Elevation Changes; Seeking Experiences and Advice.
 

This summer, we will travel from Sarasota, Fl to the National Parks of the West; GCNP, Zion, Bryce, GTNP and YNP. We will fly into Phoenix and the drive for the next two and 1/2 weeks hiking and exploring the parks and then fly out of Billings.

What, if anything, can we do to prepare ourselves? How long will it take to acclimate? What have some of you experienced when vacationing at a different elevation? What kind of “symptoms” or changes should we feel, it any?

P.S. Mother, 44 Daughter, 13

I was shocked how winded I got hiking at the higher elevations. I couldn't do as much as I wanted to do.

Altitude affect people differently, so it's impossible to say how you and your daughter will fare.

However, Zion and Bryce aren't really that high and you will also have some time to adapt before you get there. As for other parks, I imagine you will have become use to the altitude by then too. You can't really prepare for high altitude so just take it easy the first couple of days and always stay hydrated.

FL Mom,

Altitude affects each person differently and there are a wide range of symptoms. Acclimation is also different with each person.

Symptoms include (obviously) shortness of breath, headache, nausea, gas, not being able to sleep, loss of appetite.

Being in very good shape and regular exercise at home will help tremendously.

Also - drink gallons of water and always have more handy. Much, much more than you think you need to. In our dry climate you do not realize how much water you are losing and need to replace. Start drinking water on the plane out! No alcohol!

Keep a little food in your stomach all the time. Lots of little high energy snacks between meals and while hiking. Fruit is especially good.

I live in Park City, UT and my house is at 6500 ft. Unfortunately, the people I see who suffer the most from elevation are those from Florida. Don't know why that is, I guess the combination of altitude and dry climate which is totally the opposite of what you are used to.

You will still have fun - just take it easy.

Bryce is the highest of the bunch, at 8000 - 9000 ft at the rim, around 1000 ft. higher than the (south) rim at Grand Canyon.

Most people adapt to <10,000 ft in a couple of days or so, but people aren't clones and level of activity etc. plays a big role.

Exactly, Dayle, it’s the humidity and the altitude I’m worried about. I had a friend who flew out to Vegas and came home early because her eyes and nose were so adversely affected by the change in climate she couldn’t function.

I’ve upped my cardio and started to do some strength training. We’ve got till June and I’m planning on lots of chapstick and saline drops, I wear contact lens.

I’ve heard you don’t feel sweaty because it’s so dry, so you don’t realize how much water you need, so we’ll really have to pay attention to that.

I grew up in a twon at elev 7200 feet. A lot is going to depend on your usual activity level AND how hard you push it once you first arrive.

I've seen athletes who needed supplemental oxygen when they first arrived in our town and these people were in VERY good shape.

FL Mom,

Don't forget the hats, sunglasses, sunscreen (more than 40 SPF)and moisturizing lotions! Lip balm with sunscreen too.

First of all, google all the relevant info you can on altitude acclimation and see what links it sends you to...

When I was very young, I would only get winded. As I got older, I would get an unpleasant headache the first night and then would be OK. My husband, OTOH, who had no symptoms (or just did not notice them) when young, has developed altitude sickness in late middle age and must take a prescription med before leaving for a trip and for the first few days at the high altitude. As you will find a *wealth* of info when you google, I will not attempt to poorly summarize it. What seems to matter most is the altitude that you sleep at, so if your lodgings can be lower than your daily activities, that is good.

Here is a thread with similar question and answers:

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34865407

type in altitute in the search box at top of this page to see other threads.

Hope this helps...
Debi

If I find that I do have trouble sleeping, is it safe to use a Unisom or something like that? I sleep like a baby at sea level and don't need the help of a sleep aide except on rare occasions.

One more thing....of course, being "in shape" is always better than not being so, but husband who is much more cardiovascularly fit than I, is the one who suffers w/altitude sickness, whereas I do not. Don't mean to discourage you in any way, just that the cardio is not a guarantee that you will not have a problem...

I seriously doubt that you will have difficulties with elevation at these parks, unless you do hikes with some significant elevation gain. In that case, you will probably just get more fatigued than usual, or maybe a slight headache. The elevation at the visitor's centers and sights at each of these parks just isn't that high-in my many trips to each of them (and all the conversations I've had with others going there) I've never seen or heard of people having problems. I guess everyone is different, though, so I'm not saying it can't happen, I just think it's a lot rarer than you think at those elevations.

