usvi-on-line
Kilimanjaro
two weeks kayaking in the queen charlotte islands in northern BC--the camping aspect doesn't bother me in the least! the air aspect does thoughdjmom wrote:Loria,
I think it is a really cool idea. Dumb question though....what is the longest camping trip you have been on?
< leaving on the 22nd of march...but too lame to figure out the ticker thing again!>
Haven't been that high, but have spent quite a bit of time in the Rockies, including doing Longs Peak @ 14,250ish, which is a cross between a climb and a hike. Non-technical at times but requires some clamoring. I did that late in season after spending the whole summer at 7,500 feet in Estes Park, and hiking/jogging a few times a week at 8-10K. Given that prep and my young age I felt no altitude effect. My understanding is that the only true way to adjust to the reduced oxygen is to spend time at altitude to allow your body to produce more red blood corpuscles to carry oxygen. That's one reason you hear about Kenyan runners winning marathons and US Olympic athletes training in Colorado Springs. After adjusting you go to lower altitude and the cells take time to reduce, so your body is delivering more oxygen to the muscles and increasing your endurance/abilities. No amount of training at low altitude can totally prepare you for the thinner air.
If you had problems at Vail at 8K, and considering trying 19K, perhaps try something in between first to see how it goes. You can drive up Mt Evans (paved, one way, 14K+) west of Denver, or Pikes Peak (one way, 14K+) near Colorado Springs, or over Trail Ridge Rd (paved continuous 12K+) in Rocky Mountain National Park, 75 miles NW of Denver. Spend a little time, do a hike at altitude, if you have problems get in the car and drive down and you should feel better quickly. There are numerous day hikes in RMNP to 12-13K (and elsewhere, I'm just familiar with that area) that would also give you some idea of hiking at an in between altitude. Not sure how convenient it would be to spend time in Colorado first, but it is likely less money/time to get there, and some of the highest easily accessible altitude in the continental US. It would give you an in between assessment, you can make the judgment of how your body handles it. And if it doesn't you don't spend a bunch to be disappointed, or at least plan accordingly to your abilities.
I'm about your age and think it sounds like a great trip/challenge, I'd like to do something like that, but would definitely want to prepare.
Just my $.02!
If you had problems at Vail at 8K, and considering trying 19K, perhaps try something in between first to see how it goes. You can drive up Mt Evans (paved, one way, 14K+) west of Denver, or Pikes Peak (one way, 14K+) near Colorado Springs, or over Trail Ridge Rd (paved continuous 12K+) in Rocky Mountain National Park, 75 miles NW of Denver. Spend a little time, do a hike at altitude, if you have problems get in the car and drive down and you should feel better quickly. There are numerous day hikes in RMNP to 12-13K (and elsewhere, I'm just familiar with that area) that would also give you some idea of hiking at an in between altitude. Not sure how convenient it would be to spend time in Colorado first, but it is likely less money/time to get there, and some of the highest easily accessible altitude in the continental US. It would give you an in between assessment, you can make the judgment of how your body handles it. And if it doesn't you don't spend a bunch to be disappointed, or at least plan accordingly to your abilities.
I'm about your age and think it sounds like a great trip/challenge, I'd like to do something like that, but would definitely want to prepare.
Just my $.02!
Good advice--I did the american lake trail (near aspen) this summer the day after arriving from NY--it was a pretty steep scramble at the beginning and I was really feeling the altitude there--but once it got a bit more level the altitude didn't bother me at all--I am not sure how much training I would be able to do at altitude prior to slogging off to tanzania though. 19k feet sounds awfully high.........irbgolfin wrote:Haven't been that high, but have spent quite a bit of time in the Rockies, including doing Longs Peak @ 14,250ish, which is a cross between a climb and a hike. Non-technical at times but requires some clamoring. I did that late in season after spending the whole summer at 7,500 feet in Estes Park, and hiking/jogging a few times a week at 8-10K. Given that prep and my young age I felt no altitude effect. My understanding is that the only true way to adjust to the reduced oxygen is to spend time at altitude to allow your body to produce more red blood corpuscles to carry oxygen. That's one reason you hear about Kenyan runners winning marathons and US Olympic athletes training in Colorado Springs. After adjusting you go to lower altitude and the cells take time to reduce, so your body is delivering more oxygen to the muscles and increasing your endurance/abilities. No amount of training at low altitude can totally prepare you for the thinner air.
If you had problems at Vail at 8K, and considering trying 19K, perhaps try something in between first to see how it goes. You can drive up Mt Evans (paved, one way, 14K+) west of Denver, or Pikes Peak (one way, 14K+) near Colorado Springs, or over Trail Ridge Rd (paved continuous 12K+) in Rocky Mountain National Park, 75 miles NW of Denver. Spend a little time, do a hike at altitude, if you have problems get in the car and drive down and you should feel better quickly. There are numerous day hikes in RMNP to 12-13K (and elsewhere, I'm just familiar with that area) that would also give you some idea of hiking at an in between altitude. Not sure how convenient it would be to spend time in Colorado first, but it is likely less money/time to get there, and some of the highest easily accessible altitude in the continental US. It would give you an in between assessment, you can make the judgment of how your body handles it. And if it doesn't you don't spend a bunch to be disappointed, or at least plan accordingly to your abilities.
I'm about your age and think it sounds like a great trip/challenge, I'd like to do something like that, but would definitely want to prepare.
Just my $.02!
< leaving on the 22nd of march...but too lame to figure out the ticker thing again!>