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  1. #1
    Registered User pattydivins's Avatar
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    Default My idea of high in elevation..

    is only around 4000'. I would like to be higher than that. What is your opinion on this matter?

  2. #2

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    My idea of high in elevation is hotboxing the Otis.

    Kidding!

    Actually, anything above 10,000 feet.
    Drab as a Fool, as aloof as a Bard!

    http://www.wizardsofthepct.com

  3. #3
    Looking for a comfortable cave to habitate jrwiesz's Avatar
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    Smoke something medicinal?
    "For me, it is better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring."
    Carl Sagan

  4. #4
    Registered User prain4u's Avatar
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    I have always needed a day or two to physically adjust to increasing altitude starting at about 6,000 feet--and definitely by 8,000 feet. I actually feel the "flu-like" symptoms of altitude sickness if I push too hard on the first couple days of hiking at these higher altitudes. The big problem is--I live at 600 foot elevation in Illinois. Then, I am suddenly hiking with a full pack at 7,000-8,000 feet less than 48 hours after leaving my house. However, by day 3 or 4, I feel great at the higher altitude.

    On my last trip to higher elevations, I spent my first two days goofing around at an 8,500 foot base camp before actually starting my hike. For the first time, I had absolutely no problems with altitude sickness on that hike.

    I feel that I am at a "high" elevation starting at about 9,000-10,000. The highest that I have ever hiked with a pack is approximately 13,200 feet

    Of course, mentally, elevation it is often relative to the terrain surrounding you. I was once on a 9,700 foot peak in the Alps--but the area at the base of the Alp was just 2,300 feet. That seemed so much "higher" than being on a 10,000-11,000 foot peak in the Rockies surrounded by terrain that was 7,000-8,500 feet.
    "A vigorous five-mile walk will do more good for an unhappy but otherwise healthy adult than all the medicine and psychology in the world." - Paul Dudley White

  5. #5

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    Over 12k gets my attention.

    Sleeping over 15k means probably a tough nite. (at least the 1st night at that altitude)

    Under 8k, I don't really notice any change.

    I do believe that it all depends on where you have been for the past month in comparison to where you are now.
    For example, trying to run the Leadville 100 without going to 10k or above to train, most likely means you won't finish.

    But going to Leadville and training in the area for 2 months before the race and you probably won't notice the elevation that bothers the outsiders.
    Don't let your fears stand in the way of your dreams

  6. #6

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    Generally I can feel things at 8000 or so.I imagine it's a blood pressure drop.
    After 1 night I'm good to go.

  7. #7
    Garlic
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    Millions of normal people live in Colorado. You can do it, too. Nearly everyone there has a tale of adjusting to altitude and a suggestion or two on how to do it.
    "Throw a loaf of bread and a pound of tea in an old sack and jump over the back fence." John Muir on expedition planning

  8. #8
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    The week I hiked in Colorado we base camped at 9,000 and I had a slight headache the entire time. The highest we climbed was 13,000 and I never really felt any oxygen deprevation - only that headache.
    Pain is a by-product of a good time.

  9. #9

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    If you want to try higher altitudes, just do it. Find a place to try it out. If you feel bad, descend. It's hard to make yourself descend because you just want to sit down and rest and see if that'll make you feel better, but it won't. You'll feel worse. So if you're at higher altitude than you can stand, just descend.

    I don't think most people have altitude problems until around 8000 and above, and with careful acclimatization, many people can get to 18,000 with only some sleeping disturbance at the worst.
    Some knew me as Piper, others as just Diane.
    I hiked the PCT: Mexico to Mt. Shasta, 2008. Santa Barbara to Canada, 2009.

  10. #10
    Getting out as much as I can..which is never enough. :) Mags's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by garlic08 View Post
    Millions of normal people live in Colorado. You can do it, too. Nearly everyone there has a tale of adjusting to altitude and a suggestion or two on how to do it.
    I found that the local microbrews helped immensely...

    (Being serious: When visiting HYDRATE. Take it easy 2 or 3 days. Then go at a casual pace when you begin your hike).
    Paul "Mags" Magnanti
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  11. #11
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    [QUOTE=Mags;958724]I found that the local microbrews helped immensely...

    Aint that the truth! The whole Denver area probably has the best amount of quality and quantity of microbrews than anywhere else in the country.
    Pain is a by-product of a good time.

