Hiking and Altitude

[Raider Nation Fisher]

Alright. So I have been enjoying hiking and just being out in nature for quite a while now. Sometimes I hike to fish, cause some of the best spots are unreachable by road or vehicle. So I'm apparently going out to New Mexico in a couple months. I'm wanting to go hiking while out there. New terrain, new place, new environment. I am quite excited about the prospect of exploring the area around Santa Fe. Recently, I was told that I wouldn't be able to keep up on the 6 and 7 mile hikes. The reason being Santa Fe is 7000ft above sea level, whereas where I'm living us only 500ft above sea level. I average 15 to 18 miles walking a day. Most days are spent up ladders and down ladders or up and down stairs. The terrain is usually uneven as well. Will that altitude really make that much of a difference?

[slonezp]

Since you're a knuckle dragger, you should be more concerned about the callouses on your baby soft skin.

[TnRiver46]

I’d say you’ll be fine but there’s only one way to find out 

[jimmyjoe]

   Yes, it will. The lower air pressure won't allow as much oxygen to enter your bloodstream. See:

 

https://geekymedics.com/oxygen-transport-in-the-blood/

 

jj

[jbsoonerfan]

Yep, I went to Pikes Peak this summer and I had heard all that as well and wasn't convinced. I was wrong. 

[islandbass]

There definitely some truth to this. I remember back in my glory days a few buddies and I had the itch to go snowboarding but it was middle of summer and as we gazed at Mt Rainier from an apartment balcony, I said, “Guys, you thinking what I’m thinking?” 
 

This is a not ski resort so we hiked up the mountain. We were all in good shape back then (hence glory days) but the higher we got, we noticed we started taking breaks to just “catch our breaths” with increasing frequency. It got to a point we stopped to take a break each time we walked barely 30’ or so. Dang, that altitude thing is real. We were high enough to touch the clouds. Okay, maybe it was fog, lol, but one minute it was bluebird skies, then the clouds completely covered us that your barely see your arm stretched out, and then clear skies. Weird. 

 

We stopped after we felt we couldn't go any higher. It wasn’t even that fun on the descent because it was so icy that every carve we engaged in was making  shave ice for snow cones, lol. 
 

We initially planned to do this about 3 times but screw that. We were all one and done. 

[Jigfishn10]

I was out in the Breckenridge CO area, Lake Dillon to be exact, about 15 plus years or so ago and that was 10,000 feet above sea level. Went twice actually. Only way to describe it is it's like taking your first dip of tobacco or drag of cigarette. Light headedness (sp) and you get winded easily. From what I understand the altitude has something to do with you white blood cells. That's what I heard anyway. The recommendation was to drink plenty of water as well, those regions are pretty dry climates and between dehydration and altitude you can easily pass out.

[CountryboyinDC]

Definitely don't make the mistake thinking this only happens to people that are inactive - pretty much anyone can get altitude sickness.  I treated several Rangers who were physical training (PT) studs in Afghanistan (one traced back to having malaria which looked like altitude sickness until we got him back to Bagram).  7,000 feet is not super high, so I doubt you can ask a physician to prophylactically prescribe Diamox, but it may be worth talking to your primary care physician about it if you're worried.  The biggest thing is giving your body time to adjust - at least a day or two - before you set off climbing mountains.

[Skunkmaster-k]

Drink plenty of water and cover your skin . The sun will cook you at high altitudes. 

Also don’t take a bag of chips from home. They will pop

[Koz]

Yes, definitely.

 

I'm an East Coast guy but one year the company I worked for bought a hotel in Cheyenne, Wyoming and they sent me out there to manage the transition and then try to turn the hotel around.

 

The hotel had a terrible reputation, and part of my job was to "shake hands and kiss babies" and change the image of the hotel. So before I arrived I called up the Mayor to arrange a meeting and he suggested we go play golf. Great! I love golf!

 

So the second day I'm in town I go meet the Mayor to play golf. Now Cheyenne is at 6,000 feet (we drove downhill to go to Denver) but I didn't think much of it. By the 15th hole between the altitude and the hot weather I was done. I drank at least a gallon of water while we played, but I couldn't make it through the last three holes. It was brutal.

 

Within a few more days I adapted and didn't encounter any more problems with outdoor activities. But it definitely kicked my butt those first few days.

 

I still hate Cheyenne.

[txchaser]

10 hours ago, CountryboyinDC said:

Diamox

☝️it'll make your first few days much more enjoyable.

[roadwarrior]

21 hours ago, Koz said:

Yes, definitely.

 

I'm an East Coast guy but one year the company I worked for bought a hotel in Cheyenne, Wyoming and they sent me out there to manage the transition and then try to turn the hotel around.

 

The hotel had a terrible reputation, and part of my job was to "shake hands and kiss babies" and change the image of the hotel. So before I arrived I called up the Mayor to arrange a meeting and he suggested we go play golf. Great! I love golf!

