Alan commented (in part): ....ramping down head of time is a good idea (not to
mention helping the blood pressure reading as well as hydrating your body).
I think those are the key points to be made here.
1 - A major (if not the primary) reason the Philmont medical staff has for not
allowing an adult to hit the trail is blood pressure. With all the potential
stress of simply getting there, plus (for most of us) the altitude change,
there are already enough ways to elevate your BP. I'd hate to see the caffeine
be the thing that pushes it over the top; especially if your crew doesn't have
advisors to spare.
2 - While there is apparently some debate on whether or not caffeine
is 'dehydrating' there is little doubt that it is a diuretic, leaving you
needing to drink that much more just to keep up. Also, I would submit that
coffee (or soda, tea...) is not as hydrating as plain old water. Rather than
go any further and risk firing the gatorade/electrolyte thread back up, I'll
leave it with this....
There is certainly no harm done by reducing your caffeine intake as part of
your preparation for a Philtrek.
YiS,
David Harris
Trekker '78
Ranger '82 & '84
Advisor '93 & '05?
IWTGBTP
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Received on Thu Sep 18 13:57:17 2003
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