In any case, I wouldn't actively "worry" about it. I think focusing/fixating on it might make something that isn't very likely to bother you (at least not in any significant way) a bigger problem that it would otherwise be.

I totally agree with Christy1. GTNP has the highest elevations, and by the time you get there you'll be somewhat acclimated. Before that, it's just not much of an issue. The bigger issue will be the low humidity, but if you listen to your body and drink adequate water (not gallons and gallons) you'll be fine.

I'd be more concerned about the dryness than that altitude - coming from Florida, this could be a shock to your system. As others have said - drink water, put on lots of lotion, wear sunscreen, and of course - don't forget your chapstick. The altitude will probably affect you too, but you will be driving to the higher altitudes from Phoenix, so you should be able to acclimate reasonably well.

Serious altitude "sickness" is rarely a problem. But - most people coming from lower altitudes, especially sea level do "feel" it in some way.

You will notice it most at Bryce.

I just returned from Breckenridge, CO (10,000 ft) and had a terrible time with altitude sickness. So much so that I couldn't ski this trip. I felt naseous and dizzy the entire time. Walking up a flight of stairs made me feel like I was going to pass out. I exercise regularly and have never felt so winded. Also the dryness of the air effected me alot- had to leave a pot of water boiling at the condo the entire time, and could not drink enough water. I ended up buying cans of oxygen to do breathing treatments and it helped tremendously- they are sold at all the drug stores.

By the time we get to Bryce, we'll have been "on the ground" for 6 days so that should help.

What do you thinks about the sleeping and Unisom thing?

As others have noted altitudes affect different people diferently.

As long as you're not a smoker (never smoked) and are in good physical condition you should have no trouble with your normal activities up to about 4-5,000 feet. Over that - and it starts to affect some people. When you get to very high altitudes - 12-13,000 feet - it affects almost everyone at first, some severely.

The key at first is to do less than you usually do - not plan on more - and work up your endurance slowly. (If you're hiking 5 miles at sea level don;t assume you can do the same - or at the same speed - at 6,000 feet. Assume you can do less - and if you start to feel out of breath take a rest immediately. Also - as others have mentioned - keeping hydraterd is important.

If you want to do 5/6 miles hikes at higher altitudes you need to train by going much further at sea level. (I did a meeting in Mexico City several years ago and one of the participants was a marathoner. He tried to go for a run there and came back in 15 minutes ready to collapse. And I usually walk a lot in NYC and found myself breathing heavily after walkingonly about half a mile. Of course, there the awful air pollution is probably much more of a factor than the altitude.)

WOW, Laura, so sorry you had that happen to you. Sounds like what happened to the friend I mentioned, she just came home she was so messed up. It's sounding more and more like it's hit or miss.

I would avoid over-the-counter sleep aids for the first few days, if possible, as most of them contain generic benadryl, an antihistamine, which can cause dry mouth and nasal cavity.

I use saline for my contact lenses. Ask your doctor. S/he may recommend a lubricating drop for your eyes.

I dont know if you do much drinking - but alcohol will effect you much differently at a higher altitude. A little goes a long way...even having only one glass of wine/beer can make you quite tipsy/drunk or even sick!!

FLmom,

As you can see from my screen name, I'm a fellow Floridian, so I can relate to this with personal experience.

My husband and I, (61 and 57) have made recent trips to the areas you're going as well as some others at higher elevation.

The only symptoms either of us have experienced is that we tire a bit more easily, even though we're both in good physical condition (have made several hikes of 6-8 hour duration with elevation changes and in high temps). It isn't so much that our legs give out, but that we feel short of breath, me especially. I'm a natural shallow breather (a lot of us are) and just don't routinely use my lungs to the max or even close. He on the other hand, is a surfer and has great lung capacity. Unless we're hiking steeply uphill, he's fine. Any kind of grade begins to get to me. I just slow down, or even stop for a couple of minutes and then keep going. Never been enough to stop us from doing what we wanted.

The advice about water is good, but don't forget to include Gatorade - or something similar, as well. Also some salty snacks. You're losing more than just water when you sweat. I made the mistake on one of our earliest trips out there of just drinking water, and lots of it, didn't really feel like eating much. We weren't even at that high an elevation and I started to feel sick to my stomach and weak. A park ranger later told me about making sure I eat something salty and substitute another liquid for some of the water.

Being as fit as possible, as you seem to be aiming for, is great and will really help. In addition to avoiding alcohol, I was told to cut back or eliminate caffeine for a week or so before my trip. I'm not much for booze, but giving up the caffeine was hard.

