We’re camped at Munsungan Branch campsite at the confluence of Munsungan Stream and Millinocket Stream. Here they join together as the Aroostook river. The river then winds east and northeast through Aroostook County before it joins the Saint John River in Aroostook, New Brunswick, 2 miles after crossing the Canadian border.

Today marks a milestone in the group. We are actually set to leave at the time we agreed. Every morning so far we’ve been held up by individual’s issues with their timekeeping and organisation. Today is different. It almost seems like a miracle!

A simple life on the river

By this point in the trip I’m in a solid routine of early mornings and early bed times:

Morning

• Rise soon after 5am.
• Change into damp day clothes.
• Sort some personal hygiene.
• Pack everything except sleeping bag and tent which are given some time to air.
• Coffee.
• Breakfast.
• Pack tent and sleeping bag.
• Last tidy up.
• Load up.
• Ship out.

Evening

• Canoes and gear stowed.
• Tent up.
• Personal gear sorted.
• Dinner.
• Postprandial coffee and chit chat.
• Retire to tent.
• More personal hygiene.
• Tidy kit away.
• Journal writing.
• Sleep.

Add in some paddling, eating, coffee drinking and chatting and you have a whole day taken care of in short order. This routine seems so simple compared to the needless complexity we add into everyday life. The early start makes a 9pm bedtime easy. Something that would be unheard of in my usual home routine. Out here it just flows with the daylight and my activity. I guess this is how life should be.

Back to the canoe

But I digress. We are in the water and loaded soon after 7am. It’s somewhere around 35 miles back to base near Masardis from here. With the river flowing this fast it should be possible in a day with stops kept short and to a minimum. This is the kind of day that demands discipline. It’s all to easy to take your foot off the gas. To get some serious river miles under our belt there’s no time for anything other than what’s absolutely necessary.

Today is the first time I haven’t soloed the canoe since day one. I’m in the driving seat though. Just as well. I’ve always been a nervous passenger.

For the first six miles or so the Aroostok runs fast, narrow and winding. I’m kept alert in the stern seat by fallen trees and debris that are washed into the outside of bends. The river runs fastest on the outside of bends so the debris ends up there. The safest place to be is on the inside of a bend where the water is slower. Getting caught up in a big fallen tree is dangerous at any time. In water this fast the tree might bee the last thing you ever see.

After an hour or two of twists and turns, the Aroostook widens. It’s still flowing at quite a pace but it seems slower because of the width. A glance at the bank steadily rolling past confirms we’re still making quick progress. We make a brief lunch stop in the drizzle that’s come and gone throughout the morning. No boil up. No sitting. Just the essentials. Being English, summer sausage was new on me but by this stage I can’t get enough of the stuff  (for non-North American readers, this is summer sausage). I recommend it spread with peanut butter. PB & J is still a step too far for my refined English palate

Paddle strokes and pins and needles

From this point on, the day is a blur of paddle strokes and pins and needles from hours in the canoe seat – there are only so many ways you can change position. Nine hours after we left Munsungan Branch we stagger stiffly up the slipway in Masardis for a food and coffee stop at the Masardis Trading Post. After more than a week on the river its like a nirvana built from Whoopie pies, beer and fancy goods. Suitably refreshed and recaffeinated we return to the canoes. The rain has gone and it’s a pleasant evening for the final four mile paddle back to Jack Mountain’s base camp.

After unloading and stowing canoes and gear it’s back into the usual routine: Tent up, sort kit, journal and bed. Oh, and perhaps sample some of the Aroostook ankle breaker apple wine we left brewing while we were gone.

It’s been a long, long day but one that confirms just how far you can come when the current’s flowing your way.

Aroostook River Dash – Maine Canoe Expedition

It’s a great question that was raised by a comment from Nick (not me, another one!) on this post from ages ago about choosing a compass :

To learn navigation people always worry about bearings first. This is usually the wrong way round. The most important thing is a compass that reliably points North (Silva and Suunto are well respected) and the ability to ‘set’ a map correctly and use the features.
So when I advise people on compasses I normally say just get one that points north and has no mirrors or other confusing features.

