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Posted by Ballpark Frank (66.58.236.31) on 01:35:05 01/21/13
In Reply to: Day 20 - Parting Shot posted by katjh
Kat,
I thoroughly enjoyed this series.
It has been wonderful to see both national parks through the lenses of your family over the years. With the kids working there in the summer, and now, Carolyn spending a good part of the year working in Yellowstone, there is much discovery going on. I look forward to seeing the further adventures in future years.
You have obviously shed a bunch of pounds, based on the difference in the 2012 "you", as opposed to the you in photos posted years ago. I love seeing Loons taking the serious steps to improved health and mobility. It is so life-improving!
As far as your ability to keep up on the steep uphills, particularly at higher elevations, goes, there is only so much you can do to combat altitude sickness. I'm sure you are well aware of the standard advice (getting lots of sleep and staying well-hydrated) for acclimating. There has been quite a bit of research on the subject, and so far, nobody has come up with magic "silver bullets", like a pill you could take or some sort of "acclimation therapy". The one thing we know is that the only cure for it, once you have it, is to descend to lower elevation. If you study the findings of research conducted in the high peaks of the Himalayas, you find that overall fitness is not a reliable predictor of resistance to altitude sickness, HACE, or HAPE. We even saw instances of tenured guides perishing on Everest, while certain clients they were guiding survived incredible exposure. Beck Weathers is a classic example. You are the best judge of what you can and can't handle. I hope you just keep attempting that which you feel comfortable doing. Also, I would recommend skewing your biggest adventures toward the end of the trip, thus giving your body more time to adjust to the elevation. It takes about a week for your body to manufacture about half the additional red blood cells needed for adaptation. The remaining deficit is gradually compensated for over time. That was likely a key factor in the timing of Mort and Steve's attempt on the Middle Grand.
Anyway, the investment of your time in sharing the story of your vacation with the rest of us is greatly appreciated.
Bravo!
Ballpark
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