Blog

Whilst trekking the GR221, I suffered from heat exhaustion and the early stages of heatstroke. With the benefit of hindsight, I was showing the signs of severe heat exhaustion for some time before things went seriously downhill. Towards the end of the previous day, I had been struggling with the heat and wasn’t feeling too good. What I didn’t know was that heat exhaustion can build over multiple days.

On that day we had already climbed around 800m in extreme heat and were in a steep-sided limestone canyon that reflected the sun and funnelled the heat! I was displaying multiple symptoms of heat exhaustion but we simply didn’t realise until it was too late. Had we stopped and waited in the shade until I recovered then things would probably been very different. Instead, we were chasing the clock to get to our destination even though we had plenty of time.

I became progressively more unwell but was unaware of it until I ended up semiconscious, disoriented, unable to stand and hallucinating. It was an extremely serious situation which ultimately resulted in a helicopter rescue by the Guardia Civil made possible by carrying a Garmin Inreach Mini.

The Garmin enabled me to let someone know I was in big trouble. It seems a small investment to provide peace of mind and extra safety doing what we love.

Listen to what your body is telling you. I missed the signs and kept going when my body was telling me to stop, sit down and take a rest in the shade.

We were only stopping for a few minutes when it should have been until I had recovered. We kept walking in the heat of the day and should have waited until the day cooled. A big lesson but one I will remember and thought it was worth sharing so that hopefully other people can benefit.

Here are some key signs to look out for heat exhaustion and heat stroke –

Heat Exhaustion

This is caused by the body overheating due to high temperature or exertion in hot weather. It is not as serious as heatstroke but heat exhaustion can develop into heatstroke which is a more serious and dangerous condition.

Symptoms and Signs for Heat Exhaustion

• Sweating heavily all over the body
• Feeling tired and weak
• Intense thirst
• Rapid pulse that weakens
• Feeling dizzy or lightheaded
• Nausea
• Headache
• Muscle cramps
• Moist or cold skin despite hot conditions

Heatstroke

Many of the symptoms are similar so it is difficult to tell when heat exhaustion becomes heatstroke.

• High fever, body temperature of 40°C plus
• Confusion
• Disorientated
• Slurred speech
• Delirium
• Headache
• Flushed red skin
• Change in sweating – skin can feel hot and dry
• Racing heart rate
• Rapid breathing
• Unconsciousness
• Nausea and vomiting

What to do if you or your walking partner show signs of heat exhaustion

• Get them to lie down in a cooler place – somewhere shaded from the sun.
• Remove excess clothing to allow as much skin as possible to be uncovered.
• Cool their skin with whatever you have available to you. Cool water or a wet cloth on their head and neck is perfect.
• Fan their skin, this will help to evaporate sweat or the water that you poured on which has a cooling effect.
• Drink plenty of fluids, ideally with electrolytes to replace lost salts.
• Avoid any further exertion until they cool down.

Hopefully, their condition should start to improve within a relatively short time – 30-60 minutes or so. Within an hour I had gone from hallucinating and being semiconscious to being able to think rationally again.

If there is no improvement then you will need emergency help.

If you suspect heatstroke then you should take the same action but call for help immediately. Heatstroke can be extremely serious and result in long-term damage to the brain, heart and kidneys and even death.

(Sources - NHS UK, Mayo Clinic, Red Cross, Centre for Disease Control and Prevention)

Danny Pearson
Dan is a keen distance walker who loves to geek over the latest gear. In the last few years, Dan has completed a couple of TGO Challenge crossings of Scotland (with another planned for 2024), GR221 in Mallorca, Dales High Route and Hadrian’s Wall plus countless other self-planned routes. A keen mountain biker but finds he doesn’t bounce so well these days when the inevitable happens. Read more from Danny Pearson