Five hikers rescued from High Peaks

[Steve-o]

Maybe that's how they do it in Florida but, I don't see this, as any method of survival.
It might feel good for a few minutes and if you weren't wet before, now you are wet and cold and smell like pee.
But, don't get me wrong, I like to urinate on my friends whenever I get the chance.

 

[DougPaul]

Maybe that's how they do it in Florida but, I don't see this, as any method of survival.
It might feel good for a few minutes and if you weren't wet before, now you are wet and cold and smell like pee.

I understand that divers sometimes pee in their wetsuits to warm them up but I doubt that peeing on oneself or one's companions is of much use for hikers out in the cold. (It might actually be useful in the desert for evaporative cooling.)

Doug

 

[MichaelJ]

I understand that divers sometimes pee in their wetsuits to warm them up

My understanding is that it's because they have to go and can't take them off. Either way, you want to hope that the suit you get when you go out with a whitewater rafting company has been through a bleach wash. And really, just don't think about it.

The important thing to remember is that despite that 1997 episode of Friends, you do not want to pee on a jellyfish sting.

 

[paul ron]

Urinating on eachother just doesn't make any sence at all. Being wet is the worst thing of all in a cold climate.

Now if they had pissed in a zip loc or a bottle n used it as a heater to reclaim heat without the wetness, that might work much better n also preserve that nice fresh smell of camping under your hat.

.

 

[DougPaul]

My understanding is that it's because they have to go and can't take them off. Either way, you want to hope that the suit you get when you go out with a whitewater rafting company has been through a bleach wash. And really, just don't think about it.

When whitewater boating, you just pull over and visit the woods. Divers don't have that option. (In all my years of whitewater boating, I never once peed in my wetsuit.)

Doug

 

[Willie]

Urinating on each other just doesn't make any sence at all.

Perhaps the hikers are urolagnia enthusiasts.

 

[MichaelJ]

When whitewater boating, you just pull over and visit the woods. Divers don't have that option. (In all my years of whitewater boating, I never once peed in my wetsuit.)

Did you go with a group? They're not going to hold up 6 boats of 6-8 people each for someone to visit the woods.

 

[B the Hiker]

Urinating on yourself will not keep you warm

http://www.timesunion.com/local/article/Urine-is-of-little-relief-to-hikers-3542789.php

The headline says it all.


Brian

 

[Mike P.]

Did you go with a group? They're not going to hold up 6 boats of 6-8 people each for someone to visit the woods.

Well I think you two have stopped me from going to ME in the Spring to do any white water rafting. Do they wear wetsuits all year? Do they wear them in say WV in August? Maybe in GA? I'll take my chances (key up dueling banjos )

The more I live, the more sense my brother makes. two things he repeated often, Looking for Sympathy (Websters between - well pick any two bad words but two beginning with S are close by) It's also better to be P' off than ....

So DP, so pulling the covers over myself or zipping up my sleeping bag means I can stay in bed longer before answering natures calling?

 

[rdl]

Do they wear wetsuits all year? Do they wear them in say WV in August? Maybe in GA?

I seem to remember when I last went rafting the company told us the air and water temperature combined needed to be over a certain number(100 ?) otherwise they required wet suits or "farmer johns". But that could just be the company I used.

 

[bikehikeskifish]

<ModeratorHat>
Ahem...
</ModeratorHat>

Tim

 

[MichaelJ]

Well I think you two have stopped me from going to ME in the Spring to do any white water rafting. Do they wear wetsuits all year?

No. In the spring for sure, but not late summer or fall. It's all about the temperatures, primarily of the water. They do give them a bleach wash afterward, don't fear the suit. Heck, if anything, feel better about if you gotta go yourself…

 

[Dana]

My understanding is that because the bladder is close to the skin, a full bladder with warm urine circulating around carries the heat from deeper inside the body to the outside, where it's conducted away, then the cooler urine circulates back inside, cooling the core as more warm urine moves outward, etc., etc. So peeing (not on your friends, to keep this thread on topic) should indeed help keep you warmer.

 

[DougPaul]

My understanding is that because the bladder is close to the skin, a full bladder with warm urine circulating around carries the heat from deeper inside the body to the outside, where it's conducted away, then the cooler urine circulates back inside, cooling the core as more warm urine moves outward, etc., etc. So peeing (not on your friends, to keep this thread on topic) should indeed help keep you warmer.

This is another of those persistent myths.
Blood flow keeps the entire central body (core, including the flesh surrounding the bladder) warm. (The bladder is separated from the skin by significantly thick flesh: see, for instance, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Gray1139.png and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Gray1156.png) Given that the entire bladder is surrounded by warm flesh and the entire system is at essentially the same temperature, no significant amount of heat can flow from the stored urine to the outside world.

People often wake up at night cold with a need to pee. However they often get the causality wrong--as I described earlier, being cold creates the need to pee, not the other way around.

Drinking lots of water can also create the need to pee (cold or not)...

So peeing (not on your friends, to keep this thread on topic) should indeed help keep you warmer

The only way in which peeing on your friends is likely to keep you warm is from running away to avoid their retribution...

Doug

 

[ROCKYSUMMIT]

An old timer I worked with for years was a veteran from WWII. He told of stories from the war when ever there was a cut hand or something the commander would say "piss on it"! When we had any kind of injury at work a sprain or twist my friend would say"piss on it"! I hope I can find him. He would love this story!

 

[DougPaul]

An old timer I worked with for years was a veteran from WWII. He told of stories from the war when ever there was a cut hand or something the commander would say "piss on it"! When we had any kind of injury at work a sprain or twist my friend would say"piss on it"! I hope I can find him. He would love this story!

There is some logic to this:

Urine is sterile (unless you have a UT infection). If you have no clean water to wash a wound, you can use fresh urine. (Better yet if you have a small amount of clean water, use urine first and then finish with water.)

Soap and clean water is preferable if available...

Doug

 

[Paradox]

... The only way in which peeing on your friends is likely to keep you warm is from running away to avoid their retribution...

Doug

We should not be too harsh on these fellow hikers, as the technique did get them through the wee hours of the night.
This is one of those survival techniques, that will get some discussion on upcoming hikes.
We should not forget the technique of urinating on ones colleages. It surely will gain value as the summer heat stroke season arrives, and the evaporative cooling effect of urine gains importance.

 

[Kevin Rooney]

We should not be too harsh on these fellow hikers, as the technique did get them through the wee hours of the night.
We should not forget the technique of urinating on ones colleages. It surely will gain value as the summer heat stroke season arrives, and the evaporative cooling effect of urine gains importance.

Absolutely. I have a couple in mind already.

Sorta like a modern day Spanish Inquisition (Did Somebody say "The Spanish Inquistion?!") technique - we may have to pee on you in order to save you.

 

[Paradox]

Absolutely. I have a couple in mind already.

Sorta like a modern day Spanish Inquisition (Did Somebody say "The Spanish Inquistion?!") technique - we may have to pee on you in order to save you.

I'll bet those hikers are wondering just who it was, that leaked this to the press. They should start reading this forum and learn about all the gee-wizz navigation techniques we have to offer.