Out in the Sun
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When out hiking in mountains, I normally tend to wear long sleeve shirts and trousers often inviting incredulous looks from the ignorant. It’s the sun, stupid, I want to yell out. Apart from the sun, appropriate clothing can also protect you from creepy-crawlies and poisonous plants. Though apparently not ticks.
This week, the WHO warned that about 60,000 people die annually from too much exposure to the sun. The majority of these are caused by skin cancer developed as a result of exposure to ultraviolet radiation. The effect of the UV rays are felt the most between 10am and 2pm which is when most hikers are out and about. If you are hiking in snowy areas, it’s all the more important to protect yourself as 80% of the light is reflected.
Like most people of darker skin tone, I also assumed until now, that I am safer from the sun than people with lighter skin tone. This myth has also been dispelled today by US researchers. While a darker skin does offer some protection from sunburn, it doesn’t protect you from melanoma. The pigment melanin present in dark skinned people, provides an SPF of 13. You need much more depending on where you are in the sun. A safer bet is to wear protective clothing especially if you are hiking.
yadda yadda yadda… I got one word for you: Marketing!. The amount of sun you receive while hiking, perhaps 6 days a month, and while you work out, is nothing. In fact I remember in recent days a segment in NPR that talked about how healthy was for people to spend a couple of hours day under the sun, and if you were working out about three hours, as long as you were properly hidrated, so bollocks!… this is all to justify to Eug how much money you spend in hiking clothing…
Shush Caldera… The new 25% off coupon just came out from REI and what better time than this to buy the latest from Mountain Hardwear?