And Nick’s spot on.

Taking bearings can be essential to double check your position, to travel in a featureless landscape or to travel towards a specific feature.

However, the meat and potatoes of navigation with the compass is to ensure you are oriented in the landscape – you know which way is North and which is South and you use it to set the map accordingly.

If I’m travelling and using the map often to check my position and/or the route I love these little watch strap compasses. They’re not much use for anything other than telling where the cardinal points are but they’re ideal for keeping a check on your orientation with little fuss.

What’s the most important function of your compass?

It’s only day five of our canoe expedition but we’ve already got the rainy day routine all sewn up. Hemmed in for a couple of days by cold, wet weather at our put in on Chase Lake we drank coffee, collected firewood, chatted, ate, drank more coffee, laughed, stoked the fire, drank even more coffee, slept and fiddled with kit.

Urgh. Another rainy day

Today is the same. Only the place is different. Yesterday was a tough day on the river. People are tired. It’s wet, it’s cold (temperatures on the trip so far have been not too far above freezing), it’s windy. Staying put is definitely the right call.

The decision – stay put or push on?

The decision to stay put for a day or two can be a tough one. Some members of a group will always be keen to push on regardless. They often have the loudest voices. The group leader has to weigh up all the risks and make a decision. Out here in this weather, especially on a canoe expedition, hypothermia is the absolute number one risk factor. Sitting in a canoe for a few hours, let alone dumping the canoe and getting a soaking, on a day like this stacks the deck firmly against you.

So the day was spent with the usual camp shenanigans: Trying to keep a fire burning in heavy rain, cooking, eating, joking around. At one point we even resort to some knot practice. I’ve never had a brain for knots. The non inverting slippery bowline still eludes me.

The group shrinks

The most notable event of the day is the departure of two members of the group. Shawn needs to be back home in two days time. After some discussion he decides to carry on today. Zac volunteers to go with him (he’s a young guy. he’s in a rush). With the river runnning fast and high they paddle the thirty-odd miles back to Masardis before nightfall.

I’m sorry to see the guys go as they added alot to the group but I’m relieved that this takes some of the time pressure off the rest of us. I’m still struggling to get used to the pole. In faster water I feel far from confident and happy to take my time.

Late in the afternoon the rain lets up a little.There’s some fishing. The fishing is good with some decent brook trout falling prey to the lure. Food can be a real morale booster on a day like this. Everyone helps with dinner.  The highlights are salt pork and cabbage fried up with some spices and chilli and some more sourdough delights courtesy of the folding reflector oven and the Sourdough Supremo on this trip, Big Fish.

The day slowly draws to a close and a new one begins after a damp night. It’s still cold but the rain’s slowed to a light drizzle.

It’s time to get the canoes in the water again for a remedial poling class.

It’s strange to get back into an unladen canoe. It’s tippier but so much more responsive to even the lightest touch of the pole. We each get to put in a few laps round the small island just upstream. First task is to pole the canoe against the current through some rocky, quick water past the island river right. Upstream river travel relies on making use of eddies, the calm areas downstream of obstructions such as rocks. Push through the quick water, manoeuvre the canoe sideways into the eddy, take a breather, push again to get through the next quick bit.

After a few tries and a couple of gunwale grabbing,squatting, nearly overbalancing moments, I’m upstream of the island and in the eddy behind another island.

Now comes the bit that’s proved most challenging so far – snubbing. Using the pole to slow the canoe downstream by planting it firmly ahead of the canoe on alternate sides, the poler can stop their canoe midstream in fast water. I’m not quite a poler yet as my attempts still end up with the canoe swinging broadside into the current with usually hilarious results.

