JMT and Altitude Sickness

Thanks for all the responses. Definitely will take some of the ideas seriously going forward. Just to clarify, after my JMT mishap I took altitude/hydration seriously. The Bishop/Piute pass hike was my first foray into the high Sierra and the dryness and sun exposure was nothing I had experienced before (I just had like 20 backcountry days under my belt). When I went to Ansel Adams I camped three nights at elevation ranging from 9300-9800 ft, drank profusely, and took Diamox. No headaches, nausea, or major fatigue. That being said, I was a bit sluggish though I am not in the greatest shape anymore plus it seems like elevation always has an impact. With my avoiding any issues in Ansel, I was wondering if that approach should be enough to feel reasonably confident about Forester/Whitney. I will probably add another day to acclimate before and try to get in better shape.

One of the posters mentioned heart rate. I did notice that my heart “races” when going uphill and frequent breaks are required. Is there any point where I should be concerned or is that just a no brainer since I am carrying an extra 30lbs and hiking at elevation plus not in great shape? I am 33 yrs 155lbs 6ft. Going on level or downhill no issues and I can move quickly with no breaks.

Another tip I would give you is the following:

When going up the passes, walk slightly slower than you think you should, and keep a steady pace rather than going fast, then stopping, then fast, then stopping.

I keep my pace steady at whatever speed allows me to take full, deep breaths without getting breathless or having my heart "race". That little trick has often gotten me to the top of a pass before younger, faster, fitter people who got all out-of-breath and had to stop to rest! And you arrive feeling good, because you're breathing to your maximum.

Heart rate is something easy enough to monitor. You just have to decide what it means.

The old standard idea was that your maximal heart rate should be 220 minus your age. So, for round numbers, let's call that 185. If your heart rate is anywhere near that, then you are over-exerting yourself. To put it differently, you are probably out of condition. For any period like a day of backpacking, you probably shouldn't be ticking above 150. Maybe not even that. On the first year that I went up Whitney, at the one mile point my heart rate was running at 180, and I was about ready to fall over. After another year of hiking up and down at those elevations, I did Whitney again, and at the one mile point my heart rate was 150. Now, many years later, I will do the same first mile and my heart rate is about 115, although my pace is slower.

When hikers go up to high elevations, sometimes they feel awful symptoms, but they can't tell for sure whether they are getting AMS or something worse like HAPE. Assuming that you have no other help for determination, try this. Rest for an hour, and your body should recover somewhat. After that hour, if your rest heart rate is still doing more than 120, then it is likely that you have something like HAPE setting in. This is not a perfect test. It is crude, but effective. AMS is unlikely to show anything as pronounced as this, and often it is recoverable after a good night of rest and support.

–B.G.–

"When going up the passes, walk slightly slower than you think you should, and keep a steady pace rather than going fast, then stopping, then fast, then stopping."

+1. I would recommend a shorter stride/step if possible too. My friend and I have actually dubbed it the "Sierra Pass Shuffle."

" I did notice that my heart “races” when going uphill and frequent breaks are required"

That means you are walking too fast. You need to establish a slower pace. As a rule of thumb, walk a pace that you don't need a rest stop for an hour or hour and a half. If you can't do that, you're walking too fast. Taking breaks ever 15 minutes is more exhausting and takes longer to get to your destination than walking a slow pace and taking a break every hour or hour and a half. Think of the tortoise and the hare :)
Ignore any peer pressure and walk your own pace.

billy

billy

Bob,

I think you have failed to communicate clearly that 220 means 220 heart beats per minute. You say rate, but neglected to give the time component necessary for a rate.

Please communicate clearly, we have ESL members and autistics that can not understand or use context to follow a conversation.

i hope this helps.

"I think you have failed to communicate clearly that 220 means 220 heart beats per minute. You say rate, but neglected to give the time component necessary for a rate."

Is there any other heart rate dimension that is used in the health professions, other than beats per minute?

–B.G.–

Glad you cleared that up! ;^)

But that whole forumla 220 minus your age isn't all that accurate. When I was a fit lad in my 40's (years of age, to avoid any confusion) I was riding my bikes pretty hard while utilizing a Polar heart rate monitor and I occasionally hit 204 (BPM), so it's a vague guide at best.

When some of us arrive at a certain age, it is sufficient to have a heart rate that is anything greater than zero.

–B.G.–

"But that whole forumla 220 minus your age isn't all that accurate."

That's very true, but it is a rough standard that has been used for years. There are newer standards, but they are not easy to remember.

We were all fit lads at some point in time.

–B.G.–

I used to tell people, use a heart rate monitor and go as hard as you can for as long as you can. Then gear down and keep hammering. You will see little blue donuts and your vision will start fading from the sides… tunnel vision. The last number you see before you pass out is your max heart rate.

However, having observed the phenomenon numerous times, heart rate actually increases by a few bpm for a few seconds immediately after ceasing maximum effort. I guess it takes a while to "rev down".

edit to fix repetitious redundancy… a tic of mine!

"There are newer standards, but they are not easy to remember."

What happened to –

"I would think that most BPL members would want to raise the level of discussion here, not to try to lower it down to the level of Twitter." ?

Eventually I subscribed to the concept of "perceived exertion". After watching the numbers for a long time, a fit person can fairly accurately estimate (to within about +/-2%) his/her percentage of maximum heart rate. There are studies for those who care to look them up.

"tunnel vision"

Maybe twenty years ago, I used to charge up to the summit of Mount Whitney. At one point about 1.5 miles from the summit, roughly 14,000 feet elevation, the tunnel vision from hypoxia would hit me. I lost most of my peripheral vision for several minutes, and all I could see was the patch of trail directly ahead of me. That was before I carried a heart rate monitor, so I had to monitor heart rate by carotid pulse. Besides vision, some of your brain activity is impaired as well, so you don't want to have to deal with math calculations, like 220 minus your age. I forgot how old I was!

–B.G.–

I still can't think about the large, delicious and expensive meal I ate in Cusco the first night I flew in without wanting to vomit. I forgot the rule about eating lightly and suffered for it.

As a pharmacist, I can attest that Diamox has solid evidence to support a modest benefit in helping lessen symptoms. Whether that's worth a trip to the doctor for you is your decision. It's generally well tolerated and isn't a highly allergenic drug so most people get along fine with it.

Ibuprofen may also be beneficial but you need to take it around the clock and not just when symptoms flare up.

Drink as much water as you can while you are acclimating and then a bit more. You lose so much more water through respiration at altitude so it's easy to get dehydrated.

No alcohol!!!! It severely limits your body's ability to acclimate. Same goes for opioids like Vicodin and Tylox.

I get altitude sickness pften but it is just limited to a persistent headache and lack of appetite. Nothing I can't just power through.