Elevations in the Rockies
 

Is there much of a difference in elevation among Banff, Canmore, Lake Louise and Jasper? Are these a concern for people with high blood pressure?

I think this is a question for your physician; not for a bunch of lay folks like myself. How the heck should I know?<BR><BR>I am on blood pressure medicine and I have no concerns. But, I feel that way because I visited my cardiologist and got her analysis.<BR><BR>I think it depends on how high is high and what you are taking. My cardiologist told me to take my medicine and get moving for exercise.<BR><BR>But, notice, I am following my cardiologist's directions. And she did a complete stress echo electro cardiagram before she said anything!!<BR>She watched the images pulsate with my heart rate around 150 on a treadmill with me hooked up like an astronaut, and then ran a computer analysis on the whole set of figures. Then she gave me her best judgment after studying the facts. <BR><BR>Of the four places, Lake Louise is the highest.<BR>But unless you walk along the trail toward the glacier that forms the backdrop for the lake, you will not have any serious elevation gain.<BR>Lake Louise itself is about 5700 feet.<BR>The tea house toward the end of the trail is 2100 meters, or 6890 feet<BR><BR>Jasper itself is about 1200 meters or about 4000 feet. The Whistlers gets on up there a little, at 8100 feet.<BR>Banff, as near as I can find, is about 4700 feet.<BR>It is more of an exertion question than one of altitude. Below 7,000 feet thin air problems don't usually materialize unless you really tackle a steep slope.<BR>But, on the other hand, my cousin bombed out on a little hill at 4,500 feet because she is not a very fit person.

Thanks for the figures. My husband's doctor has given no definitive answer other than to say, if I remember correctly, flying in a pressurized airliner cabin is equivalent to about 6000 ft and that "should" be ok. So I just began to wonder if we should choose one of those towns over another based on elevation.

It depends on how much exerting you plan on doing. I quit when I am gasping too hard for breath, or the slope is so steep my legs are not equal to the task.<BR><BR>A second opinion might be in order. I had similar questions, but I am not sure my general care physician could have answered it. Therefore I consulted a cardiologist and asked her point blank: "How hard can I push myself." No one knows for sure without measuring what the heart and blood vessels do under stress. <BR>Those kinds of questions led to the power treadmill test battery.<BR>After the examination, I felt confident that I knew my limits. <BR><BR> <BR>

We've had differing and vague answers from doctors. But when one initially said flying might be iffy, I wondered about altitudes in general. My blood pressure is low-low so this is all a new subject for me. Anyway he won't be doing any serious hiking so that shouldn't be an issue. I think I can quit worrying.

I was initially put on blood pressure medicine by a general care physician.<BR>After my examination by the cardiologist, she told me that the dosage I had been taking was not correct!<BR>I have learned a few other things, too, about colon cancer. But this is a travel forum. Just suffice it to say that my surgeon told me that a flexible sigmoidoscope was not an adquate screening tool!!<BR>

I won't even ask. Happy hiking :-)