In the wider part of the stream nearer camp we practise ferrying the canoe across the river upstream and downstream. Essential skills for a wilderness river canoe expedition. Imagine you’re approaching the infamous Widowmaker Falls. You get the canoe to the bank before the falls. There’s a portage trail somewhere here. Shit! It’s on the opposite bank. An upstream ferry will see you right without becoming another victim of the Widowmaker.

I feel like I’m starting to get the hang of this poling lark but I’m not letting go of my paddle yet!

We hit the river again

After a lunch of leftovers, we pack up camp and head out. The rain has stopped and it might even brighten up this afternoon. Munsungan stream has been a fine testing ground both for the group and for my rusty river skills. It’s only another couple of miles from here to Munsungan Branch campsite, sitting high on a bluff overlooking the pool where Munsungan Stream and Millinocket Stream meet and flow together as the Aroostook River.

The river is high, fast and winding. I lose my pole three times and swim twice.
Someone manages to rescue the pole each time but the river claims my cap and my sunglasses which were whipped off by a passing alder.

It’s a hard couple of miles. I’m last into camp. I’m about done. Habit gets me through the usual routine of getting camp set up. I must look a wreck – Whisky Jack gives me a mug full of trail mix. This hasn’t happened before. I sit by my tent tired, damp but restored by the wave of salty goodness and reflect on another great day on the river.

You can find the previous day’s journals here and here

Another Tussle With Munsungan Stream – Maine Canoe Expedition

The key to nailing this is to look at your habits and gradually replace bad ones with better ones. Do you spend ages packing and unpacking your stuff? Do you leave crap everywhere and rely on others to pick it up for you? Do you duck out of group chores as you’re so busy fiddling with your own stuff?

If any of these sound familiar then you need to get organised. Here are some ideas to get you thinking the right way.

Don’t carry unnecessary stuff

The more stuff you carry the more you have to unpack and pack again every day. Looking for things becomes like looking for a needle in the proverbial haystack. Simplify. Take a cold hard look at your kit and weed out unnecessary items.

Plan ahead

“What do I need? When do I need it?”

Pack away stuff you’re not using so it doesn’t get misplaced or lost

I know people who “organise” their stuff in camp as if there’s been an explosion. They’re always losing things. I rarely lose things – it’s the exception and it pisses me off.

Organise gear you’ll need in the morning before you go to sleep

Tidy up the rest. It makes morning routine much smoother.

Compartmentalise your packing

Although some people dislike stuff sacks, they allow me to keep my kit split up into functional groups. I love them.

Form good habits

That old saying “a place for everything and everything in it’s place” is a good one. Know where your stuff is kept so you can keep tabs on it. It’s easy to spot (or feel) if something’s missing. This is especially true for anything kept on your person such as knives, firestarters, compasses etc – the important stuff.

Get stuck into group chores

If you’re in a group, don’t be the one who spends so long dicking around with their kit that they don’t have time to do group stuff. It’s rude. It causes disquiet in a group. It’s a great reason why all the previous stuff is so important.

And remember, practise makes perfect – Get out there and do it!

If you’re wondering why it’s been so long since the last post, you’re not alone. I’m pulling some levers behind the scenes to swing the old machine back into action. Stay tuned

Get Organised On The Trail

Munsungan Lake – North Maine Woods

We’re in the early days of our wilderness canoe trip in the North Woods of Maine. We’re camped on Munsungan Lake. Last night was cold but at least there’s no rain (for a change!). As the sun starts to peep through the thick firs, today’s guide team get the reluctant fire crackling under the coffee. The fire’s soon roaring and as always, a steaming mug of coffee makes the world a much finer place.

Today we leave the lake and head down Munsungan Stream towards the Aroostook river.

Theodore Roosevelt, 26th President of the United States, spent time in the North Maine Woods in the late 1800′s as a young man. Roosevelt and his Maine Guide Bill Sewall poled up the Aroostook river to Munsungan Stream. It was September and they found the stream with little water, forcing them to drag their heavy boat up much of the stream. These were formative years for the young Roosevelt. Being in the midst of this land I can see how it would have a strong influence on the willing mind. I hope some of this rubs off!