Also, buy some saline nose spray. I found it made the extreme dryness easier to tolerate and helped me sleep better at night. A heavy duty moisturizer for your body and hands is a must. Coming from such high humidity you'll feel like your skin is being sucked dry. (Be prepared for your hair to go funky, too.) :-) Ditto on the advice about sunscreen, hats, etc. All necessary to have.

The areas you're going to are awe inspiring. So different from our Florida. We've been to all the places you're going and every one of them is just gorgeous. Have a great trip.

Fran

Perfect nytraveler- that 1/2 of what I can do here gives me a great training goal for the next couple of months! Thanks for the tip.

Honestly I feel funny about the sleep aide anyway, ExpertTripPlanner, if you already can't breath as well, why would you want to knock yourself out...doesn't make much sense.

Fortunately steviegene, I don't drink or smoke so that won't be a factor in the mix.

We've flown from Tampa to Phoenix then driven to the Grand Canyon quite a few times, and with only minimal issues with elevation changes. I'm pretty fit so was embarrassingly out of breath hiking Bright Angel...out of breath but a stop and I'd be fine and breathing normally in less than a minute, so it wasn't anything dire. Being Workout Queen means you must never breath audibly and expect to maintain the aura of fitness others (husband and children) expect of you. :) Really, it was normal and most everyone was in the same boat or worse! Parts of that hike are steep.

I've had no difficulty what-so-ever flying from Tampa to Las Vegas, heading immediately to Bryce and hiking there. Hiking was quite a bit easier than Zion. Zion we noticed slight breathlessness, nothing worth a second thought though.

Of course I have noticed how terribly dry the air feels compared to FL...I feel as if I'm visibly shriveling up. :) Bring lots and lots of moisturizer and chapstick!

The only time I've had much of an issue at all was flying Tampa to Denver then driving to Silverthorne to ski, where I had a good headache the first day or two and some sleeplessness. By day 3, I was fine. I don't think you'll have much of an issue with it if you take things just a bit easier the first day or so. That doesn't mean "don't hike", but don't try to set any speed records either. :)

Unfortunately another side effect for me was insomnia- even with taking my sleep aid (trazadone) that I take every night. I hardly slept the entire time- 5 days. It seems like about the time I started getting aclimated to the altitude it was time to go home. Don't get me wrong I loved Colorado and will go back.

Totally love hearing from you FL girls...I didn't have lotion on my list, I do now.

Now that you've brought it up Fran, I think of I have a breathing tape from Dr. Andrew Weil, I'm going to pull that out this weekend an give it a try...can't hurt.

Flmom
It does not matter how good a shape you are in it is just that altitude affects everyone different and you never know until you get there.
Alot of people have no problem but I found out I do and did not expect it all all.
The sleeping problem happens because you heart is racing(in my case) to get oxygen to your brain. I would climb into bed and feel like my heart was going to explode out of my chest. And I am in really good shape. But it was hard to settle down to sleep. Also the headache can get so severe nothing you take helps.
But this does not happen to everyone and I hope it doesn't happen to you but you probably will get short of breath easier if you are walking or hiking.
I am also from Florida and not used to hill walking or climbing. Drink lots of water and keep hydrated also.

You may or may not have any problems.

In high elevations, I have trouble sleeping but am otherwise fine. My wife, however, has had nausea and vomiting.

I would ask your doctor for some of the anti-altitude sickness drugs, just in case. Chances are you won't need them, but they sure have helped my wife.

It truly does NOT matter if you're in great shape! I'm a runner and dancer (classical ballet) and we've hiked and explored MANY higher elevations (canadian rockies, glacier np in montana, rocky mt np) where i had no problem whatsoever.

Strangely enough, even being in great shape and drinking tonzzz of water, i had two episodes of altitude illness - at the NORTH rim of Grand Canyon, and one morning in Yellowstone (canyon lodge) a place we'd visited several times prior without a hitch.

It was so random, there was no rhyme or reason why it occured those two times. Thankfully, i only felt like crap a few hours, lots of Advil and even MORE water helps alot so keep both handy :)

LauraATL, I, too had the same problem when I went to Breckenridge last summer. I had terrible insomnia and had no idea it had to do with the elevation until maybe the 3rd night we were there. I was looking in my AAA book and saw info on altitude sickness and sure enough, it was listed! I didn't sleep for 5 days and tried Tylenol PM one night and Ambien the others. I was exhausted. I drank plenty of water and had no caffeine or alcohol either. I was dizzy but had no shortness of breath.
for Flmom, you will be acclimated better since you will taking over 2 weeks to see it all. At the higher elevations, ease into it and take it slowly the first day or two. You may be lucky and have no problems at all. My husband and children didn't, just lucky me :)
Have a wonderful trip!

