“HYDRATE, hydrate, hydrate.” That’s what I was told on the first day of my desert hike in the Red Centre. I was with a group of bushwalkers experiencing the Simpson Desert and the on-site doctor didn’t mince his words. I’d been to this part of Australia many times but never so early into the walking season. It was late April and the daytime temperature would be at least 35°C and only a few degrees cooler in the shade. So I did what I was told: hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. I added electrolytes to my waterbottle and wore a wide brimmed hat. I did everything I could to stay cool and yet I still got heat exhaustion.
Delayed reaction
The strange thing was I didn’t experience it until I was out of the desert and on my way back to Sydney on the plane.
