1997 Suzuki Sidekick Loses electrical power, battery overhe

My trusty little sidekick has a history of overheating, so I always watch the temperature gauge. Last night, instead of tilting towards the red, I found it tilting to the left. I noticed the lights were getting dimmer and eventually I lost power while driving. Tried to restart - nothing. The red lights came on dimly, but the engine wouldn't turn. I pondered my predicament for about 30 minutes then decided to hitchhike. But before locking up, I gave it one last try, and son of a gun, it started up just fine. Lights, acceleration, all was back to normal. I floored it to make up for lost time. But about half an hour later, I could sense it flagging again. Eventually it conked out just like the first time. It wouldn't restart - no juice - but lo and behold, a few hours later the juice was back. I figure it must be the battery overheating - it was very hot to the touch - and not being able to provide power to start the car if it's hot. Weird though, because the engine itself didn't overheat this time. Anyway, third time, even waiting 8 hours wasn't enough. Maybe I was too impatient and tried cranking it too many times when the power was still insufficient, draining the battery. My little sidekick is now parked on the shoulder of a desolate mountain road, have no idea what to do. Should I just recharge the battery and drive really really slowly this time?