IT’S HOT! Keep Hydrated©

 

Author’s note -- I hope that you enjoy learning from this resource!  To help me to continue to provide valuable free content, please consider showing your appreciation by leaving a donation HERE.  Thank you and Happy Trails!

 

IT’S HOT!  The ‘Dog Days Of Summer’ are here, so keep hydrated.  Whether you’re working outdoors or sitting in your car, it’s HOT!  When it’s hot , you sweat, and when you sweat you get dehydrated.  So what should you do to keep the fluid levels up?

 

But how much water do you need to keep your motor running cool?  Activity level dramatically changes the volume of fluids that you need.  In a temperate climate when at rest, the average adult weighing 154 pounds (70 kg) will need about 3 quarts or liters of water each day.  Of this half, or 1½ quarts (liters) of water, is needed each day just for normal body processes, not including losses through sweating and respiration.  Doing moderately heavy work, like hiking over rough ground for several hours, the average adult will need approximately four to six quarts (liters) of water each day.  The same person performing very heavy work, like hiking on rough ground, carrying a heavy load for several hours, will need about six to fifteen quarts (liters) of water per day!

 

Your body size and gender also play an important part in determining your daily water requirements, since in general the larger you are the more energy is required for any activity and the more waste heat you will generate.  On average men are larger and heavier than women and therefore need more water each day. 

 

According to Karthik Kumar, a writer for MedicineNet, the minimum you should drink daily is half an ounce to an ounce of water per day for each pound you weigh.  For the mythical average 154 lb. (70 kg) person, this means that they need between 77 to 154 ounces ( 2,277 to 4,454 ml) or between 2 to 4 quarts (liters) of fluid daily.

 

Plain water is often the best choice for general hydration, and in most cases, drinking plain water is sufficient to rehydrate you, when you are only mildly dehydrated.  Other alternatives like oral rehydration solutions (ORS) may be better under certain specific conditions.  Gatorade is also, often used for rehydration, it is designed to replenish fluids, electrolytes (like sodium and potassium), and carbohydrates (in the form of sugar) lost during strenuous physical activity.  The sugar in Gatorade will not dehydrate you, however if you want a drink with less sugar, dilute your Gatorade with water, on a 1:1 basis.

 

If you are going to get physical during the ‘dog days’ of summer heat, remember to hydrate, hydrate, HYDRATE!

 

I hope that you enjoy learning from this resource!  To help me to continue to provide valuable free content, please consider showing your appreciation by leaving a donation HERE.  Thank you and Happy Trails!

 

I hope that you continue to enjoy The Woodsman’s Journal Online and look for me on YouTube at BandanaMan Productions for other related videos, HERE.  Don’t forget to follow me on both The Woodsman’s Journal Online, HERE, and subscribe to BandanaMan Productions on YouTube.  If you have questions, as always, feel free to leave a comment on either site.  I announce new articles on Facebook at Eric Reynolds, on Instagram at bandanamanaproductions, and on VK at Eric Reynolds, so watch for me.

 

That is all for now, and as always, until next time, Happy Trails!

 

 

Sources

 

Conover, Keith, M.D.; “Crevice Entrapment: Medical Aspects”, Wilderness Medicine Newsletter, March/April 1995, pages 5 to 7, https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED398001.pdf, accessed July 26, 2025

 

Conover, Keith, M.D.; “Oral Fluids and Cave Rescue”, Wilderness Medicine Newsletter, March/April 2000, pages 4 to 5, https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED448991.pdf, accessed July 26, 2025

 

Kumar, Karthik, MBBS; “How Much Water Should You Drink Based on Your Weight?”, [© 1996-2025 WebMD, LLC], https://www.medicinenet.com/how_much_water_to_drink_based_on_your_weight/article.htm, accessed July 26, 2025

 

Mitchell ,Major Glenn W., M.D. and Wein, Captain Robert W., M.D.; “Dehydration, Heat Illness and Army Aviation”, United States Army Aviation Digest, Issue 7, July 1985, pages 28 to 29, https://books.google.com/books?id=VFyZUcPZS3QC&pg=PA29&dq=hydration+aviation&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiIxu6nwNqOAxUiSjABHXRTB4AQ6AF6BAgJEAM#v=onepage&q=hydration%20aviation&f=false, accessed July 26, 2025

 

Rance, Harry, M.D., “The Heat is On”, FAA Aviation News: A DOT/FAA Flight Standards Safety Publication, Volumes 27-29, July-August, 1988, https://books.google.com/books?id=WHi7YSZZ_aQC&pg=RA3-PA13&dq=dehydration+aviation&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwj1-6T6x9qOAxWyGVkFHTO1JZcQ6AF6BAgOEAM#v=onepage&q=dehydration%20aviation&f=false, accessed July, 26, 2025

Sorry Folks, I’ve Got Writer’s Block©

 

 

Author’s note -- I hope that you enjoy learning from this resource!  To help me to continue to provide valuable free content, please consider showing your appreciation by leaving a donation HERE.  Thank you and Happy Trails!

 

Did you ever have one of those weeks, where the little person in your head, you know the one who writes all the great stuff, just refuses to get out of bed?  It’s like having the flu, there is nothing you can do about it, but wait it out.

 

So, sorry everyone, I just don’t have anything good to share with you.  And I would rather be honest and tell you that then serve up garbage and lie to you and tell you that it was Haute Cuisine.  So please come back next week, hopefully I will have found a way to wake that little bugger up by then!

