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Summer
Prospecting - Extreme Heat Survival Tactics by
G.M. "DOC" Lousignont, Ph.D., Profile Prospecting Supply -Reprint by
permission to AZOD, Inc. Not
wishing to think I am anything less than a manly man, who loves to be in the
great outdoors, regardless of the weather or temperature, and sweat manly sweat,
and develop manly smells emanating from my armpits that make cacti within a 100
yard radius die, I struck out into the desert this past Thursday June 6th, in
111 degree heat! ARGHH Me HARDIES! Well,
there is a benefit to hunting in this kind of heat. It slows you down so much
that you actually may find a nugget. I only found one nugget but I don't think I
would have found it if I was going at my normal rate. The nuggie was under a big
flat rock measuring about 10 inches by 20 inches by 3 inches thick. You could
not hear the nugster through the rock, and you could barely hear it at the edge
of the rock. Armed with by trusty Minelab GP Extreme, and 14 inch COILTEK coil I
stood there for what seemed like 10 minutes rubbing my coil back and forth
against the edge of that rock in a heat induced stupor. I was trying to decide
whether it was a target. All of a sudden, after a gulp of water, I had this
brilliant idea! MOVE THE DAMN ROCK! You see all the expensive equipment in the
world is no substitute for using your head! As
soon as I moved the rock and was able to put the coil over the target I got a
nice clear crisp signal. Six to seven inches, two fist sized rocks, twenty
minutes, a gallon of sweat and 27 dead cactus later, I popped out this nice
little 1.2 pennyweight nuggamoola. I
just knelt there on the ground looking at that pretty little gold nugget laying
on top of the pile of dirt glistening in all of its glory in the hot desert sun.
My mind raced as I realized that since the beginning of time when God and Mother
Nature collaborated to create and deposit this anomaly of geological formations,
I was the first person to ever lay eyes on this "tear from the sun."
If that doesn't give you a special feeling and make you feel more connected to
life, then you just don't get what this prospecting thing is all about. I
tried to pick the nugget up, but in my depleted condition I was too weak to lift
it. I would have never recovered it if not for the fact that I passed out and
fell face first into the pile of dirt and the nugget lodged between the gap in
my front teeth. All
kidding aside, this heat is not for the weak of heart, or body, or spirit! If
you are not in good physical condition then don't attempt to hunt in these
extreme conditions. I hunt all year round and have always hunted the whole
summer. The hottest temperatures I hunted in last year was 117. After nine hours
in the sun I was able to stand my shirt in a corner; it was so stiff from all
the salt deposited on it from sweat. A
couple of recommendations.
In
this kind of heat allow yourself a gallon and a half of water for the day with a
2 gallon emergency backup in your truck. You may need this extra water to pour
on yourself in case of heat related illness. I carry a 5 gallon Hinckley &
Schmitt type water jug in case of being stranded. I always carry enough canned
goods to see me through a week. I carry a GPS with me at all times, and I have
one of the old type lunch box looking 5 watt cell phones. I have to pay $29.95
extra a month to have this cell phone because naturally it has a different phone
number than my little portable phone, however, I can get a good reliable cell
signal anywhere I hunt. A dollar a day is worth the protection of being in touch
with the outside world in case of an emergency. I
have had 15 skin cancer lesions removed from my face, arms, shoulders, chest.
All as a result of sun damaged I got as a child. Don't screw around with skin
cancer! Fortunately the cancers I had were all basal cell carcinomas which are
very slow growing and are easily removed, completely. However, I know other
nugget hunters that have had melanomas removed! Melanomas are the deadliest kind
of skin cancer; very often fatal if not caught in time. Which
brings me to my next point, always wear gloves! Oh I know it's not macho to wear
gloves! Who gives a rat's patoot! The melanoma that my Aussie friend had removed
was on his hand! In
addition to gloves protecting your hand from the sun there are other good
reasons. #1.
Dry desert dirt has a very drying effect on your hands. You will soon have all
the moisture sucked out of your hands and they will crack and bleed and be very
painful. No one will want to hold hands with you at the movies. #2.
Gloves protect your hands from abrasions when moving rocks. They protect against
blisters when wielding a pick. #3.
They protect your hands when you pick up dirt as you never know what's in the
dirt. Hoss Blackman while in Australia, picked up a handful of dirt and got
bitten by a white centipede. Not deadly, but very painful. Get
yourself cabretta leather roping gloves. This is the same leather they make golf
gloves out of and they are very supple, thin and soft. You will not even know
you are wearing gloves! I
bought a Platypus 2 liter water bladder with the tubing and bite valve. Get one,
and use it, you must stay hydrated. Forget
the fancy dancy ones that come in a backpack, they are a pain in the rear. Just
get the bladder and then fashion your own holder. I used neoprene with a fabric
on one side that is like the loop side of velcro. I then sewed a piece of fabric
onto it making a long horizontal pocket, and sewed a piece of hook velcro on the
one end. I put the bladder in the pocket and wrap this around my lower back like
a belt, above my battery pack. I secure it in front with the velcro tab that
sticks to the material on the neoprene. Now
here's a trick. The night before you go out, throw that bladder in the freezer.
