Living on the worlds second largest freshwater lake, Lake Superior, can get a person thinking about water. Amongst the other things that we are addicted to here in the western world, water ranks up there with all the rest. There is no denying our need for the H20, we must have water to survive. Whether it's through direct consumption of liquid H20, eating fruits and vegetables, or drinking beer, we need it.
When your riding your bike, or paddling on a lake, or running, etc. you usually carry around a water bottle with you. You exert yourself, you become thirsty. Maybe your not even thirsty. Maybe you just have that cotton mouth feeling and need to pacify it with a nice cool gulp of water. You reach for your conveniently placed water bottle and take a swig of that lovely liquid gold. mmm...
But what do you do when you don't have much water left? Or you don't have any water? Or when the next town is still 60 miles away? Why not make what you've already got in you last the whole way? Yeh, it's possible. We all know that. But just because your out of water that doesn't mean you need to make the next 60 miles a cottonmouth induced dry throat choke fest. (even worse in the Mexican back country)
Most of us breath through our mouths all the time. Our mouths are always slightly open. This is even more common when riding a bikes or during physical activity. Shut your mouth. That will help keep your mouth moist. Better yet, find a smooth small rock to clean off and put in your mouth. You don't even have to suck on it, just have it in your mouth. You'll salivate as your body tries to digest the rock, keeping your mouth moist and you'll still be able to breath. If your working so hard that you just can not handle breathing through those tiny holes called nostrils for just another second:
Let the rock sit on your tongue in the middle of your mouth. Now, when you breath through your mouth the air your breathing out will have to squeeze through the gap between your mouth and the rock, forcing the air and the moisture in it (the air) to condense in your mouth.
This technique has worked for me numerous times while back country riding and hiking. Although your not adding more moisture to your body, you'll be retaining a whole lot more than you normally would when your huffing and puffing with your mouth wide open.
Oh yeh, careful not to swallow the rock...
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I've heard that there were some North American Indians in the southwest that were famed for running incredibly long distances through desert. Supposedly, they would put water in their mouth and not swallow it. But hold it in, while running, and only breathing through their nose.
True? I'm not sure, but if it is that is super gnarly.
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