[at-l] Hyponatremia - a personal example

[spiriteagle99 at hotmail.com (Jim and/or Ginny Owen)]

When we hiked the PCT we descended into San Gorgonio Pass on a very bright 
warm May day.  This is a 22 mile dry stretch, much of it totally exposed to 
the sun.  We had camped up in the trees, about five miles into the dry 
stretch, and hiked the rest in the morning/early afternoon.  We had lunch at 
one water source, the next was midafternoon the next day.  We were only 12 
miles from Palm Springs and the temperature was in the 90's.  Mid-afternoon, 
after many miles of interminable switchbacks, we finally arrived at our 
water source - a faucet at the base of the mountain.  
(http://www.spiriteaglehome.com/Idyllwild.html midway down the page) We sat 
in the meager shade of a large rock and drank, and drank and drank.  I drank 
about a gallon in 15 minutes.  Over the next hour, I drank another gallon.  
At which point, I was ready to throw up.  We sat there for a couple of 
hours, waiting for the nausea to pass, and the heat to ease up before 
heading six miles across the windy pass.  I knew that what I did was stupid, 
but I was so thirsty after the long exposed descent that I drank as much as 
I could hold.  I was lucky that I couldn't hold more.  Dehydration is not 
fun - but hyponatremia really isn't any better.
Ginny



http://www.spiriteaglehome.com/