How much water do we need in a day?

Here in Belo Horizonte we're at about 3500 feet and the mountains are higher than that. I notice that everything dries very quickly. We're not high enough to use high altitude cooking but it does make a difference. Normally our humidity is very low, unlike coastal Brazil or the Amazon.

The heat here will get into the high 90's low 100's (38 - 40 C). The hottest times are during rainy season when it STOPS RAINING. The sun comes out and all that humidity turns the place into a steam bath. As long as it keeps raining it stays relatively cool.

Water isn't a problem when we have high heat becuase it's everywhere at that time of year. The end of dry season leaves the bush like a desert but temps are cool. The most dangerous time of the year is the extreme end of dry season when the temps are climbing but the rains haven't arrived yet. The bush has a coating of dust on it that makes everything that isn't actually dead look like it is. The higher elevations have totally drained at that point and you can easily get caught, literally, high and dry with not a drop in sight. Sure, there's water down in the valley, or down in the next valley over, but it could be four to eight hours away.

We have some funky geology here where the water only drains out of one side of the mountain. The one slope will be covered with springs but the reverse slope will be totally dry. You can't just take it for granted that a slope will have springs farther down or that the valley will even have water. To complicate things further good luck finding a topo map in South America. Mac
 
I am surprised the Brazilian government or one of the big ag concerns has not ariel photod and photogrametry'd every inch of the country. Or is it proprietary?
 
Randjack,

Put it this way. A friend of mine is a geologist from Germany. He teaches at the Federal University. I figured if anyone can get his hands on topo maps it would be him. So I asked him and he actually laughed.

He was called in on a dam project because they found some unique geolgical formations and wanted to know how to deal with them. The formation was in the area where they were planning to build the dam. He asked them for the map and they gave him the map of the actual construction site. When he asked for the map of the lake that would form they kind of looked at him funny. There was no map of the eventual lake! That set him on a search for topo maps and he couldn't find one. He asked me if I find a source for maps that I call him.

There's a reason they call this the developing world. I've been looking for topo maps for five years and haven't found a source yet. I did find a website that advertises sat photos but you have to subscribe and then they don't have close 1 meter resolution. Mac
 
Pict,

There are plenty of mapping services that will generate custom digital or paper maps from satalite imaging. Just tell them what section you want and what resolution level and they will produce it for you. A bit expensive for a casual hike; but, there is no reason for not having them on a major engineering project.

Check with these guys:
http://www.mapmart.com/Topo/Raster.htm

n2s
 
woodybushman said:
I see a lot of city people drinking more water in a day than i do on a strenous hike in 40 Celuis weather. What happens is that as the person consumes large amounts of water over the course of the day, blood plasma (the liquid part of blood) increases. As this takes place, the salt content of the blood is diluted. At the same time, the person is losing salt by sweating (normal body function). Consequently, the amount of salt available to the body tissues decreases over time to a point where the loss interferes with brain, heart, and muscle function.

The official name for this condition is hyponatremia. The symptoms generally mirror those of dehydration (apathy, confusion, nausea, and fatigue), although some individuals show no symptoms at all. If untreated, hyponatremia can lead to coma and even death.

i have seen people in office settings, and other settings, collapse from drinking so much bottled water a day. One girl i know, drinks on average 3 liters of water an hour :eek: I drink lots of water (when required) but damn i tried to drink what she does and there is no way i can intake that amount of water, yet every two seconds she is mouthing the water bottle....

i always add a pinch of salt to every liter of water i drink. better safe than sory....
Click to expand...
Maybe she just likes the feeling of something in her mouth? I didn't read the article and I don't care to. Common sence tells you if you feel the need to drink...do it. No brainer. Why do people drink so much water? How much do we really need? Ask ten people including Doctors and get ten different answers. We are so obsessed with our health that we make ourself sick by worrying about it. How many glasses of milk a day? 4 right? Nothing about water untill the last ten or so years. They say 8 bottles of water a day!! EIGHT!! How many is that a week? Fifty six!! No wonder we drive huge SUV's Around!! You need a damn burrow to carry that around with you. I hike alot (well not this year) and when I do I carry maybe two bottles with me and some tablets or other type of purifation with me to fill them up if I feel the need. Ok rant off...sorry. :D
 
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