The Colorado Trail – Part Two – Acclimating to the Altitude

(This is a series of blogs related to a thru hike of the Colorado Trail – Durango to Denver, August 20-September 26, 2017)

I am an eastern dweller at approx. 800 feet elevation. And I am going to spend day two of my hike heading northbound on the Colorado Trail climbing to 12,000 feet. BIG difference in elevation for sure. And one I need to prep for, even as I prep for other parts of my hike gear wise, mail drop wise, etc.

So what do you do to avoid the dreaded AMS or Acute Mountain Sickness? This is a very real and potentially life threatening illness. It can begin as a headache and rapidly spread to nausea, vomiting, and other more potent symptoms.  Just this past summer a young woman died of it in Colorado. It is not something to take lightly. So whether you are planning to tackle the Colorado Trail as I did, or are considering other destinations such as the PCT, John Muir Trail, Kilimanjaro, etc. one must get ready for the change in altitude. I did a few things to prep for this all important area I know if I didn’t get a handle on it, could ruin my chances for a safe adventure.

I first scanned the Internet for altitude related articles. Some advocated a period of acclimating, that is, going to a midway altitude and adjusting. This I did by spending the first few days in Denver, Estes Park, and I also climbed a bit of the trail up Longs Peak.

The second thing I read was taking gingko biloba two weeks before the hike. This I also did and continued to take it throughout my five week journey.

Fluids is a big deal. Drink, drink, drink. Know the water and streams issue and take extra containers to carry the water you need. There are several “dry” areas on the Colorado Trail – and this I prepared for by asking fellow hikers of water conditions and using any updated info some hikers did provide on my Atlas Guide map app (many thanks to hikers Phoenix and Hippie Longstocking for valuable information on water and campsites along the CT).

The other thing I did was join the Facebook group Altitude Acclimatization. The group offered great advice on what to do. The FILES also contained important information on an altitude medicine to take. At first I wasn’t going to take it, but I decided it was a good idea. The drug Acetazolamide (or Diamox) has been used to treat glaucoma. But in small doses it is very effective in warding off AMS. I was given 125 mg tablets by my doctor. Some say to take more, some less. The dosage that worked for me is the day before beginning my ascent, I took 125 mg AM and PM. I also needed to drink a lot as this drug acts as a diuretic. Be prepared to head for the forests and fields frequently as you will urinate frequently. You keep taking it until you reached maximum altitude. On the Colorado Trail this did not happen for a week when I reached the high point at 13,000 feet. I took it for 10 days then for the last two days went down to half dosage. After about five days of taking the drug I did experience a side effect of some strange tingling in my fingers and the heels of my feet. It did not bother me, but it was noticeable. But the drug worked perfectly, I had no headaches, nausea or other symptoms of AMS.

There are of course physical aspects. Hiking at altitude can make you very short winded. While you may not be having any signs of sickness, you still need to curb your physical output to match your cardiovascular one. I found using my respirations as the guide to how fast I hiked worked well. If my breathing became labored, I slowed it down. If I needed an extra breath, I stopped and allowed my body a quick recoup. I found with this technique that even after a few days, I was able to hike farther without having to pause so frequently. In time I was also hiking quicker. Being in good physical condition beforehand helps speed this process along.  

Once I adapted, I went off the drug, continued to take in water, but had no other issues, even as I hiked between 10-12,000 feet. In time  was able to hike a fairly good pace and keep my breathing also in check.

With some careful prep ahead of time, altitude doesn’t have to be the issue that can ruin your trail experience.

Related Blogs: 

Colorado Trail, Part One - Preparing

Review of "High Sierra - A Journey on the John Muir Trail"

Trailer for the documentary by Pete Bell




Review

If you've ever wanted to see what the John Muir Trail entails in all its scenic wonder as well as some of its hiking challenges, this documentary is for you.  Filmed by skilled videographer Pete Bell, it follows in the footsteps of six teen guys who backpack the famous trail, some on their very first backpacking adventure. 