We certainly have better luck than Roosevelt at Munsungan Stream. After an unusually dry winter Tim was worried that we wouldn’t have enough water. Fortunately, topped up by spring rain, the water’s high. The two days of heavy rain that kept us at Chase Lake should have topped it up a bit further.

Munsungan Stream, according to the well-thumbed Appalachian Mountain Club river guide we brought along, has rapids from class I-II. A few miles downstream lie Munsungan Falls which are small but dangerous enough in a loaded canoe. The falls are preceded by a series of ledges. With this much water many of the obstacles are submerged which makes progress easier but the speed of the current is unforgiving. Strainers are a constant danger and with the river flowing this fast it’s easy to run into trouble.

Defensive rather than offensive paddling is the order of the day. We’re not here for the white water, we’re here for the trip and more importantly to get home again. Running rapids is great fun and all but when you have a boat loaded with camp gear and you’re a couple of day’s hard paddle from home there’s no room for unnecessary risks.

Of course, in this modern royalex boat I could smack and scrape rocks all day and most likely come out of it relatively unscathed but that’s not the point. Why take the chance? In days gone by when canoes were made from birch bark, wood or wood and canvas, there was no such leeway. Any damage could spell disaster. You might be lucky and spend a day or two in the woods repairing the canoe. You might be less lucky.

Rather than barrelling through, canoes would be carried, lined or eased through using the pole at questionable spots. Using a pole to propel a craft on water is probably as old as man’s use of anything resembling a boat.

A pole can be used to propel a canoe upstream. This is known as poling. A pole can be used to slow the canoe when running downstream. This is known as snubbing. By using short stabs of the pole onto the river bed the canoe can be brought to a standstill even in fast water. The pole can then be used to ferry the canoe sideways to avoid an obstacle. The pole is an incredible tool for defensive river travel. It’s use here in Maine was widespread due to the often shallow and rocky rivers.

As it stands today at Munsungan Stream, I have maybe three or four hours poling experience under my belt and two goes at snubbing (the first of which saw me take a dive straight away!). Today will test my skill with the pole to the limit.

We paddle across Little Munsungan Lake to the outlet stream. The stream starts out wide and slow but soon narrows and the current quickens.

I’m learning a valuable lesson about the importance of trimming the canoe. Most of my paddling before this has been tandem where the weight of the bow paddler tends to keep the boat pretty evenly trimmed and there’s not much to think about. Trim turns out to be very important! The current will try to spin the heavier end of the canoe downstream so the canoe needs to be bow heavy for downstream travel. Believe me, running a speedy river sideways or backwards isn’t much fun – I’ve been there.

Today I’m solo in an 18ft boat with limited kit to make her bow heavy. I’m carrying my personal kit weighing around 15-20kg, someone else’s kit weighing slightly more (my muscles told me this as I lifted their bag into the boat!) and one food box weighing probably 20kg plus a few other bits and pieces.

Even with my best efforts the canoe spins in the current. It’s a combination of things – but probably none of them my fault. It’s a jokey tradition at Jack Mountain to never accept responsibility for anything. Ever. Despite strictly adhering to this tradition I learned many lessons on the rivers of Maine.

At this early stage in my poling career I’m finding snubbing a loaded canoe (and one that isn’t trimmed right) challenging to say the least! I’m just not doing it quick enough. Luckily as the water is high I have the luxury of resorting to the paddle.

When snubbing, a series of jabs are made using the pole at a shallow angle so the weight of your body is behind it. Snubbing consists of a pair of ‘snubs’. One to the left, one to the right or vice versa. As soon as you plant the pole, the canoe will try to turn around the pole. A snub on the opposite side counters this. Repeat until the canoe has slowed enough.

Snubbing should never be done with the pole across the body. If it is and the pole gets stuck, you’ll take a swim for sure! To do this properly means moving the pole from one side to the other for each snub. For example the left-right snub involves planting the pole left, swapping the pole to the right side of the body, planting the pole right. To do this quickly takes practice. More practice than I’ve had so far.

