More than likely, this was the hottest hike for the Trailblazers in 2012 ... I hope no one else has a hike in higher temperatures. This report is about my experience with heat exhaustion while on the hike. Most of the time, I was with Chuck and Jenni and can only reflect on what was going on in our part of the canyon.

THE SITUATION AT SEVEN FALLS:

Oh, how I prayed that the sky would somehow fill with clouds ... anything to lessen the powerful rays of the sun and hopefully bring down the temperature. Heat radiating off the paved shuttle road during our 1.5 mile walk from the Visitors’ Center to the official trailhead was just an inkling of what was to come. It was already 90 degrees a little after 10am.

The trail to Seven Falls follows the bottom of Sabino Canyon. In total, there are 7 stream crossings before getting to the official “Seven Falls”.

Out of the nine hikers in our group, seven went ahead at their own speed leaving Chuck, my ever steady friend, and me to bring up the rear. Before we even made it off the pavement, I was feeling the effects of the radiating heat and pulled out the umbrella I always carry in my pack to use as shade as we continued hiking. Little did I know how valuable that cheap umbrella would be before the day was over.

The first six stream crossings all come fairly close together, which gives you a feeling of security that if it really gets bad you can jump in the water and cool off.

Chuck took advantage of the opportunity and soaked both his handkerchief and hat in the water.

Unfortunately the trail was every bit as busy as Piestewa Peak on any given day, with groups and more groups of people rushing by to get to the falls as soon as possible.

Immediately after the seventh water crossing, the trail follows one long switchback with gradual elevation gain up the canyon and toward the falls.

The entire group was already at the falls having lunch and cooling off by the time Chuck and I got there. It was amazing to see such a water feature with so many big pools coming off a desert mountain. There is no doubt in my mind that I MUST go back to Seven Falls in the winter.

Eileen and Quy were among the first to hop in the water and cool off.

Jenni just enjoying the water.

We sadly left the pools of water around 1pm for the trip back to the Visitors’ Center. Within 10 minutes, I was really feeling the effects of the heat. Within 30 minutes I was suffering from heat exhaustion, though I didn’t want to admit it. Chuck checked his thermometer and it was 93 degrees in the shade.

Jenni and Chuck stayed with me though they were every bit as miserable as I was. Even with 3 liters of water in my hydration pack, I ran out of water. Jenni, Chuck, and I climbed down to the creek where Jenni cooled off by sitting in the shade and soaking her feet in the water. Chuck had some water purification tablets in his pack which I thankfully added to the creek water that now filled my hydration pack. He soaked his hat in the creek, I soaked my umbrella in the creek, and we both soaked our bandanas in the creek in an effort to cool off.

Even after the stop at the creek and a few drinks of fresh water I still felt pretty bad – light headed, sick to my stomach, not sweating. Jenni mentioned that I could drink all the water I wanted but unless I added some salt to the equation, I probably wouldn’t feel any better. Again, Chuck to the rescue. He offered up some salty pretzels which I eagerly accepted. Within 10 minutes, I felt much better. Jenni must have been right about the salt.

Because I had originally planned a backpacking trip for the club activity, a lot of my standard items were at home in my backpack and not in my daypack. All I can say is thank goodness the umbrella was still there. Chuck was carrying his standard inventory which saved the day, and Jenni was the best moral support anyone could ever ask for.

It took us 3 hours to hike a little over 4 miles from the falls to the Visitors’ Center. Jenni and Chuck stayed with me during every rest stop I made (and believe me, there were a lot of them). The rest of the group was waiting for quite some time for us to arrive.

Eventually we all joined up and had an uneventful drive back to Phoenix.

It was HOT – especially on the blacktop and where we were closer to the rocks. Definitely a day to hike slowly and take lots of rest breaks.

The canyon was very scenic and the water was very cold. The frequent breaks gave us a chance to appreciate the beauty of it even though we were worried about Cyd.

Jenni   

We met up with Monika and her friend. I know you got heat exhaustion and Jenni said it was too hot, but I thought it was a wonderful hike (helped to freeze my water bottles).

Several of us explored further up. I think Nicole and Anikó were over the rock on the third falls. Quy and I waded in the pool to cool off. Anyone else go wading? We had a nice lunch under the shade tree by one of the pools.

Eileen   

Although we knew it was going to be an unusually warm day, 93° in the shade on the Seven Falls Trail in early April is just plain unreasonable. Perhaps Cyd was right after all when she mentioned early in the hike that she believes this is going to be a record breaking summer. Let’s hope she’s wrong on that count, but let’s also hope she’s correct in her prediction that this hike will be the hottest one on the Arizona Trailblazers’ schedule this year. We can certainly do without any hikes that are even hotter. My personal record is hiking in 105° heat in the Inner Gorge of the Grand Canyon, and I sure don’t want to repeat that any time soon.

Apparently it’s a good thing I always carry salty pretzels with me on hikes, since this is at least the third time they’ve come in handy when a fellow hiker is suffering from the heat and low electrolyte levels. One of our hikers on a Grand Canyon backpacking trip a few years ago had the same symptoms as Cyd, and a long rest break in the shade, along with a couple of handfuls of extra salty pretzels and some cold Gatorade got her back on her feet and ready to hit the trail running once again. Well, at least hit the trail walking slowly anyway.

A good lesson to be learned here is to always carry some salty snack items with you as well as an electrolyte drink like Gatorade whenever hiking on warm days. And don’t wait until you become stressed or uncomfortable before using them. Insufficient electrolyte levels in the body can create havoc on our systems and cause all sorts of distress when hiking, especially when we’re already stressed with excessive heat. So play it safe and always have some salty peanuts, pretzels, or saltine crackers with you while hiking, in addition to a packet of powdered electrolyte drink. They’re lightweight, easy to carry, and might even determine whether or not you make it back to the trailhead on your own two feet.

Chuck