Check Your Altitude!!

[RvNaut]

For the past 5 days I find myself up at 8400' asl (above sea level) and as someone of Social Security age, .. well let us say that that zip in the step is harder to get to and doesn't last as long. Now then, I did know that there were issues to consider when deciding to travel and stay at altitude, but I have never actually been at this high of an altitude. out side of a plane. I had a very slight headache on day 1/2 but that went away. What has not is a shortness of breath and a general weak feeling. Today I am going to move down to 6000' asl and see how that goes..

Other considerations??

At this altitude all sealed containers expand. Water jugs not sealed well, pushed water out. Yogurt containers spray you in the face when you rip back the foil cover. The point is to consider how this might affect other containers you travel with and to know there is a chance of issues....

My water for coffee boiled way faster up here.
Flames on the gas stove are bigger.
The water heater does not POP when it lights.

All of the above is small stuff, but the message is that if you already have issues with oxygen absorption, then do try to get some supplemental oxygen prior to venturing up this high. I tried to get some from Wally world but the location I was at did not have any. Next time I come up this high I will have some, more for use when exertions level is up ....

Do you have altitude issues or suggestions?? A friend moved to Ecuador and his advice was Stay Hydrated and keep up with the B complex vitamins.

 

[WanderingRose]

Have had similar issues at high altitude, 9,000-10,000’, and they take some time to resolve.

Going down to 6,000’ sounds like a good plan, but there will still likely be a period of adjustment.

Given that shortness of breath and feeling weak can be due to other things, keep your activity light and cell phone handy.

 

[Frood]

My water for coffee boiled way faster up here.

Do you have altitude issues or suggestions?? A friend moved to Ecuador and his advice was Stay Hydrated and keep up with the B complex vitamins.

Boiled way faster at a lower temperature!

I wonder if bottled water/sodas/cans/etc destined for higher altitude locations are produced in lower
pressure environments to account for this? Or do you risk every container of sour cream you buy being spoiled because the gas trapped under the lid forced the lid to pop open just a little bit...

 

[RvNaut]

Boiled way faster at a lower temperature!

So what you are saying is that I am not making my coffee at the recommended temperature !?!?!? the horror.....!!!! ( insert screech violins ala Psyco movie)

 

[RvNaut]

Given that shortness of breath and feeling weak can be due to other things, keep your activity light and cell phone handy.

Yes mum...

I have an O2 monitor with me and have been checking it... I have caught it as low as 88, but a few deep breaths bring it back up into the mid/high 90s... I am not exerting myself anyway.. just chillin and relaxing.. but I do notice a marked difference when returning from a walk.

Daisy(the dog) doesn't seem to the least bit affected. Of course she is 12 and sleeps most of the day anyway..

 

[WanderingRose]

Yep, my Lily is also 12, equally unphased by altitude.

 

[Spaceman Spiff]

Anyone who goes above 6,000 ft should know the warning signs of acute mountain sickness:
mild headaches, increased breathing, rapid pulse, nausea, loss of appetite, lack of energy, and general malaise. These are warning signs that your body is not acclimated to the altitude. DO NOT GO HIGHER! Best antidote is to reduce altitude and go up slower. The symptoms of AMS are easily reversible in healthy people by going to a lower altitude.
Suplimental oxygen will relieve the symptoms but will not solve the problem. If you need supplemental oxygen you need to get lower.

If you see floaters in your vision (ocular bleeding) get down in altitude as quickly as possible. Ocular bleeding is a precursor to:
- HAPE (high altitude pulmonary edema)
- HACE (high altitude cerebral edema)
Both are fatal if left untreated and both need medical attention.

I had a dog that developed AMS at altitude as he aged, so you need to watch your pets too.

 

[RvNaut]

I dropped down to 6000', now in the Kaibab NF, just a short eBike ride from the rim of the Grand Canyon.. that is if the wind will take a break!.. and no that I am not surrounded by trees the Starlink doesn't drop out all the time..

 

[AmargosaWayne]

My base is at 2,500+. Usually I go from there up to Tonopah @ 6,000, then head on up to 8,000+. Never had an issue with activity.

That was until 2021, with the Lassen wildfire messing up air quality in central Nevada. Up at 8-9,000 ft, I would take in a greater volume of air to get enough O2, and even if that air quality is only moderate, I was making it up in quantity that I breathed in. Picked up and went home to my air conditioned trailer.

 

[Bunpoh]

Air quality really does make more of a difference at altitude! On a hike of the PCT I had no altitude issues, having already been up to 13,000 feet or so in the Sierra. Went to climb Mt. Whitney from Crabtree Meadows, and there was a forest fire on the Portal side, with smoke coming over from a gap along one side of the mountain. When I got to about 12,000 feet is when I started struggling breathing smoke laced air, even though my companions were doing fine. Had to stop every 15 minutes or so to catch my breath, until I got up to the shoulder above the smoke. Asked my companions to go on without me so I could pee and eat and rest. Took about half and hour of breathing clean air, and then I shot right up to the summit, feeling right as rain. Smoke on TOP of thin air is awful!