I’m pleased to hear from the guys who have already gone through this early experience with the pole that the level of frustration I feel today is pretty normal. It’s a steep learning curve.

Back to the water. We’re speeding along. My journal notes that a couple of members of the party took unplanned swims before we reached Munsungan Falls. I stayed dry. I’ve trimmed the boat as best I can with the weight I have available by kneeling just behind the yoke and leaning forward to get more weight at the bow end when necessary. She still spins from time to time if the fast current gets the better of my rather rusty paddling.

We reach Munsungan Falls soon before lunchtime. Boats and gear are carried up the portage trail to the campsite above the falls. Sit down. Rehydrate. Eat lunch. It’s a warm day and it’s nice to relax but all too soon we’re carrying boats and gear down to the put in below the falls and off we go again.

Below the falls the river is a bit more relaxed for a while but soon there’s plenty of rocks and a few strainers to keep your mind on the job.

It’s on this stretch that I take my swim of the day. Rounding a bend where the river narrowed I stood and swapped the paddle for the pole as the river got shallow and rocky. After a blur of snubbing and canoe spinning in the current I had to avoid ‘an obstacle’ (as so often happens when travelling with others!) and despite some panicked poling couldn’t avoid putting the canoe broadside onto a fallen tree at the edge of the river. As the current weighed on the boat and the gunwale started to dip below the water I jumped. Fortunately the current was slow enough that I could pull the boat off and walk it round the tree, have a breather and hop in again.

After what seems like a very long afternoon we reach Munsungan Stream Campsite. Everyone looks wrecked. It’s been a super hard day but boats must be unloaded, taken out and turned over for the night and camp chores done. Soon tents and tarps are up, the fire’s lit and some hot sweet tea is brewing. Wet kit drips on a couple of clothes lines in the last rays of the afternoon sun.

This campsite is accessible by woods road. Thousands of years of ingenuity, skill and knowledge that used to be involved in navigating the woods are now replaced by an hour or two sitting in a truck on a gravel road. Travelling the rivers which run like arteries through the North Woods makes you really appreciate the place. After the incredible wilderness canoe journey we had, just on this one stream in Maine, driving here seems like cheating.

Watching darkness fall over the woods and pondering our place in it all is about as much as I manage tonight before retiring to sleep the well earned sleep of hard labour. Another great day in the North Maine Woods.

Maine Wilderness Canoe Trip – Munsungan Stream

It’s our first full day on the water on our North Maine Woods canoe trip. Muscles must be reacquainted with the pole and paddle. Body clocks must be retuned for canoe travel. Rise at dawn, retire at dusk. Life’s easier this way – on the water before the wind gets up, hit camp early and set up at leisure. Paddling into wind on a big lake or open stretch of river can be torture for both mind and body.

After dinner there’s an intrusion from the 21st century – an outboard motor. It’s two fellas out fishing from the sporting camp further down the lake. They stop by for a chat. Out in the woods hospitality’s the same the world over. They stay for a while and chat about the fishing, their outboard (which it sounds like they’re slowly killing) and Maine life. They putter off cheerily into the dusk. The outboard doesn’t sound so cheery.

It’s a cold night and one by one we withdraw from the light of the camp fire and exchange it for the dark of sleep. As I drift off accompanied by the loons calling I reflect on the day and prepare for the next. Tomorrow we hit the river, swollen and running fast after the rain. Here dreams are made and skills tested.

North Maine Woods Canoe – Munsungan Lake

Sunday morning was one of these mornings so after a quick mug of tea I made an early start off along the snowy lane.

Heading up onto the North Downs the only sign of human were the tractor tracks left by the farmer dropping off hay for the sheep wintering up there. Animal life, on the other hand, could be seen everywhere!

