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I hike pretty often and unless it's extremely arid like in the desert, I'll usually just eat a bunch of fresh fruit and vegetables before setting off on a full

I hike pretty often and unless it's extremely arid like in the desert, I'll usually just eat a bunch of fresh fruit and vegetables before setting off on a full day of hiking. It's far more pleasant to be unburdened by carrying things, and I'm more likely to mix in some trail running as well. What I've found is I can pretty trivially go a full day without any food or water, even when doing physical activity. It's just important to not start out already dehydrated, and a last meal full of moisture with enough bulk to take some time to digest doesn't seem to hurt.

overcast 8y ago
I'd be pretty god damn impressed if you can head out with nothing but fruit prior to an all day hike up a mountain. Especially in the middle of summer. That's some super human shit right there. Even if you could, you're providing yourself nothing in case of an emergency.
- newnewpdro 8y ago
  Appropriate emergency preparedness levels is something to evaluate on a case by case basis. There are definitely scenarios where I won't head out without more stuff. But what I've found is day hikes in general where I'm expected back in civilization before dark don't require anything, and are a whole lot more enjoyable that way. Recently I was surprised by a pair of trail runners out in joshua tree national park who had appeared out of nowhere at the end of a ~4-mile spur. It was a young fit couple carrying nothing with them at all, not even water, and were turning right around to run straight back with the intention of running another 8-mile loop before dark, according to our brief conversation. They had done what my group of slow midwesterners carrying piles of food and water were taking all day to do in probably ~1 hour, simply by being unburdened and running it.
  - newman8r 8y ago
    what time of year did that happen in Joshua Tree? I lived there for a while and that sounds like a death wish if it was hot - but a lot of the year the temperature is pretty nice.
    - newnewpdro 8y ago
      This was late spring. It wasn't a hot day, but the aridity out there is too dehydrating for me, I always bring a water bottle hiking any distance in the desert. Just breathing in that environment dries me out. Keep in mind it only takes around 30-40 minutes to run 4 miles, so they were looking at spending a little over an hour without water before getting back to their vehicle. I regularly run a 4 mile loop near my property by JTNP, it's not that big a deal until summer arrives then I have to do it at or after dusk to not overheat. It's much more dehydrating to go slow and spend all day out there, in my experience.
      - newman8r 8y ago
        I've got a 5 acre parcel in Wonder Valley - nice to see someone else on HN from the area. I'm contemplating starting some sort of hacker community out there at some point, I think it's a great spot and one of the best areas in California for the price.
        newnewpdro 8y ago
        It's not bad, especially outside of summer the climate is quite nice. Are you living there full-time?
        newman8r 8y ago
        I'll move there permanently at some point, but for now I go out from Nov-Feb when the weather's nice (and fewer snakes). I still need to get a proper well drilled. I was living in a trailer out there which was great but it got vandalized, so my plan is to build something more permanent. I think there's a ton of potential in the CA deserts. The low prices, relative proximity to LA, ability for people to work remotely, decreasing prices of solar - I'm predicting a boom out there in the next 2 decades. The 1950s homesteaders fled because it was too inhospitable, but technology seems to have changed that.
        newnewpdro 8y ago
  - germinalphrase 8y ago
    I understand the fast and light ethos; I have also read enough Accidents in North American Climbing reports to squarely assume my risk assessment abilities are not so dialed in that I can forgo basic safety preparations. So, yes - I bring some water and appropriate weather protection in case, for instance, that day hike doesn’t end by sundown (for whatever reason). I also tell someone where I intend to go and when I intend to be back. basics.
  - overcast 8y ago
    I'm all for ultralight, I get it. I travel the world with nothing but a carry on pack. I hike the Canadian Rockies with Inov8 shoes that weigh less than 250 grams. Not carrying water, and at least a little energy is dumb. The Osprey pack I carry is super light, holds 3 liters of water, and has enough pockets for essentials. Not everyone can, or wants to run up mountains. I've been hiking my entire life, and that is serious work to sustain that.
  - e12e 8y ago
    It's not really about how far you can run in a day, more if you can survive long enough with a broken ancle to get help. In some climates that means having some form of basic shelter (wind sack, sleeping bag) so you won't die from exposure during the night, or due to a shift in the weather.
sixstringtheory 8y ago
This is extremely irresponsible advice. Any food you put in your body requires water to digest. If you can’t convert calories, your body will struggle to regulate core temp, so this is a danger in cold temps, not just heat. Dehydration can impair judgement. If you get injured or lost with no way to get more water or food, you run a serious risk of dying, or at best requiring a very expensive rescue. Experienced hikers have died mere hundreds of feet off trail [0], and that’s starting with food/water/gear/etc. If you are comfortable going an entire day without water, that is your prerogative, but to anyone looking to dabble in outdoor adventure, DO NOT attempt any hike without some kind of survival supplies. The cost/impact ratio is just ludicrous and should be a no-brainer. [0]: https://m.ranker.com/list/lost-hikers-near-civilization/jacob-shelton https://m.ranker.com/list/lost-hikers-near-civilization/jaco...
- peterwwillis 8y ago
  Seconding this. Back in the 50's and 60's, the top Tour de France contenders would tell people not to eat or drink anything before or during a race, for fear that their stomach would start digestion and rob them of power. Several of them died on the tour essentially of exertion and dehydration. Your body will not tell you when you are dehydrated until it is too late. Your mind can get clouded, you can get delusional, and then lost. You might try to wander around and an accident will happen. Or you might get really tired and decide to sit down and wait for someone to come by you. It's just stupid to go out for multi-hour hikes or runs in the wilderness without the essentials (such as water).
  - somecontext 8y ago
    > Several of them died on the tour essentially of exertion and dehydration. In case anyone was curious, four cyclists have died during the Tour de France. One drowned during a rest day (in 1910) and two crashed in different ways (in 1935 and 1995). The remaining cyclist died of heart failure on a hot day (in 1967), after mixing alcohol and amphetamines. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_Tom_Simpson https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_Tom_Simpson
- newnewpdro 8y ago

overcast 8y ago

I'd be pretty god damn impressed if you can head out with nothing but fruit prior to an all day hike up a mountain. Especially in the middle of summer. That's some super human shit right there. Even if you could, you're providing yourself nothing in case of an emergency.

