Learning to live in the heat is challenging

I remember a few years back when my little cousins visited from Phoenix and how they laughed at me for putting on 30 SPF sun block.

“That’s baby lotion,” they chided.

Baby lotion? What do you use down there in the Valley of the Sun? 80 block? Are you kidding me? You can sit on the sun with 80 block, but such is life where it’s 118 in the shade.

I’m still getting used to this triple-digit heat we have here in the Columbia Basin. Yeah, yeah, I realize it gets worse. But what do I know? I’m from Colorado where if it gets too hot you can always find someplace at 10,000 feet to cool off.

I went out to play a little golf at the Links at Moses Pointe the other day without reading the instructions on how to play in the heat. I should have picked up on the fact that when I pulled into the parking lot there were only three cars. Two of ‘em were the pro shop guys and the other was the cart girl and all three of them were sitting inside.

But being macho in nature, I’m thinking it’s two o’clock, I’ll blow around with no one to wait on. If this were a game show called “Clueless in the Columbia Basin,” I’d have told the host: “I’d like to buy a clue, Bill.”

Dude, nobody in the parking lot is a clue.

Musta missed that one because I charged off into the great challenges of the back nine. According to the Contra Costa Health Services website, it says: Increase your fluid intake, regardless of your activity level. Don't wait until you're thirsty to drink. During heavy exercise in a hot environment, drink two to four glasses (16-32 ounces) of cool fluids each hour. I’m thinking a jug of water should cover that. But does heavy activity include smacking your ball off into the weeds and looking for it?

Now the website also says something about replacing salt and minerals. Heavy sweating removes salt and minerals from the body. These are necessary for your body and must be replaced. If you must exercise, drink two to four glasses of cool, non-alcoholic fluids each hour. There was a time when more beer was the answer to everything, but now I can conform to the non-alcoholic fluids and just pee a lot.

If I wasn’t playing so well, I might have thought of coming back at say, midnight, when it wasn’t so hot. But I tend to get stupid after making a couple of 10-footers. I did manage a 3-over 39 through the first nine holes, which was enough encouragement to forge on even though I was seeing stars and little imaginary star bursts.

The ol’ Contra Costa warning site throws out this tidbit of information: If you must be outdoors, try to limit your outdoor activity to morning and evening hours. Too late. Try to rest often in shady areas so that your body's thermostat will have a chance to recover. Now if they mean collapsing face down in the shade near the green on every hole, I managed to figure that one out.

But it was this last little bit of advice I managed to disregard totally. If you are not accustomed to working or exercising in a hot environment, start slowly and pick up the pace gradually. If exertion in the heat makes your heart pound and leaves you gasping for breath, stop all activity. Get into a cool area or at least into the shade, and rest, especially if you become lightheaded, confused, weak, or faint.

Confused? I’m playing golf, of course I’m confused. But I did notice when I got back to the clubhouse that the parking lot was full with golfers smart enough to go out after 4 p.m. when it cools down.

Live and learn, and hopefully I won’t need to die trying.

Rodney Harwood covers sports and business for the Columbia Basin Herald.