I spoke at length with the dietician at work (a hospital) about the sad state of my hair after returning from hiking the PCT for 5 months. My waist length hair had become dry, and broke off near my shoulder blades. Rough and brittle, with many split ends, I knew some problems had to be addressed.

She said it wasn't due to the climate, but instead to the length of the hike, a diet not sufficient in the right vitamins, and perhaps a lack of protein.

She wrote a list of vitamins that were necessary on such a hike. The vitamins she listed for me to use are:

Biotin....25 mg.-- This is not as easy to find as one might think. After looking all over town, the best I could do was 800 mcg per tablet. A trip to the health store is in order, I guess.

A multi-vitamin, with zinc

Vitamin E....800 IU maximum,

Vitamin C, take one 500 mg, twice daily. This will boost immunity.

She also said taking two multi-vitamins wasn't a good plan, just because of the possible toxic vitamin A build-up, and that the trace minerals is what we were after in a multi-vitamin.

We discussed diet and I told her I didn't eat many nuts, typical trail mixes or peanut butter due to stomach upset, and poor digestion of such. Together we worked out a plan to use these excellent forms of protein before bedtime, giving the stomach the blood supply needed for digestion. As a runner, she knew how hard the large muscles must work at times, and couldn't give up blood supply to digest some foods.

Powdered milk, and cheeses are great, she said. The pasta, rice, bagels and cereals were excellent for energy, but couldn't contribute enough protein on their own.

Anyway, I have been convinced to cut my hair; my long hair had been a trademark of sorts. The beautician suggests a trim every 6 weeks to 2 months, to improve the texture and restore it.

Some women elect to shave their hair at the beginning of a long hike. I don't believe it is necessary, and instead will try these new suggestions. Please do not take any advice or information presented here above that of your own physician or other health professional.

Stress, poor eating habits, hormones (such as those found in the Pill) and exertion (such as long distance hiking) can all sap our body of nutrients.

In normal daily life, foods can contribute to the acquisition of vitamins. For instance, folic acid may be found in leafy green vegetables, broccoli, asparagus and turnip greens. But, on the trail, it is hard to get the 800 mcg recommended to protect against pre-cancerous cervical changes unless you take a supplement.

Vitamin C is found in citrus fruits, stawberries and red bell peppers. It is recommended to take 500 - 1,000 mg per day to keep the immune system healthy. Being a water soluable vitamin, daily doses are necessary. Again, these foods are heavy, and difficult to take on trail.

Vitamin B6, can be found in fortified cereals and breads, bananas, peanuts and beans. It would be difficult to obtain the 10-25 mg recommended, but generally a good B-complex vitamin will have 25 mg, and a multi-vitamin may have at least 2 mg. Two mg. represents 100% of the daily minimum requirement. If a cereal is stating that it provides 50 % of your DMR, then you know it has only 1 mg.

Magnesium, helpful in maintaining strong bones, and promoting heart health, is found in wheat bran, whole grains, nuts and milk. 300-400 mg is recommended.

Some athletes use it to improve performance, drinking a cup before events. Benefits have been seen with two and one half cups, or 3-6 mcg per kilo body weight within an hour before competing. The International Olympic Commitee and the United States Olympic Committee have banned large doses of caffeine. A positive test, over 12 mcg per milliter of urine results in an athlete being disqualified. This, however is equivalent to 7 cups of coffee, 16 colas, or 11 Excedrine.

There are some considerations to be made concerning caffeine, however.

A study was done by Mileton Krisiloff, a urologist at St. John's Hospital in Santa Monica, CA, with 700 of his female patients. Reportedly they found relief from diet-urge incontinence by eliminating very spicy foods, alcohol and all sources of caffeine, including chocolate, from their diets. "Ninety percent of those who made the changes are symptom-free after four or five weeks," the Krisiloff said.

Urge incontinence is a symptom of a urinary tract infection, so if this affects you, consultation with your doctor is in order. However, this study could help those of us who perhaps have diet induced incontinence, to reduce the frequent night trips on long trails if we chose to eliminate caffeine. It would be interesting to see if this held true.

Some noted side effects also include anxiety, nervousness, irritability, and gastrointestinal upset. If you notice these symptoms, it is advised to cut back on your intake.