Mt Whitney Zone Forums General Discussion Hyponatremia on the trail

From time to time here, there have been discussions about hikers who follow the adage to drink water on Whitney, but they drink TOO MUCH.

In this recent Grand Canyon case, where it is hotter and drinking enough water is more of a problem, apparently one can still drink too much, and dilute one's sodium levels too low. This electroyte disturbance can cause neurological and neuromuscular problems. The victim of 6/11/13 had to be airlifted out:

Grand Canyon National Park (AZ)
Ailing Hiker Rescued Via Helicopter Short-Haul

Late in the day on Tuesday, June 4th, visitors found a 29-year-old man in severe distress on the North Kaibab Trail. The hiker reportedly drank large amounts of water, but had eaten very little food. This, coupled with the expected increased perspiration while hiking in hot temperatures, led rangers to believe this visitor was suffering from a potentially life-threatening condition due to low blood sodium levels known as hyponatremia. Responding via helicopter, ranger/medic Brian Bloom utilized a portable blood chemistry instrument (iStat) to confirm his suspicions and begin appropriate field treatment. Due to the serious nature of the man's condition and the lack of nearby landing zones, he was helicopter short-hauled with Bloom from switchbacks in the Redwall to the North Rim helibase. He was then placed inside the helicopter, flown to the South Rim, and taken from there to Flagstaff Medical Center.

Also notable in the story was the rangers use of a portable blood analyzer to confirm the diagnosis.
I was surprised at this, and not only for the fact that it is very expensive, a refurb model is $6,500 iStat

I know hyponatremia is a favorite topic of yours Harvey - but in all the years of hiking, I've NEVER seen a situation of a hiker in trouble because of it. However, I've seen dozens of situations where hikers have gotten in trouble because they haven't drunk enough fluids.

Of the two - under hydration vs. over hydration - under is by FAR the greater problem. There are many "newbies" who read and/or post on these boards, and I think we do them a disservice by implying that over-hydration is a large problem.

I understand your comments, KevinR. It is so rare to hear of over-hydration with hikers. It more often occurs with neophyte marathon runners. This is the first instance I've seen of a hiker. And of course, it was in Grand Canyon, where water is much more scarce and the temperatures much higher than the Sierra, so a hiker would be more likely to overcompensate.

It is true that in the Sierra, people usually don't drink enough. There are several factors causing that:
1. Due to the cooler temps, hikers often don't feel thirsty. This is true for me, for sure.

2. Most people want to filter or treat their water in the Sierra, making it more difficult and time-consuming to obtain water. So they bypass the opportunities. Many experienced hikers skip the treatment, and just dip and drink. I have done that for the past 10 years, once I realized most of the warnings are there as a "CYA" policy. (CYA = the government cannot guarantee stream water is clean, so they tell people to filter or treat ...even though they have never found enough contamination to make a hiker sick.)

When hiking, people should drink one half to a full liter of water per hour. They should be drinking enough that they need to urinate every several hours. Anything less, and it can lead to, or worsen, the altitude sickness symptoms.

Edit: As a side note, this topic brings to mind the January, 2007 "Win a Wii" contest at a Sacramento radio station where one of the participants died. Ten radio station employees were fired, and the woman's family was awarded $16M. Here's the WPS discussion: Death from drinking too much water, and here's a report of the death and jury award: Jury Awards $16 Million in Fatal Win-a-Wii Stunt
It is all over the Internet: Hold your Pee for a Wii

Actually, dull brains at high altitude is my favorite topic.
(that was not a gibe or a joke)

Hyponatremia is just another sports sidebar that someone else here brought up. I forget who.
I agree with Kev, I too have never actually seen a hiking case, but yes in the hospital when not sports related.

The Grand Canyon heat situation is clearly a different situation than Whitney.
The reason I actually posted it was to see if anyone who is a gadget-nut wants to add the fancy expensive blood analyzer to their gear list. I was surprised the ranger had it. I imagine it must, again, be due to the GC conditions and the need to sort out the differential diagnosis when they find someone in extremis.

Something about the fact that I just read about a wagbag floating in one of the Main Trail water sources (cannot remember if it was Lone Pine Lake) right before I read this quote made me laugh out loud. Drinking someone else's crap may not make me biologically sick, but it would sure bee hard on the psyche. Yum Yum.

Link to a previous thread on this topic.

Thanks for that link, wagga. I re-read it. Our park guy George said that there was a program at GC to remind people about the special water and electrolyte needs there

One of my favorite radio stations has a saying I really like... they play it occasionally between segments...it goes something like this:

We're number one at reporting on their number two.

lol...makes me laugh every time I hear it. .. not sure it fits in this thread but you all were talking about #2...
ooops...maybe you weren't...sorry