When we visited the South Rim of GCNP earlier this year, a blood vessel burst in my eye. I read that it may have been because I wear contact lenses, which made it harder for my eyes to get enough oxygen at that altitude. I've been in the Tahoe area many times with no such side effects, though, so I didn't expect this. I wonder if anyone else has had this problem when visiting the canyon..or places of similar altitude. It might be a good idea to bring a pair of glasses, just in case, but I was still able to wear my lenses. Nothing hurt; it just looked hideous to me.

i get altitude-induced migraines, which were really a problem when we hiked half-dome at yosemite and angels flight in zion.

i suggest that you get a "camel-back" backpack and fill the bladder with water (each of you), and also still bring as MUCH water in the pack in bottles as you can. you need WAY more than you'd ever think. keep ibuprofen or tylenol with you when you hike in case one comes on.

my situation is pretty severe, though... i can get a migraine just climbing up a steep flight of stairs! ;)

I agree with Dayle. Make sure you both stay very well hydrated. Also, if either of you have respiratory or cardiac problems (ie: asthma, COPD, arrhythmia), I would also see your physician before your trip. Try not to think of the altitude too much. Just enjoy the scenery! Bryce and Zion are fantastic!

OK, this has been extremely helpful, so thanks to all of you for posting. From the prospective of being informed and proactive, rather than worried and obsessed, I’ve got a good idea on how to prepare, and then, just not think about it and enjoy the view!

I suffer from migraines too lynnejoel1015, so I think I will check in with my doctor before we go and discuss my concerns with him. I will call my Optometrist’s office and ask about drops for my contacts and bring along my glasses as a backup. BTW, holly, it’s good to know the blood vessel thing didn’t hurt or interrupt you trip.

We’ll bring all of the OTC products mentioned;
Sunscreen, lip balm, moisturizing lotion, saline nose spray, lubricating eye drops and Advil-Aspirin-Tylenol.

We got our “camel-back’s” for Christmas, mine is 3 liters, DD is 2 liters. We’ll pack them with extra water bottles and lots of little high energy snacks and meals so we can keep a little food in our stomachs’ all the time. We’re doing the road-trip car cooler thing so we can include Gatorade - or something similar, as well some salty snacks.

I’ll continue with my fitness routine; some strength training and I’ll bump up my cardio a bit. I’m adding some breathing exercises from a tape I’ve had for a long time, but never really used; now is the perfect time to try it out.

We’re taking the “long scenic” route from PHX to GCNP. Our flight is scheduled to arrive at 7:30 am MST. Once we get the rental, we’ll stop at Wal-Mart and then head out. I’ve planned on stopping at Montezuma’s Castle and then head west toward Sedona, and maybe check out the Chapel of the Holy Cross. We’ll continue along 89 through Sedona and make our way through Oak Creek Canyon, stopping at some of the overlooks and the roadside vendors if we feel like it. We’ll get to GCNP for supper and the sunset. Hopefully, this is low-key enough for us to ease into our trip, and allow our bodies to adjust a bit.

Hi FLMom,

I think you are well prepared now. My personal altitude symptom is sleeplessness. Belive me, it is a very long, miserable night when you are totally exhausted and lay there with your eyes wide open all night long! I find an altitude change of more than 3,500 ft. affects me.

A pharmacist friend recommended over the counter sleep tabs for me and I've used them for years. I am very suseptible to medications of any kind and find that 1/2 the regular dosage is enough for me to get a good night's sleep. The mild "cotton mouth" side effect is well worth it.

Sleep tabs like Simply Sleep are non addicting and have very little residual effect. I can wake up in less than 8 hours, eat, and feel fine. Your experience will be unique to your physiology, but you shouldn't hesitate to have some handy.

Have fun!

Actice ingredient in Simply Sleep is Diphenhydramine HCl [25 mg in each caplet] which is exactly the same thing as Dramamine. Save yourself the $$ and buy generic at WalMart, WalGreen etc.

This stuff dries you out, so be sure to drink lots if you choose to take it as the dry air in SW will make you dehydrate fast!

Hope this helps...
Debi