Coffee before a hike

[Neil]

From the Physician and Sports medicine:

Caffeine and Hydration

Caffeine also has a diuretic effect—that is, it enhances urine formation, often causing a need to urinate within an hour after consumption. Yet two studies with subjects who took caffeine before they exercised (1,2) showed no detrimental effects on hydration during exercise. Thus it appears that caffeine does not increase urine production during exercise. The extra adrenaline your body secretes during exercise may block caffeine's effect on the kidneys (3). However, responses to caffeine vary, so you should base your preexercise consumption on how caffeine affects your body.

 

[KayakDan]

Usually have a cup on the way to a trailhead,but Mrs KD and I have gone D-Caff!
I figured I could do without the caffeine so I just switched to decaf-and after spending a couple of fuzzy days on an unknown planet-I was fine.

Next item is give up the beer......noooo,I don't think so..

 

[Double Bow]

DaveD told me that in the morning there are two types of people, fluffy bunnies and wolverines. I am definately a wolverine! I am irratable but I keep quiet so others don't realize that I'm getting p*ssed off at every little thing they say or do.
Once sufficient time has passed or I have a cup of coffee, I'm as pleasant as can be!

Therefore, I try to have a cup of coffee every morning. I only have one cup a day and it's not quite everyday. I do drink a soda in the afternoon at work to keep me going and I'll have some caffiene on the way home from a hike to stay awake. I never get headaches from not having it.

 

[spaddock]

Coffee is a definite must for me before hiking, I don't like headaches on the trail.

Maybe I should try a Nalgene full of Mountain Dew?


-Shayne

 

[rhihn]

Just found this and this on the subject of caffeine.


Dick

 

[king tut]

I don't always drink coffee, but i do maybe every other day. I do enjoy coffee before the big hikes, normally w/ a McDonalds 8,000 calorie breakfast. After any side effects from the food(normally happens on the drive to the trailhead), i have lots of energy and calories to burn while hiking. The only downside is that if I drink too much, i turn into "Tweek", i start twitching in my car and when i get out, i run straight up the mountain.

The only time i do not drink coffee is in the middle of the summer when it is hot. I get dehydrated very easy, so i have to drink lots and lots of water.

As far as dehydration-one quick story. I had a friend in high school who drank his first cup of coffee ever the morning before a nordic ski race. He did the race, but collapsed afterward and had to go to the hospital because he was so severely dehydrated.

 

[timmus]

I love coffee. And driving from Mtl to ADK's without it would make me stay at home. Sometimes when I come back to my car after a hike, 9h later, I finish my coffee from the morning. Only in winter though...

I drink a lot more water because of it, and of course I have to make many pee stops while hiking. But I don't care, what is more fun than having your butt in the snow ?

 

[MattC]

Almost never drink coffee at all, but I drink a lot of tea, both green and decaf/herb. I like green tea because it has a little caffiene, but not as much as coffee. I have also read about the fat-metabolizing thing Neil mentions.

In the winter I almost invariably have tea on the way to the trailhead, which generally results in several quick stops during the first hour or so on the trail, as my frequent hiking partners can attest.

Although, I don't drink the joe, Teejay's coffee pot did indeed get me up while carcamping for the Catskill Escarpment hike last May. I used to have a housemate who was one of those wolverines Doublebow describes-this guy would literally walk into the kitchen scowling and grunting and would not say a word until he had the first sip of coffee. He'd have the first sip and then he'd be okay. It was like watching a junkie fix up.

Matt

 

[Frodo]

I am another one of those rare people who has never drank a cup of coffee (never liked the smell of it). When I am driving long distances to trailheads in the middle of the night with only 2 hours of sleep (when only drunks and newspaper delivery trucks are on the road), I crank loud tunes to stay awake, and when that doesn't work, I occasionally stick my head out the window, and when it gets to the point when that doesn't work, I contimplate giving myself a "quick punch to the groin" (which would wake a man out of a coma) . FORTUNATELY, just the THOUGHT of giving myself a "quick punch to the groin" has worked well in causing me to become WIDE AWAKE, so I have never had to actually resort to doing it.