Earlier the fox trotted his way along the woodland ride, zigzagging as scents pulled him this way and that. Further up the ride he stopped and put his nose to the ground – a mouse or shrew under the snow perhaps? Bounding squirrel tracks cut across the ride and stop abruptly at a large oak where his journey continued upwards. A bird, the size of a blackbird or thrush, landed here and hopped a good ten feet before taking off. If you look carefully you’ll see her wing marks in the snow.

The picture at the top shows the marks in the snow left by a wood pigeon I’d guess – the impression was the right shape and size. Photographing tracks like these in snow when the sky is overcast is quite tricky but you should be able to make out where the pigeon sat and the wing marks as it took off.

Of course this whole incredible story plays out every single day in every single wood and field. It’s just not normally as easy to see it.

Snow In The Woods

Rebecca Lerner writes some great stuff about wild food and medicinal plant uses. She just used hawthorn to treat a heart arrhythmia in her dog Petunia

Robin at Eat Weeds brought us his rather delicious looking alexanders chutney

A little ago back Bryan at PaddlingLight recommended 5 Canoe and Kayak Books to Read in 2012

Paul Kirtley at Frontier Bushcraft showed us his Wilderness Canoeing: Personal Bushcraft & Survival Kit

Gary at Bearclaw/Survivall/Nordmarken Canoe UK/Weiss (Gary’s a busy man these days!) is thinking along good lines with his back to basics One blanket and a frosty weekend

Another great video from WinterTrekker on YouTube. Here he shows us the key points of his ski-hauled toboggan setup. As ever he’s got some good ice safety tips.

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John Mac’s been busy with spoon carving and making charcloth and trying his hand at flint and steel firelighting

Francois at Francois’ Birchbark canoes doesn’t say much but he’s still making birch bark canoes like this 14 foot Algonquin. Nice.

If you follow Skills For Wild Lives on Google Plus you’ll have already seen this video. A tour round the Gränsfors Bruks factory. Interesting. Even though alot of the factory’s rather quiet.

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Bushcraft & Wilderness Skills On The Web

When living outdoors I’ve sometimes experienced the hangover-like headaches and slight disorientation that we know are the first symptoms of minor dehydration (although as we found I’ve probably lost 2-3% of my body’s water content at this point already). I’d describe this best as ‘feeling a bit wonky’ – not scientific but if you’ve experienced it you’ll know what I mean.

This was easily remedied by upping my intake of fluids.

It’s such a basic thing but so easy to get into a situation where you’re not taking in enough fluids. It takes some extra diligence on your part to read the signs and know what your body needs. The situations that have led to me finding myself with symptoms of minor dehydration have included:

• Longer periods of living outdoors at times when I’ve generally been conditioned to life indoors.
• When I’ve had to purify drinking water for an extended period. This can easily become a chore and in warm weather or when hitting the trail you can soon find yourself not getting enough fluids.
• When I’ve physically stretched myself or encountered unexpectedly warm conditions.

Practical Ways To Avoid Dehydration Outdoors

Dehydration is one area where prevention is definitely better than cure. Just bearing this is in mind is a step towards ensuring you are adequately hydrated.

Remember thirst isn’t a reliable indicator and often lags behind your actual need for hydration. There are a couple of easy ways to keep an eye on your hydration.

The old favourite is to monitor the frequency and character of your urination. If your bladder is full at least every 3–5 hours and your urine is a light straw colour, it’s unlikely that dehydration is occurring. If your urine is deeply coloured and/or you urinate infrequently or not at all, your fluid intake probably isn’t enough to maintain proper hydration.

Another quick indicator is saliva. If you can draw plenty of saliva into your mouth – as if you’re about to spit – it’s a rough and ready indicator of adequate hydration.

As part of your normal body function you lose water in urine and through the bowels, through the lungs as water vapour and through the skin by perspiration. The factor you have most control over is perspiration. In warm or humid weather or during heavy exertion the water loss can increase through perspiration. In extreme cases, the losses may be great enough to exceed your body’s ability to absorb water.

Sweating should be regulated by paying attention to your fitness, your activity level and the ambient temperature.

