A popular song from the 70’s is a good reminder to pack salty snacks and plenty of water when travelling. The song “A Horse With No Name,” was written by Dewey Bunnell at age 19, one of the three members of the musical group America. He describes it as a travelogue song about the deserts he and his family travelled through during his childhood. The artist adds that he was also trying to capture the feeling of the desert portrayed in a painting by Salvador Dali and “the strange horse” pictured in a piece of metamorphosis art by M. C. Escher. The artwork can be seen with the full article: [1] [lyrics]
The song has always stood out in my memory because of the vivid descriptions of wandering lost and hot in the desert for at least nine days – he let the nameless horse go after nine days. Heatstroke can cause hallucinations. I always assumed that the song was about a friendly imaginary horse that was released when the author found himself. Some cultures have rites of passage into adulthood or for spiritual reasons that include times spent alone while fasting (not eating). The person on a vision quest might go off into the wilderness without food or water in the hopes of receiving visions that might help guide them in their future. Hopefully most of them survived the fasting process and had a future to enjoy. The body can survive without food longer than without water but add extreme dry desert heat and visions of nameless horses might seem pretty tame.
PS Don’t leave your child or pet alone in a locked vehicle because it can heat up quickly. [2] And they might write a pop song about the experience later in life or they might feel sick.
And if you have to work (or play) in extreme heat than have adequate water throughout your work day. [3] A salty snack might help replace lost electrolytes if sweating is excessive.
Disclaimer: This information is being provided for educational purposes within the guidelines of Fair Use and is not intended to provide individual health care guidance.