 

[forestgnome]

atmosphere

Every hiking day starts with yummy coffee, a sausage-egg-bagel sandwich, Enya, and sage on the ride to the trailhead. Ahhhhhhhh........

Happy Trails!

 

[Neil]

when that doesn't work, I contimplate giving myself a "quick punch to the groin"

What about plucking either an eyebrow or a nose hair out? Or savagely ripping duct tape from your chest?

 

[Mad Townie]

Coffee, pi . . . I mean, Si!

Hiking sometimes means a cup before leaving the house but always a roadie on the way--complemented by a couple donuts from Dunkin's if I'm asleep enough to be unaware of what I'm putting into my body!

Coffee for the drive home, too, especially if I'm alone. After being in the cold all day I don't really want to stick my head out the window, and I learned long ago never to punch myself in the groin. It hurts.

 

[Nadine]

I love coffee, but try not to drink it before I hike because I get dehydrated easily. I'm more of a Tang or gatorade drinker on hike days. I love coffee on the drive home though

 

[jbreen]

Coffee is a must, irregardless of what the day has in store.

About 6 months ago I put up with the headache for 5 days and have not had a drink since.

I tried to give up caffein once. The resulting headache made me swear off that foolishness immeditely, though I did cut back a lot. When camping, the Jetboil French press provides a nice strong, hot and black 20 oz. fix; though everything boiled after that is coffee tinged.

Jim

 

[BrentD22]

Coffee is Good, but Monster is better!

I drink coffee on some days, but I drink at least 1 can and up to 3 cans of Monster Energy Drink.
Here is the ingredients - Carbonated water, glucose, citric acid, natural flavor, taurine, sodium citrate, color added, panax ginseng root extract, l-carnitine, maltodextrin, potassium sorbate, sodium acid sulfate, caffeine, ascorbic acid, sodium benzoate, sucralose (splenda®), acesulfame potassium, sodium chloride, guarana seed extract, insitol, glucuronolactone, niacinamide, pyridoxine.

I accepted the fact that I am addicted to this drink for some time now. I can't get out of bed before I consume several sips. I then finish off the rest within the hour. If I'm going to be very busy that day I will consume a can at lunch. I never drink any after 2pm because I won't sleep that night if I do.

I've actually brought a can on a hike. Drinking it at lunch was like throwing some wings and an engine on me. There is also that Super Goo stuff that contains a crap load of caffeine and I like that stuff too.

Like others I try to consume as much water as possible anyway so I don't often have any issues with dehydration while hiking.

 

[prino]

I like coffee but prefer tea. I have two cups with breakfast, make another for the car and pack a flask for the trail.
For every cup of coffee I drink about 30 cups of tea....made with BOILING water, well mashed (strong),with lots of milk and sugar.

 

[Rick]

....Next item is give up the beer......noooo,I don't think so..

I know I am alone on an island when I say this, but I would give up beer before I would give up coffee. It's just that good!

 

[alpinista]

I know I am alone on an island when I say this, but I would give up beer before I would give up coffee. It's just that good!

You are not alone, Rick. I'm with you! And, Brent, I'm one of those GU fanatics too!

 

[Pete_Hickey]

I used to have a housemate who was one of those wolverines Doublebow describes-this guy would literally walk into the kitchen scowling and grunting and would not say a word until he had the first sip of coffee. He'd have the first sip and then he'd be okay.

I'm like that, but not with coffee. You don't want to see me, until I've had my cup of tea, and smoked my first joint for the day.

 

[Skyclimber]

I get my caffine from Tea, chocolate, and Mt Dew.

Ever have a bowl of cherrios with Mountain Dew for breakfast?

I'm with you Pete. I however don't drink tea either. Chocolate on occasion. I like my Diet Mt. Dew. Get up in the morning and crack myself open a can of it. I'm highly addicted. Coffee taste like crap to me! Only like the smell and maybe had two or three cups of the stuff in my whole life.