09 Staying hydrated
The great thing about 4WDs is the ability to get to places and at this time of the year in South Australia it can still be mighty hot. Taking a late-summer trek into the Flinders is something I’ve done in the past to experience the colours and see another side to this extraordinary place. You should too, but it’s not without some risk to vehicle and person. We’ve already looked at what heat can do to a motor, how about a human? Well it’s all about fluids. It’s not necessarily what you’re drinking either, coz most drinks other than water might not satisfy a thirst that’s being summoned from way deep down. Going on a bushwalk in temperatures hovering above 35C place some big demands on the body and water and plenty of it is the key to survival. First warning might be taking a pee that’s decidedly yellow. Stay on top of it because you don’t want to suffer the same cruel death of Caroline Grossmueller at Halligan Bay in 1998.