Medication Problems:

I've been meaning to talk with you all about this. There are numbers of prescription drugs that cause serious sun sensitivity and should not be taken when one has long sun exposure. That would be us on CO! This is not hypothetical - it is real. So I'm recommending that if you take antibiotics or prescription meds, you check with your doctor or pharmacist to be sure your meds are OK. I met a woman on CO XII who was taking an antibiotic and had scalded all her sun exposed surfaces on the first day. She wore full length black clothing the rest of the trip and was pretty uncomfortable, if I recall correctly. So this is your heads up warning. Y'all take care now.

Amy-almost made that mistake myself-Ream

If your sun side effect is merely increased sensitivity to sunburn you may be able to get by with a high SPF sunblock GEL.

I tried out SPF 45 lotion last year on CO 12. It had worked great for me around town, but when we got up in the higher, brighter elevations and working hard it failed. Sweating just thins it down too fast.

Previously, I had used a gel (such as Bullfrog or the gel REI sells in those little tubes) and had good results. I just hate the way my skin feels! But it does last - through the day, through the shower, through the night, etc. You have plastic skin all week.

A helmet with a visor helps a lot. And sunglasses!

Good luck! No guarantees though.... Amy is right, if you don't need the meds or can change for the week it's sure worth thinking about!

Rox Heath

P.S. Note from after CO 13 - I often waited until the lunch stop to apply sunblock on my legs even though I took my leg warmers off mid-morning and it didn't seem that hot. Bad idea! From now on the second the warmers come off, the sunblock goes on.