SOCAL Summer Hiking Safety Tips

SUMMERTIME, AND THE LIVING’S EASY

SOCAL SUMMER HIKING SAFETY TIPS

BY SCOTT TURNER

Summer is just around the corner, and with that, a whole world of hiking opportunities open- and close. SoCal’s long, hot summer, which kicks off in early July and sometimes doesn’t really let up until November, creates extremely hot and dangerous conditions across the region’s interior, including the deserts and inland valleys. Heat creates a range of possible life-threatening conditions, including dehydration, heat cramps, heat exhaustion, and mostseriously, heat stroke.

Thankfully, our spectacular range of micro climates and habitats ensures that you can find safe, comfortable, and spectacular places to hike- provided you’re armed with the right information. This handy list of “rules of thumb” will ensure that the summer doldrums don’t bog down your hiking life.

WORKING 9 TO 5

When it comes to summer hiking in Southern California, it’s not so much a matter of where, but of when. Midday temperatures can exceed 100 degrees Fahrenheit pretty much anywhere at anytime, but those temperatures don’t usually peak until 2 or 3 p.m. Even if daytime temperatures are forecast to be in the triple digits, morning temperatures will usually be a more moderate 65-70 degrees Fahrenheit around sunrise.

So, look. I know many of you are going to cringe when I say, “Get up before the ass crack of dawn, and get off the trail before 9 am.” However, it’s incontrovertible that the safest, most enjoyable, and most beautiful times to hike during the summer are at dawn and in the hours immediately after. Almost any trail, excepting those in the desert, can be safe during this time, provided you stay off the trails between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.

BRING ON THE NIGHT

Although many trails in Southern California are open only to day use, there are a number of places that allow hiking during the night. A night hike to a place like Iron Mountain or Woodson Mountain via Highway 67 allows hikers to enjoy the cool of the evening while taking in the views under the light of a full moon.

Sunsets are an essential component in this experience, and summertime sunsets are often exceptional. Provided you come equipped with a headlamp to light your way (don’t rely on your phone’s light, since it sucks up battery life), you can enjoy the magic of an evening hike. Just be sure to check ahead to make sure the trail you’re eyeing isn’t closed at night.

HIGHER GROUND

Quick physics lesson: generally speaking, temperatures decrease by 3 to 5 degrees Fahrenheit for every 1,000 feet of elevation gained. This general rule doesn’t factor in micro-climates and slope aspect (the direction a slope faces respective to the sun), but it’s a hint toward another strategy: hike at elevation.

Thankfully, Southern California features numerous mountain ranges whose elevations exceed 6,000 feet. At these locations, especially with an early start, you can enjoy temperatures that can be 10 to 30 degrees cooler than inland valleys, which roast beneath the summer sun. Seeking out high elevation hikes while abandoning inland hikes below 5,000 feet can ensure that temperatures don’t reach dangerous levels. And the views aren’t too shabby, either.

BEACH STRONG

The Pacific Ocean receives a continuous flow of cold water from the Gulf of Alaska thanks to the California Current. Although the ocean surface often warms up to nearly tropical levels by mid-September, the cooling influence of the ocean ensures that the land within 5-10 miles of the ocean experiences moderate temperatures thanks to consistent ocean breezes that provide natural air-conditioning. If the mountains are out of reach for you, consider any number of hikes near the coast. Possible options include Torrey Pines, the Santa Monica Mountains, and even a good old-fashioned beach walk at low tide.

THUNDERSTRUCK

Every summer, a massive ridge of high pressure sets up shop over the Four Corners region of the southwest. This high pressure ridge shunts tropical moisture from the Gulf of California eastward across Arizona and toward the Southern California mountains. Under the right conditions, this atmospheric setup produces powerful thunderstorms that bring on torrential downpours, hail, and scariest of all, lightning.

Thunderstorms usually fire up after noon when the temperatures rise, so if you are hiking in the mountains, be sure to be back under tree cover before the afternoon, lest you risk exposing yourself to lightning strikes.