  12. #12

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    Quote Originally Posted by prain4u View Post
    Of course, mentally, elevation it is often relative to the terrain surrounding you. I was once on a 9,700 foot peak in the Alps--but the area at the base of the Alp was just 2,300 feet. That seemed so much "higher" than being on a 10,000-11,000 foot peak in the Rockies surrounded by terrain that was 7,000-8,500 feet.
    Agreed -- this is one of the reasons why Katahdin feels so high up -- everything around it is dramatically lower.

    Quote Originally Posted by fiddlehead View Post
    I do believe that it all depends on where you have been for the past month in comparison to where you are now.
    For example, trying to run the Leadville 100 without going to 10k or above to train, most likely means you won't finish.

    But going to Leadville and training in the area for 2 months before the race and you probably won't notice the elevation that bothers the outsiders.
    Acclimitization (if you have the time) is key. I noticed while on top of Whitney that the people who were having issues were the people who came up from the Whitney Portal side on a dayhike, many of whom may have been in San Diego or some other low elevation spot the day before.

    PCT hikers, on the other hand, had been hiking and sleeping above 10,000 feet for a couple of days, and didn't have the same issues. Don't get me wrong, though -- walking up it still kicked my ass.
    Drab as a Fool, as aloof as a Bard!

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  13. #13

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    I've been up to 12K and haven't felt any issues. Not bad for a boy from jersey. Actually had a cigarette on the top of the Aiguille du Midi. Felt like the top of the world.

  14. #14
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    I guess I could agree with you about 4000 feet. I definitely noticed a change when I moved from Montgomery, Alabama to Albuquerque, New Mexico. I went from being able to run 4-5 miles easily with my leg muscles being the limited factor to only being able to run a couple hundred yards in Albuquerque at the speed my legs were used to. Of course I also noticed another huge change when I hiked to the top of Sandia 10.6k feet.

    Toss conditioning completely aside, and I consider the first level of high to be anything above the treeline, and then again where there's snow all year.

  15. #15
    The internet is calling and I must go. buff_jeff's Avatar
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    I think anything above 10,000 ft. could be considered "high altitude." I haven't really hiked high altitude much, but I didn't really start feeling unnaturally tired until 10,000 ft.

  16. #16

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    Quote Originally Posted by twosticks View Post
    I've been up to 12K and haven't felt any issues. Not bad for a boy from jersey. Actually had a cigarette on the top of the Aiguille du Midi. Felt like the top of the world.
    On top of Whitney (which we nighthiked to watch the sunrise from the top -- I highly recommend this) the PCT thrus were smoking cigarettes and drinking Beam when the dayhikers started arriving.

    The dayhikers were dizzy and gasping for breath, red in the face. Some of them were throwing up. We offered them some whiskey to celebrate their summit success. They thought we were nuts.
    Drab as a Fool, as aloof as a Bard!

    http://www.wizardsofthepct.com

  17. #17
    Getting out as much as I can..which is never enough. :) Mags's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jester2000 View Post
    On top of Whitney (which we nighthiked to watch the sunrise from the top -- I highly recommend this) the PCT thrus were smoking cigarettes and drinking Beam when the dayhikers started arriving.

    The dayhikers were dizzy and gasping for breath, red in the face. Some of them were throwing up. We offered them some whiskey to celebrate their summit success. They thought we were nuts.
    A buddy of mine completed his 14ers list this summer.

    Nothing like cheap whiskey at 14k ft or so:

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    The true harvest of my life is intangible...a little stardust caught,a portion of the rainbow I have clutched -Thoreau

  18. #18
    Registered User kayak karl's Avatar
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    this weekend at a hammock hang http://www.hammockforums.net/forum/s...ad.php?t=11113 we will be scaling apple pie mountain on Saturday. All are welcome.
    I'm so confused, I'm not sure if I lost my horse or found a rope.

  19. #19
    AT 4000+, LT, FHT, ALT Blissful's Avatar
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    Mt Whitney is my goal. 2012







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  20. #20

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    Quote Originally Posted by Blissful View Post
    Mt Whitney is my goal. 2012
    ven if you're just hiking Whitney, I'd recommend starting at Kennedy Meadows and taking the PCT to the John Muir Trail to Guitar Lake, and summitting from the West.

    It's a nice hike, and it gives you time to get used to the altitude, so your time on top will be more enjoyable. The western route is also less steep from Guitar Lake to the top. Whitney Portal Trail is STEEP, and can't possibly be much fun.

    As already mentioned, I recommend nighthiking (particularly if the moon is full) and watching the sunrise. Beautiful, and you'll have the mountain to yourself for a while before the crowd starts arriving.
    Drab as a Fool, as aloof as a Bard!

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