newnewpdro 8y ago
Appropriate emergency preparedness levels is something to evaluate on a case by case basis. There are definitely scenarios where I won't head out without more stuff. But what I've found is day hikes in general where I'm expected back in civilization before dark don't require anything, and are a whole lot more enjoyable that way. Recently I was surprised by a pair of trail runners out in joshua tree national park who had appeared out of nowhere at the end of a ~4-mile spur. It was a young fit couple carrying nothing with them at all, not even water, and were turning right around to run straight back with the intention of running another 8-mile loop before dark, according to our brief conversation. They had done what my group of slow midwesterners carrying piles of food and water were taking all day to do in probably ~1 hour, simply by being unburdened and running it.
- newman8r 8y ago
  what time of year did that happen in Joshua Tree? I lived there for a while and that sounds like a death wish if it was hot - but a lot of the year the temperature is pretty nice.
  - newnewpdro 8y ago
    This was late spring. It wasn't a hot day, but the aridity out there is too dehydrating for me, I always bring a water bottle hiking any distance in the desert. Just breathing in that environment dries me out. Keep in mind it only takes around 30-40 minutes to run 4 miles, so they were looking at spending a little over an hour without water before getting back to their vehicle. I regularly run a 4 mile loop near my property by JTNP, it's not that big a deal until summer arrives then I have to do it at or after dusk to not overheat. It's much more dehydrating to go slow and spend all day out there, in my experience.
    - newman8r 8y ago
      I've got a 5 acre parcel in Wonder Valley - nice to see someone else on HN from the area. I'm contemplating starting some sort of hacker community out there at some point, I think it's a great spot and one of the best areas in California for the price.
      - newnewpdro 8y ago
        It's not bad, especially outside of summer the climate is quite nice. Are you living there full-time?
        newman8r 8y ago
        I'll move there permanently at some point, but for now I go out from Nov-Feb when the weather's nice (and fewer snakes). I still need to get a proper well drilled. I was living in a trailer out there which was great but it got vandalized, so my plan is to build something more permanent. I think there's a ton of potential in the CA deserts. The low prices, relative proximity to LA, ability for people to work remotely, decreasing prices of solar - I'm predicting a boom out there in the next 2 decades. The 1950s homesteaders fled because it was too inhospitable, but technology seems to have changed that.
        newnewpdro 8y ago
- germinalphrase 8y ago
  I understand the fast and light ethos; I have also read enough Accidents in North American Climbing reports to squarely assume my risk assessment abilities are not so dialed in that I can forgo basic safety preparations. So, yes - I bring some water and appropriate weather protection in case, for instance, that day hike doesn’t end by sundown (for whatever reason). I also tell someone where I intend to go and when I intend to be back. basics.
- overcast 8y ago
  I'm all for ultralight, I get it. I travel the world with nothing but a carry on pack. I hike the Canadian Rockies with Inov8 shoes that weigh less than 250 grams. Not carrying water, and at least a little energy is dumb. The Osprey pack I carry is super light, holds 3 liters of water, and has enough pockets for essentials. Not everyone can, or wants to run up mountains. I've been hiking my entire life, and that is serious work to sustain that.
- e12e 8y ago
  It's not really about how far you can run in a day, more if you can survive long enough with a broken ancle to get help. In some climates that means having some form of basic shelter (wind sack, sleeping bag) so you won't die from exposure during the night, or due to a shift in the weather.

sixstringtheory 8y ago

This is extremely irresponsible advice. Any food you put in your body requires water to digest. If you can’t convert calories, your body will struggle to regulate core temp, so this is a danger in cold temps, not just heat. Dehydration can impair judgement. If you get injured or lost with no way to get more water or food, you run a serious risk of dying, or at best requiring a very expensive rescue. Experienced hikers have died mere hundreds of feet off trail [0], and that’s starting with food/water/gear/etc. If you are comfortable going an entire day without water, that is your prerogative, but to anyone looking to dabble in outdoor adventure, DO NOT attempt any hike without some kind of survival supplies. The cost/impact ratio is just ludicrous and should be a no-brainer. [0]: https://m.ranker.com/list/lost-hikers-near-civilization/jacob-shelton https://m.ranker.com/list/lost-hikers-near-civilization/jaco...

peterwwillis 8y ago
Seconding this. Back in the 50's and 60's, the top Tour de France contenders would tell people not to eat or drink anything before or during a race, for fear that their stomach would start digestion and rob them of power. Several of them died on the tour essentially of exertion and dehydration. Your body will not tell you when you are dehydrated until it is too late. Your mind can get clouded, you can get delusional, and then lost. You might try to wander around and an accident will happen. Or you might get really tired and decide to sit down and wait for someone to come by you. It's just stupid to go out for multi-hour hikes or runs in the wilderness without the essentials (such as water).
- somecontext 8y ago
  > Several of them died on the tour essentially of exertion and dehydration. In case anyone was curious, four cyclists have died during the Tour de France. One drowned during a rest day (in 1910) and two crashed in different ways (in 1935 and 1995). The remaining cyclist died of heart failure on a hot day (in 1967), after mixing alcohol and amphetamines. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_Tom_Simpson https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_Tom_Simpson
newnewpdro 8y ago