 

So the second day I'm in town I go meet the Mayor to play golf. Now Cheyenne is at 6,000 feet (we drove downhill to go to Denver) but I didn't think much of it. By the 15th hole between the altitude and the hot weather I was done. I drank at least a gallon of water while we played, but I couldn't make it through the last three holes. It was brutal.

 

Within a few more days I adapted and didn't encounter any more problems with outdoor activities. But it definitely kicked my butt those first few days.

 

I still hate Cheyenne.

 

"Kitty cat" is how our filter works. 

[BigAngus752]

Okay, so you've heard the horror stories.  We live in Illinois.  We are gym rats and do a lot of "cardio".  We went to Colorado and did several day-long hikes and some 12 and 14-ers.  7000 isn't that tall but you will certainly notice.  You may or may not get altitude sickness.  Some do and some don't.  I've never heard of a way to predict it.  Here are some things to do:

 

You have a couple month so when you are doing your walks here start using a high altitude mask.  You are going to hate it but it can help immensely.  I have a good friend who does Ironmans in Colorado and his mask is his best friend leading up to the race.  

 

When you get there just slow down your pace.  My wife and I never get above "mosey" speed even though we are avid trail runners.  Carry LOTS of water.  Think you have enough?  Put more in your pack.  We would go through 10 bottles of water on a day hike in cool weather.  Take water.  

 

Relax and have fun.  Take a break if you need to.  You aren't going to die (I'm gonna feel bad if you fall off a mountain now.)

 

It's not that bad unless you get altitude sickness and if you do then go see a doc for some drugs.  Oh and they guys are NOT kidding about the sunblock.  I sat down at 14,000 feet and took my hat off and in the amount of time it took to eat a PB & J I had a burn on my forehead that peeled later.  

[flyfisher]

It all depends on the individual.  When I was an active rock climber we would take a trip out west and climb occasionally.  We were all in good shape and could hike with 50lb packs up steep terrain to get to the cliffs pretty easily.  When we went to do the same type of hikes, easier probably, at altitudes above 5k feet there were some in the group of us that had no issues, others that could tell a difference and others who it really impacted.  

 

No way to know till you get out there.  The advice on hydration is a good one as well as the sun block.  

[BayouSlide]

Years back I used to enjoy escaping Louisiana August for two weeks to Ouray, Colorado, going from living near sea level to a town at 8,000 feet, then hikes to 13,000 feet.

 

Always required a day to acclimate to the elevation, then business as usual.

[Raider Nation Fisher]

Sounds like I was completely wrong in what I was thinking. I'm definitely going to have to increase my cardio. I will also check out the altitude sickness medication.

As well as the high altitude training mask. This sounds fascinating to me, and may be useful for helping with other things as well. 

Thanks for all the replies and stories yall! Yall are an awesome help and wealth of advice. I'll keep yall updated on how this all goes. Im excited about it, rediscovering nature has been awesome. 

[Kev-mo]

My oldest decided to go to school in CO and now lives there. I been out there about 5-6 times in the last few years. There is definitely an adjustment period! 

 

It's not so much about the shape you're in but the oxygen carrying capacity of your blood. The last thing I read about it was it took about 2 weeks for your body to start acclimating to less oxygen. At that point your body is making more red blood cells or the capacity of said cells is increasing.

 

Also extra water, your blood is mostly water.

[flyfisher]

3 hours ago, Raider Nation Fisher said:

Sounds like I was completely wrong in what I was thinking. I'm definitely going to have to increase my cardio. I will also check out the altitude sickness medication.

As well as the high altitude training mask. This sounds fascinating to me, and may be useful for helping with other things as well. 

Thanks for all the replies and stories yall! Yall are an awesome help and wealth of advice. I'll keep yall updated on how this all goes. Im excited about it, rediscovering nature has been awesome. 

if you really want to know, get your physician to measure your VO2 max.  that will tell you how much oxygen your body can take out of the air basically.  the higher the number the better.  Cyclists and endurance runners usually have the highest levels.  

[senile1]

The last two years hiking 13ers and 14ers has become a big hobby of mine though it hasn't replaced fishing, of course.  I am now doing class 3 climbs and hope to move into class 4 next year.  The following link provides a chart showing the oxygen percentage you are taking in at different altitudes.  For example, at 7000 feet you are getting about 76 percent of your regular sea level oxygen (16%/20.9%).  At 14000 feet you are getting only around 63% (12.3/20.9).  As some have said, altitude sickness can affect anyone and there is no rhyme or reason as to who falls victim to it though all of us flatlanders have to be aware.  Typically, most people aren't extremely bothered by 7000 feet so you should be fine.  However if you, or one of your partners' get dizzy and goofy go lower immediately.  HACE or HAPE are rare but they can kill you.  (Google them.  ?)  I don't notice it until I get to 8 or 9000 feet but that is me.  At 13000 to 14000 I definitely notice it.  After a few days you acclimate to it and I generally start with an acclimation hike and increase my highest elevation by a couple thousand each day until I reach 14000 and above. 

 

https://hypoxico.com/altitude-to-oxygen-chart/