The Shivers

While hiking in the cold, even as warm as 40 degrees, do not take your body's sweat for granted. The wet body you're carrying around can get mighty cold in minutes and when it does here come the shivers. I have seen people shiver while hiking in a cold wind without the right clothing, but I did not realize how easy it was to get chilled on a no-wind hike.

While hiking at night to Half Dome, it was about 40 degrees when we arrived at Little Dome at 4:30 AM, one hour ahead of schedule. So we laid down for a rest without changing any of our clothing. To my surprise, the shivers quickly took over my body. After a half hour of the shakes, I put on a dry fleece coat under the waterproof shell but that had little effect in stopping the shivers. Finally, after an uncomfortable hour, we started hiking just to warm up.

I always believed that while hiking in the cold I was carrying enough warm clothes so I could safely spend the night in the open. But I have learned that the clothes do little good if you do not have the presence of mind to get those wet clothes off before you put the warm, dry ones on.

Shivers are the first symptom of hypothermia and you should treat them seriously.

The Minarets

Merced River

Yosemite National Park