passed out. My mouth was as dry as sand, my head hurt, and I was stumbling along what I thought was the trail. My mind started to go and I started hearing voices. One of the voices told me to drop the water because it was too heavy. I barely managed to convince myself that that was a terrible idea. Eventually I found a small outcropping of rock that provided some shade and collapsed right there. After about half an hour I managed to pull myself up, find the trail, and walk back to my car.
The desert is a very unforgiving place in the summer. Anyone with any desert training will tell you that desert hiking in the summer is a bad idea. You're playing with your life.
If you must go in the summer then ask about guided tours through Makhtesh Ramon. They bring you in jeeps, take you on very short hikes, and provide all the water. The tour guides know what they are doing and will keep you safe. They even have excursions to Petra.
I plan on doing my hike again, but in the winter or early spring. Good luck!
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Did some hiking as well with my girlfriend towards End of May. Even if you rest during the hottest time of the day at that time of the year (it is up to +10 degrees more in July/August), you still need to drink a lot and feel hot. Starting after 10:00 equipped with a baseball hat for sun protection, 3 l for drinking and good sun screener is still a suicide mission - even at the end of May. I found a solution (possible others did too, but I could not find any hints like this on the web) that might make hiking possible to some extend for some people - at least in May:
1) No direct contact of the sun onto the skin during hot hours: 10-15. Use an umbrella (can be cumbersome if trek is difficult or if it is windy) or clothes the Beduins have.
2) Keep your clothes wet - in particular: head, neck, back and chest wet. For a day I used about 3 liters just for cooling and another 3-4 for drinking. Same for my girl-friend.
I fiddeled around a bit and you can still skrew up and feel hot despite the cooling, so you must start out with a small hike during peak temperature that you can stop any time to see how things work out for you. Also even if you cool, you must still take it easy - Desert is different from Alpine hiking. Oxygen is not an issue, also unnoticed dehydration I would not judge as dangerous (though it is an issue), but i can easily see that overheating/hyperthermia can be issue.
Good luck and don't try too hard!
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Desert hiking in summer is extremely risky. Well you've managed to do it in May. I assume the temperatures were not in 100's or 90's but probably lower. Umbrella? With 18 kg backpack and hiking poles it's not a real option. Maybe for a very short hike of 3-4 km but that's it.
Wetting your clothes means you need extra water. Please avoid the desert in summer. |
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