When large amounts of water are being lost through perspiration and being replaced by drinking water, maintaining proper electrolyte balance becomes critical. If travelling in an environment where heavy perspiration is likely your kit should include some means of replacing lost electrolytes.

In dry cold climates you can lose a surprising amount of water through the lungs as water vapour. In a cold environment you also tend to urinate more frequently. Fortunately there’s likely to be snow on the ground so it’s easy to keep an eye on your urine colour.

You’ll read much about coffee and tea being diuretic so speeding up dehydration. This is true. Many sources advise you to avoid them but you still take in more water in tea and coffee than is expelled by their diuretic effect. In extremes – in a survival situation where every single drop counts or in a hot environment – you’d probably be best to avoid them but in more normal circumstances they’re just another good way of getting fluids into your system.

Establish a firm routine for collecting and purifying drinking water and making sure you’re adequately hydrated.

My normal routine is to make sure enough water is available to have a good drink in the morning. If I’m boiling my drinking water I’ll do it in the afternoon or evening when I cook. In the morning the coffee or tea is brewed while camp is cleared up. A cup or two chased down with a good chug on some water and I’m ready to go.

Aim to get your urine to the straw-like colour at least once in the day. Of course you can do this whenever you like but doing it in the morning sets you up for a day on the trail and reduces the risk of interrupting a good night’s sleep with bleary eyed stumbling to have a pee.

Above all, pay attention to your body and its needs, bear in mind the science and you shouldn’t go far wrong.

10 Ways To Avoid Dehydration Outdoors

In this article you’ll learn:

• The importance of water
• What is dehydration?
• The symptoms of dehydration
• The Particular Problems Of Dehydration In The Outdoors
• Am I dehydrated?
• How to treat dehydration

The Importance Of Water

All known forms of life depend on water for their survival.

Medical textbooks generally agree that somewhere around 60 percent of adult male, and 50 percent of adult female body weight is water. This means a the amount of water in a man of average weight (70 kilograms or 154 lbs) is approximately 40 litres (85 US Pints).

Water is vital to your body both as a solvent and as an essential part of many metabolic processes within the body. It helps digest your food, transport waste, and control your body temperature. Without water, these metabolic processes could not exist and your body would begin to malfunction at a cellular level.

In short, water is essential to human life.

What Is Dehydration?

Dehydration is defined as the excessive loss of body fluid. It’s important to remember that dehydration does not only mean loss of water. Water and electrolytes (mainly sodium and potassium) are usually lost in roughly the same proportion they exist in blood plasma.

The Symptoms Of Dehydration

If you’re dehydrated, you’ll start to notice thirst and discomfort, headaches similar to having a hangover possibly along with loss of appetite and dry skin. If you’re hiking, skiing, biking or some other strenuous activity, you may experience flushing, low endurance, rapid heart rate, elevated body temperatures, and rapid onset of fatigue.

Dehydration symptoms generally become noticeable after 2% of your normal water volume has been lost.

Think about this for a second. If you weigh 70 kilos (154 lbs) your body contains around 40 litres (85 US Pints) of water when you are hydrated. A 2% loss is just under a litre – 800ml to be precise (1.7 US Pints). This means by the time you start noticing the symptoms of dehydration you’re probably already short of nearly a litre of fluids.

If dehydration continues, you may notice other symptoms including decreased urine volume, abnormally dark urine, cloudy urine, stinging during urination, sudden episodes of visual snow, unexplained tiredness, irritability, lack of tears when crying, headache, dry mouth, decreased blood pressure (hypotension) and dizziness when standing due to orthostatic hypotension.

In moderate to severe dehydration, there may be no urine output at all. This is where it starts to get serious. Symptoms include lethargy or extreme sleepiness, seizures, fainting, and sunken eyes.

The symptoms become increasingly severe with greater water loss. Heart and respiration rates increase to compensate for decreased plasma volume and blood pressure. Body temperature may rise as the body struggles to sweat.