When you get out to the field, strap that baby on with that solid piece of ice
in the middle of your back smack dab over your kidneys. As you hunt the ice
melts and provides an icy refreshing drink as the remaining ice helps to keep
you cooled down. I
can't overemphasize how important it is to use one of these hydration bladders
as opposed to a canteen. With a canteen you have to stop, get your canteen, use
both hands to open it, take a drink and then resume your hunting. Net result?
You don't drink as much or as often as you should because it is too
inconvenient. In
extreme heat you should be hydrating no less than every 10 minutes. With a
hydration bladder this is a no brainer. The sipper bite valve on the end of the
tubing has a small clamp that allows you to attach it close to your mouth. I
clamp it to my suspenders, and the bite valve sits to the right of my mouth. If
I need a drink I turn my head slightly, grab the bite valve in my mouth, gently
depress the valve with my teeth and drink till by heart's content. I never have
to stop, or miss a swing. Now
it's all about finding gold right? Well yes, as long as you can do it safely,
but it's about having fun too. Well you are more likely to find gold and have
fun if you are operating at your peak, and your body cannot do that without
proper hydration. Don't argue, I have a wife and children for that! Get a
hydration bladder and use it! Another
important factor when working in extreme heat is Hyponatremia. No that's not
being put into a trance where your subconscious mind is programmed to find gold;
that's hypnosis! Hey, I wonder if being hypnotized would improve my gold finding
abilities? Anything for science! Hyponatremia
is a condition suffered when the body gets low on sodium. When you are drinking
a lot of water, and profusely sweating the sodium level in your blood stream
becomes severely diluted. It is recommended that you ingest one gram of sodium
per hour. Now as soon as someone says sodium, someone always thinks of salt!
Salt is Sodium Chloride. In order to get one gram of Sodium you would need to
ingest 2.5 grams of salt. That will yield 1 gram of Sodium and 1.5 grams of
Chloride. You
can take salt tablets, however they give the body a jolt of Sodium and then the
Sodium level falls off. It is better to carry along some salty type foods.
Pretzels, corn chips, Wheat Thins, or similar snacks will help you keep your
sodium levels up and also provide carbohydrates for energy. The
spectrum of symptoms can range from mild to severe and can include nausea,
muscle cramps, disorientation, slurred speech, confusion, and inappropriate
behavior. As it progresses, victims may experience seizures or coma, and death
can occur. Severe hyponatremia is a true medical emergency. (http://www.rice.edu/~jenky/sports/salt.html)
Wear
a hat with a piece of clothe to cover your neck. You can either get a Protector
Detector hat like I have available, or take a baseball hat and sew a piece of
fabric into it. Sew the fabric all the way around so it covers your ears as
well. Use a jersey type material. Jersey is soft and absorbent. Put your
headphones on over the material. In this way perspiration from your ears, under
hot headphones, is absorbed and wicked outside to evaporate. Your ears stay dry
and cool. If
you are out of shape then don't venture too far from your car. There are three
conditions that can occur in this kind of heat. One is heat cramps. This is not
life threatening. The next is heat exhaustion which is serious,. The other,
which is very serious is heat stroke! If you do not know the difference, all the
symptoms, or the treatment, you can get detailed information by looking it up on
the internet. Briefly,
heat cramps are caused by muscle contractions in both the gastronomies or
hamstring area (back of calves). Water, cool air and rest is the treatment. Heat
exhaustion The
symptoms of heat exhaustion can range from mild to severe and can include
nausea, muscle cramps, disorientation, slurred speech, confusion, elevated body
temperature, and inappropriate behavior. (That's what my wife calls my love of
gold prospecting; inappropriate behavior!) As it progresses, victims may
experience seizures or coma, and death can occur. Get yourself somewhere cool
and shady. Increase your intakes of liquids, and replace electrolytes with
things like sports drinks. Place cool rags on your body or soak your clothes
with your emergency water supply. If body temperature remains elevated even
after treatment, it's best to consult your doctor. Heat
stroke is a medical emergency and the person exhibiting symptoms should be
immediately evacuated for medical attention. I
have suffered from both heat exhaustion and heat stroke prior to learning how to
survive desert heat. The
two primary indications of heat stroke are a red flushed face and that you stop
sweating. You will usually become disoriented and not be thinking clearly. If
you stop sweating you are in trouble and in the throws of heat stroke, which can
be fatal. You must treat yourself immediately, and follow up with medical
attention as soon as possible. If
you get over heated, head for your car, start it up, pour water on your clothes
and turn the air conditioner on. Start hydrating yourself like crazy. I like to
keep sports drinks in the cooler of my car for just such an emergency. Call it
quits for the day. If you feel you may be suffering from heat stroke call for
help. Remember a body temperature approaching 106 or above can cause headaches,
rapid pulse, seizures, unconsciousness, coma and death! If
towards mid day you start to get a headache that is a sure sign that you have
not had enough to drink, and you are getting dehydrated. Make sure you carry
food with you. Whether or not you have lunch back at the car in a cooler,
ALWAYS, sun or snow, take along a couple of granola bars in case you need
energy. That's
all I can type for now as my two fingers are tired. I'm sure you can all think
of some additional helpful hints for keeping cool, while acting a fool, trying
to find the golden jewel! If
you happen to run across my dry rotting sun bleached bones in the desert
someday, pour a little water on me in memory. You can have my metal detector but
keep your hands off my gold! Remember, Be Careful Out There! DOC
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