When I spend several days at 5000+ feet I definitely feel a difference when I jump up to 8000+ even though I am not completely acclimated.
However, I am currently in Florida which is at sea level. If I were to spend several days at 2000 feet would that make any difference at all when I go up to 8000 feet? What’s the cutoff at which there is a perceptible difference?
(TLDR: I am planning my summer vacation which might involve a trip out west to the mountains. However, it will definitely also involve a week in New York State to see my sister graduate and my brother get married. So intead of doing two separate vacations, I am wondering if I camp at height for awhile in New York, then drive out West I’m wondering if that will do me any good at all. Oh, and if anyone knows of any non-primitive yet high campgrounds in the Adirondacks, please let me know.)
No, 2000’ won’t do anything for your acclimatization, unfortunately. For 8000’, you really need to spend time above 5000’, below that it doesn’t do much to produce more red blood cells. Nothing in the east will give you substantial acclimatization except for staying in the Mount Washington Observatory for a week. There’s no camping above 3500’ allowed in the Adirondacks, so that won’t help you much.
But, 8000’ isn’t really a big stretch for most people. Spend a day or two at 6000’ in CO and you should have accomplished a good chunk of what you need. Full acclimatization requires 2 weeks so anything you do will be partial.
Hmmm, I guess I lucked out the very first time I drove out West to the mountains. The first time I went there to the mountains I flew and immediately went to Estes Park and got a pretty bad headache and fatigue for a few days.
But the next time I went I drove and tried to acclimate myself very slowly. But I did it quicker than expected by staying at Guadalupe Mountains National Park at 5000 feet (by mistake), then Taos (also by mistake!*), then by the time I got to the camp above Estes Park at 8500 feet I was fine, headache-wise. So I guess I timed it just right to avoid the worst aspects of the transition to 7-9K.
*TLDR: I was going to stay in Carlsbad at 2K and then hike Guadalupe Peak at 8K as a start on acclimatization, but then in driving to Guadalupe Park to check it out I ran into some construction and decided to stay the night in the park at 5K since I didn’t know if the road would be open early in the morning. I didn’t even pack my tent on purpose, I just happened to have it with me in the car.
Then I was going to stay somewhere on the road to Alamosa but like Bugs Bunny, I took a wrong turn at Albuquerque and couldn’t find any road signs on highway 68 until I saw the Rio Grange Gorge. Then I knew I was at Taos simply from having seen it in photographs.
There must be a considerable amount of individual variation here, because I acclimatized
immedately during a visit to 7200’ Santa Fe NM, and a few days after arrival went hiking at
possibly over 10,000’ without difficulty, and I was a heavy smoker.
There is a ton of individual variation. My wife and I live at sea level and go skiing once or twice a year at altitudes of 8,000’ to 10,000’ with no issues. I always thought that altitude issues for healthy people generally started above 10,000’.
I am planning a trip to Peru and staying a few days in Cusco (11,000’). What I have found doing some reading is that physical fitness doesn’t play much role in how you react to altitude, it is highly variable and not really predictable with regards to age and fitness level.
Does anyone have any advice on acclimating to high altitudes besides spending a few days gradually ascending (not possible with our tour schedule). I am going to try to get in better cardiovascular condition before then, but again, I guess that doesn’t matter much. I am also planning to start iron supplements- I was already planning to after learning what a common deficiency it is, and figured it would maximize RBC production which can’t hurt. Any other advice? (I am a little paranoid about this, probably it will just be a headache and fatigue but I am picturing passing out and being med evac-ed from Machu Picchu :eek:)
The best way to avoid “soroche” (altitude sickness) is:
a) Take Pepto-bismol (or similar) before arriving. Altitude makes your stomach produce more acid.
b) If you’re prone to headaches or migraines take your pill before they come.
c) Eat light and things that don’t take time to digest.
d) Drink more water.
I don’t think there’s any evidence for iron supplements helping. The biggest thing you can do is take it easy, avoid alcohol, and drink plenty of water. Beyond that you can get prescription diamox but that’s more for mountaineers.
Altitude affects different people differently, and is genetic (eg, nothing to do with how good of shape you’re in). And it has to do with how oxgenated your blood is. So going up somewhere high for a picnic is different than spending the night.
Headaches my ass. When you really start to get altitude sickness, you take about 10 steps and feel like throwing up and passing out. Or you have to speak in a couple word sentences, then take a breath or two, and then a few more words. At night you can have sleep apnea. Then it gets really bad.
Worst I had was going from a thousand feet or so, then a day later to 8,000 feet, grabbed my 45 pound backpack and ascended to about 12,000 feet. I still remember lying down in my sleeping bag with my heart rate at rest at 120 when normally it is 60 (I was in great shape), and in the morning it had slowed down to 90 at rest. I climbed the peak of a Tibetan buddhist holy mountain the next day at around 16,000 feet (without my backpack). Wild times - sometimes I really miss those days when I could go off like that by myself and not see another human for several days.
The genetic component is very important. My older brother gets terrible altitude sickness and I (and my wife and three kids) go to 3500 meters without much problem and I’m overweight and sedentary. Hell, I made a 90-minute walk at about 5000 meters (after a day at 3000) without getting winded.
However, being in good shape never hurts.
also, it’s usually the second day that kills you. Here in Peru many soccer professional football matches are played aboce 3000 meters and sea-level teams go by plane and basically go from the airport to the field to minimise the effect.