At around 5% to 6% water loss (this is still only around 2 litres (2.1 US Pints) for our 70 kilo example) , you may become groggy or sleepy, experience headaches or nausea, and may feel tingling in your limbs (paraesthesia)

With 10% to 15% fluid loss, your muscles may become spastic, your skin may shrivel and wrinkle (decreased skin turgor)

Fluid losses greater than 15% are usually fatal.

Particular Problems Of Dehydration For The Wilderness Traveller

As you can imagine from these symptoms, anything beyond minor dehydration can cause serious problems when you are engaged in wilderness travel, using cutting tools or making navigation decisions. In a survival situation longer than a day or two, your ability to secure water will probably make the difference between life and death.

When you are removed from the reliable, easy, clean sources of water you usually have on tap (sorry!) you need to take care of what you drink and work hard to make sure you drink enough. Water, rather than being a commodity, assumes its rightful position as something that is precious – a vital preserver of your life and your body’s ability to function.

Both hypothermia and hyperthermia are very much linked with hydration. Blood plasma volume is key to your body’s ability to maintain an optimal core temperature. Think of your home heating system or your car’s cooling system. When either of these run low on fluids the entire system breaks down.

If you lead or travel with groups in the outdoors, dehydration, along with hypothermia and hyperthermia, should be closely monitored in the group as one individual’s problem can quickly turn into a serious situation for the whole group.

If water is being lost through vomiting or diarrhoea, an electrolyte imbalance can develop very quickly into a medical emergency. In remote wilderness areas this is a dangerous situation, especially for the lone traveller. To avoid finding yourself in a survival situation you should make it your business to know the ins and outs of purifying drinking water and pay close attention to hygiene and sanitation.

Similarly, fever and burns (including sunburn) increase body temperature requiring more fluid for the body to function properly.

Am I Dehydrated?

Thirst isn’t a reliable indicator and often lags behind your actual need for hydration. There are a couple of easy ways to keep an eye on your hydration:

The old favourite is to monitor the frequency and character of your urination. If your bladder is full at least every 3–5 hours and your urine is a light straw colour, it’s unlikely that dehydration is occurring. If your urine is deeply coloured and/or you urinate infrequently or not at all, your fluid intake probably isn’t enough to maintain proper hydration.

Another quick indicator is saliva. If you can draw plenty of saliva into your mouth – as if you’re about to spit – it’s a rough and ready indicator of adequate hydration. This is an easy way for the an outdoor group leader to monitor their group. Group members are often less than keen for you to closely inspect their urination habits! (Of course for the outdoor leader working in snow the urination of others can be monitored easily!).

How To Treat Dehydration

The most effective treatment for minor dehydration is drinking water and stopping excessive fluid loss. Small, frequent sips provide your body with the best chance to absorb fluids. Remember that plain water restores only the volume of the blood plasma and doesn’t restore electrolyte balance.

For minor dehydration this shouldn’t be a problem but if you’ve been sweating heavily and rehydrating solutions are available it might be worth taking a sachet. If you don’t have rehydrating solution with you dissolve a small amount of salt in water or try flat fizzy drinks (soda) – if you happen to have such things with you.

More severe cases require the replenishment of necessary water and electrolytes through oral rehydration therapy or fluid replacement by intravenous therapy. As oral rehydration is less painful, less invasive, less expensive, and easier to provide, it is the treatment of choice for mild dehydration. Solutions used for intravenous rehydration must be isotonic or hypotonic. Pure water injected into the veins will cause the breakdown of red blood cells. At this stage you’re needing professional medical care and evacuation.

Sources for further in depth study

Textbook of medical physiology, Guyton & Hall 2006

Textbook of basic nursing, Rosdahl & Kowalski 2008

Human body composition, Heymsfield 2005

Oxford handbook of expedition and wilderness medicine, Johnson, Anderson, Dallimore, Winser, Warrell 2008

Wilderness and Survival Medicine, Breen 2011

Dehydration – Its Importance For The Wilderness Traveller