Hiking in the heat? Know before you go

SALT LAKE CITY — If you are going hiking, check the forecast of the weather at your destination. And start drinking water before you get there.

Dave & Dujanovic speak to Jonathan Shafer, a public affairs specialist with Zion National Park, who explains what to do to avoid the heat-related injuries that have afflicted some park visitors this summer.

Start hiking early

Your safety is your responsibility, said Shafer, so hike smart. It’s always cooler in the mornings than in the afternoons. 

“One of the simplest things that you can do to be ready for your hike is to start hydrating early,” he said.

Start drinking fluids before you even arrive at the park, he recommended.

Shafer’s rule of thumb for hiking in the heat is to drink a gallon of water — eight pints, four quarts or 128 ounces.

“Sounds like a lot but you’re going to do plenty of sweating, especially in the summer heat.”

He said park paramedics treated a patient suffering heat stroke whose internal temperature reached 108 degrees and who was transported to a hospital and recovered.

Read on

• Keeping student-athletes safe in the heat
• Dog dies on Grandeur Peak Trail hike after owner runs out of water, officials say

Dave & Dujanovic can be heard weekdays from 9 a.m. to noon. on KSL NewsRadio. Users can find the show on the KSL NewsRadio website and app, as well as Apple Podcasts and Google Play.