 

Don’t forget to come back next week and read something great!

 

I hope that you enjoy learning from this resource!  To help me to continue to provide valuable free content, please consider showing your appreciation by leaving a donation HERE.  Thank you and Happy Trails!

 

I hope that you continue to enjoy The Woodsman’s Journal Online and look for me on YouTube at BandanaMan Productions for other related videos, HERE.  Don’t forget to follow me on both The Woodsman’s Journal Online, HERE, and subscribe to BandanaMan Productions on YouTube.  If you have questions, as always, feel free to leave a comment on either site.  I announce new articles on Facebook at Eric Reynolds, on Instagram at bandanamanaproductions, and on VK at Eric Reynolds, so watch for me.

 

That is all for now, and as always, until next time, Happy Trails!

 

 

Discover Your Field Glasses!©

 

Author’s note -- I hope that you enjoy learning from this resource!  To help me to continue to provide valuable free content, please consider showing your appreciation by leaving a donation HERE.  Thank you and Happy Trails!

 

So on Wednesday, a huge Red-tailed Hawk landed on my neighbor’s chimney, and got mobbed by Robins, of all things.  I dug out my binoculars, to get a better look and realized again that I didn’t really know how to adjust or use them.  Maybe someone taught you how to use them, but apparently, I missed that lesson.  Fast forward to the next day, where while absent-mindedly scrolling through military journals on Google books, and I found “Discover Your Field Glasses!”, by Major Shore, buried in the middle of Infantry School Quarterly, and it got me thinking that I high time that I sat myself down and learned to use them. 

 

Major Shore authored his article with Artillery Forward Observers in mind, and the end of the article was all about mils and how to adjust artillery fire.  However the beginning, pages 102 to 106, were helpful, discussing how to adjust the focus and interpupillary distance (IPD) setting on your binoculars. 

 

Interpupillary distance (IPD) is the distance between the centers of your pupils, measured in millimeters.  With binoculars, IPD refers to the distance between the centers of the eyepieces, and it's crucial to adjust this for comfortable and clear viewing.  By adjusting the IPD setting on your binoculars you ensure that the exit pupils of the binoculars align with your pupils, allowing for a single, merged image instead of two separate circles.

 

But I still had some questions after reading the article, particularly on how, or even if you can use binoculars, while wearing glasses.

 

Apparently, you can wear your glasses if you have the right set of binoculars, one with eye-cups, which is designed with glasses in mind.  This is important as wearing glasses puts a greater distance between your eyes and the optics, which will decrease the field of view.  So, if your binoculars aren’t designed to accommodate your glasses, then push your glasses up onto your forehead while you use the binoculars.

 

For more information on binoculars and how to use them and care for them, check out the bibliography.

 

I hope that you enjoy learning from this resource!  To help me to continue to provide valuable free content, please consider showing your appreciation by leaving a donation HERE.  Thank you and Happy Trails!

 

I hope that you continue to enjoy The Woodsman’s Journal Online and look for me on YouTube at BandanaMan Productions for other related videos, HERE.  Don’t forget to follow me on both The Woodsman’s Journal Online, HERE, and subscribe to BandanaMan Productions on YouTube.  If you have questions, as always, feel free to leave a comment on either site.  I announce new articles on Facebook at Eric Reynolds, on Instagram at bandanamanaproductions, and on VK at Eric Reynolds, so watch for me.

 

That is all for now, and as always, until next time, Happy Trails!

 

 

Notes

 

Sources

 

Fa'apoi, Tina; “How to Use Binoculars with Glasses (With Photos & Tips)”, February 2, 2023, https://www.targettamers.com/guides/how-to-use-binoculars-with-glasses/, accessed July 12, 2025

 

Hollister, Jane; “Binoculars, How To Choose Them”, Boating Jul-Aug 1976, page 43 to 47, https://books.google.com/books?id=0CqL_IzXZd8C&pg=RA5-PA47&dq=how+do+you+use+binoculars+if+you+wear+glasses&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiG48vChriOAxVfE1kFHTZqBroQ6AF6BAgGEAM#v=onepage&q=how%20do%20you%20use%20binoculars%20if%20you%20wear%20glasses&f=false, accessed July 12, 2025

 

The Office of the Chief of Naval Operations; Navy Airman’s Manual, US Navy, 1953, NAVEAR 00-80T-46, https://books.google.com/books?id=SdBJTKymIDAC&pg=RA1-SA11-PA13&dq=how+do+you+use+binoculars+if+you+wear+glasses&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiG48vChriOAxVfE1kFHTZqBroQ6AF6BAgMEAM#v=onepage&q=how%20do%20you%20use%20binoculars%20if%20you%20wear%20glasses&f=false, accessed July 12, 2025

 

Shore, Schiller F., Maj.; “Discover Your Field Glasses!” Infantry School Quarterly, Volumes 38-41, January 1951, [The Infantry School Fort Benning, Georgia], Page 102 to 111, https://books.google.com/books?id=bh_0AAAAMAAJ&pg=PA111&dq=%22infantry+school+quarterly%22+%22discover+your+field+glasses%22&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjsusbi6reOAxViFFkFHSRGIGgQ6AF6BAgGEAM#v=onepage&q=%22infantry%20school%20quarterly%22%20%22discover%20your%20field%20glasses%22&f=false, accessed July 12, 2025