And yes, descent is key with altitude problems. Good job getting down and taking care of yourself.

 

[RvNaut]

I have lived at 0-360 asl... in feb I spent two months in Q at 1000', and then 2 weeks at 1200 in Havasu,, then 10 days in Laughlin and then a month in Parhump at 3k... the jump to 8k was too much... no harm and lesson learned.... I will source some supplemental O2...

 

[user 423]

Last year I spent most of my time in NM and CO at 7000' to 8200' or so. I never gave a thought to being at the higher levels except for how it might affect how a generator runs. I mean it was nothing like the 12000'+ locations in CO where I used to backpack with no problems. Just a few decades back.

Now I think back to how tired I felt this past summer when doing some physical work on my rig or when setting up a tent. I just thought it was age doing it's thing on me.

 

[maki2]

I woke up with a mild headache my first day in Williams AZ after arriving from 2 weeks spent in Lake Havasu. But it might have just been a sinus headche so I treated myself for that. Hard to know the true cause or if it was a single cause since there was some tree pollen as it's springtime here. But whatever I am fine now. Being lazy, staying mostly indoors, as the wind is still very strong from the recent Pacific low pressure events. This is last day of the strong winds!

 

[RvNaut]

I woke up with a mild headache my first day in Williams AZ

Do not discount mild dehydration ... it is easy to get that way out here in single digit humidity land...

 

[hugemoth]

Mt Evans in Colorado has a paved road to the top, 14,200' I've ridden it on a motorcycle and it's worth checking out if you have a smaller vehicle and can tolerate the thin air. Hiking around at that altitude along with the scenery is breathtaking.

 

[AmargosaWayne]

Sounds cool.

Mt Evans uses timed entry, have to make a free reservation in advance.

https://www.recreation.gov/timed-entry/10087438

 

[tx2sturgis]

I've also been to the top of Mt Evans on a motorcycle. Not only is the air quite thin, but also, the UVa and UVb rays are VERY strong at that altitude. If you are fair skinned, be sure to either cover your exposed skin or slather on the sunscreen if you will be up there wandering around for more than about 20 minutes or so.....Even if the air is cool, temps are mild, and it doesn't feel warm.

And yes, even if its partly cloudy. (I'll let you slide if its heavily overcast but in that case, its' probably gonna be stormy and/or windy, so hurry back down, ok?)

 

[gizmotron]

Went to climb Mt. Whitney from Crabtree Meadows,

I'm a whack job. I free soloed the Mountaineer's Route on the NorthWest face with a never before hiker/climber. We even did the 5.1 exit route at the top of the notch free solo. I had to climb down backwards on that pillar of rock next to the ice fall about 50ft to convince him that he could do it. It was purely spectacular. No smoke that day. Slept overnight in the stone observatory. It took two days just to get to the beginning of the face part, then almost a full day on the face. It's a wonderful full day of class three scrambling and then that last 200ft of class five. One of my best memories. If you work your way up slowly you can go that high without getting mountain sickness. It just takes time.

 

[RvNaut]

I am exhausted just reading that... my days of climbing mountains are 20+ years behind me... Last time was Mt Katahdin up the Abol Trail.

 

[Bunpoh]

Gizmo, sounds like an epic Whitney trip!

I've always loved walking up mountains, with a little scrambling thrown in to keep things spicy. Due to a badly herniated disk, my climbing days were over before they ever began. But I love watching documentaries/reading books and articles about mountaineers, climbers, etc. I did the biggest, baddest ones I could, without getting technical. Whitney, San Jacinto, Mt. St. Helens, South Sister. I was pretty happy with what I could manage within my particular limitations.

Now that I'm completely deconditioned due to an unidentified chronic illness, I've gotten winded walking up small hills here in Prescott. Sure hope I can fight my way back soon (I have a new plan to see if I can get better once I'm on the road again.)

If I can get my physical health back, I'm going to do the PCT again and hopefully hit all the spots that were on fire last time I was there. And then maybe do things like the Annapurna circuit, etc. Even if I can't climb the big boys, I can at least go look at them.

I never had altitude problems before, I think breathing that smoke was the deal. Started taking ginkgo biloba in my early 40s for cognitive sharpening, found out later it's great for preventing altitude sickness! I think it was a NatGeo documentary that demonstrated it was as good as the meds in an experiment on Denali. If people plan on being at altitude, do some research on gingko and maybe try taking it for a month or two to see if your tolerance improves.