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Escape the heat with attitude, altitude
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The thermometer in the van flashed 105. The forecast for the next few dog days of summer said high 90s to triple digits.
In New Mexico there are three main recipes for escaping the heat: air conditioners, water or elevation.
On a recent Thursday, we chose to elevate. The climb into the mountains would not bring immediate relief; cooling takes patience.
Dogs panted. An old man turned bright red and sweated. The vehicle’s air vents barely kept blowing cool as we crossed an anemic Rio Grande as it trickled through Bernalillo.
At the same elevation as Albuquerque and no clouds in sight, Bernalillo registered triple digits, according to our dashboard.
A cooling reprieve did not come for 30-plus miles. Jemez Springs, with its elevation at 6,306 feet, was 85 degrees with cloudy skies. But that was not cool enough for overnight camping.
It was still up, up and away until reaching New Mexico 144, one of fewer than a dozen state roads that isn’t paved. North along 144, it was a manageable 80 degrees with the shade of pine trees — perfect to set up camp for the night. On this weekday, only one other group had a dispersed camp along the first few miles.
Once at camp, we tested a piece of gear for a hot month adventure: a cooling vest. Just pull wet cooling packets from the refrigerator, stick them in this vest and make outdoors more bearable. On an 85-degree day in the mountains, the vest made life better, at least until sunset. My vest from MKEFMEI on Amazon cost less than $35. It was a bit cumbersome to put the cooling packets, one-by-one, into the vest while manipulating its Velcro straps. We could not find the promised zipper.
The company claims it lowers skin temperature as much as 30 degrees. The breathable material is “crafted from lightweight, ultra-soft mesh fabric, the cooling vest offers superior comfort and enhanced airflow compared to ordinary materials.”
“Its advanced heat-dissipation design keeps you cool during high-temperature activities like work, cooking, camping, fishing, running, gardening, and exercise,” MKEFMEI said.
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It did not provide the promised relief, although it may have cooled me about 5 degrees. By then, the cooling packs had to be put back into the fridge for the next use.
The dog-tested, dog-approved solar fan cooled our canine adventurers much better.
At sunset at our higher altitude camp, the clouds gathered and lightning flashed.
Dogs and people huddled in the humid camper as an early night rain blocked the night sky. Just before sunrise, stars peeked through.
By morning, cows mooed, elk bugled and birds chirped. A flannel shirt, carried for such times in my rig, created a comfy barrier against the chill.