The filmmaker uses stunning time-lapse photography to capture the beauty of a sunset, the spectacular scenery of Yosemite National Park, as well as a starlit night. There is a good mix of both hikers and their challenges alongside the filming of wildlife amid breathtaking scenery.  The small elevation profile map and appropriate titling helps identify where the hikers are (though later on in the film the elevation profile sadly disappears). There is also an interview with a Yosemite park ranger that offers a good perspective of the man John Muir (though the ranger candidly points out he's never hiked the trail itself). 

This film is by no means a “How To” on hiking the John Muir Trail but rather is a personal tale of the teens who hiked and mastered it. Unfortunately in that aspect, the film lacks any personal profiles of the hikers undertaking this epic adventure (for instance, I had no idea they were high schoolers until I read it on the Internet. Had I known, it would have made the journey more impressive to me).  Also it seems this hike was undertaken at the prime time to hike the trail, usually from mid August on. Any of the challenges of snow, insects, or high river crossings (of which I saw only two very easy water crossings in the film and no snow on the trail anywhere) are nonexistent. So these challenges of the trail are not represented.

All in all it is a finely-crafted film that makes one appreciate the great beauty found in what is appropriately deemed the most spectacular trail in the US. And I for one can’t wait to hike it.   

Destination Alternate

A picture of my son taken the last time we went to Yellowstone back in 1997

Destinations change. Plans change. As much as we want to set things in stone, they are more in clay that can easily get washed away at the first rainstorm. When I was out hiking the AT, I knew better than to try and map out my day to day progress ahead of time. Inevitably something would come up, usually when I least expect it, and my plans would have to be tossed.

Earlier I had posted about changes to hiking the John Muir Trail this summer. They were confirmed when my husband spoke to the ranger yesterday, and he talked about the conditions still prevalent in Yosemite Park - mainly miles of snow and frozen lakes still. He said he'd never seen a season where there simply was no spring. It went from winter to summer, and so the spring melt is happening now. And spring in the Sierras with snow and wild rivers is not something I really wanted to experience.

So plan B went into motion, to hike the Long Trail of Vermont. Plans were made to see family. Maps and guidebooks purchased. Maildrops made. And then my husband and I were on a company trip to Bermuda and on the last day of our vacation there - he dropped the bomb. His back had been giving him lots of issues. He felt he dare not try to do a long distance hike this summer. So what about a trip out west? - he offers.

Huh? It completely threw me. Here I had planned all along to do some major hike this summer, and one issue after another has kept it from happening. And now it looks like even my plan to hike the Long Trail has fallen through.

So we are readying both backpacking gear and car camping gear in preparations to head back to Yellowstone National Park with a detour through Colorado. Hence the photo of my son taken on our last trip made there.

Destinations are all good. But oh boy, I still wonder where I'm really going to end up come July. It's anyone's guess.

Hiking Destinations and Tough Decisions

Plowing Tioga Road, Yosemite National Park, late May 2011. They still don't know when the road will open as of June 7th.

Our destination for this summer's hike starting July 7th was slated to be the John Muir Trail, the most scenic trail one can do, spanning the high Sierras in California. We set up for it way back in January through the Yosemite National Park lottery system (which had to be done then to secure a pass to hike at this date) and went on to purchase the airline tickets. 

Then the snows came. And they came. And record snows, according to Mammoth Lake. Still more record snow in March. Some late snow in April. But we stubbornly maintained our optimism. We began thinking in terms of microspikes, ice axes, hiking boots and not trail runners, long gaiters, getting a new tent (which we did), how to survive the water crossings, all the while hoping for blistering spring temps to melt the huge snow pack.

But the temperatures did little. The snow is melting, yes, but ever so slowly.  We had to make a decision soon with our July hike. Hike on what was projected to be miles and miles of snow pack in July (the only month we can do it with our schedules). Or try again next year, take the airline penalty and do something different with our plane tickets next fall?

How it looks right now in the high Sierra country, June 7, 2011

We opted to try again next year.

This summer we have changed to hiking the Long Trail of Vermont. Thanks to the generosity of a fellow White Blaze member, we have the guide book, and I purchased the Long Trail map and End to End guide from Campmor. Plans are being put into motion to salvage a summer of hiking. I still hate to think I will not be out on the JMT this year. That I have to pay fines to move airline tickets and suffer through the Yosemite lottery process all over again next year. These are tough decisions one must make. But I feel we made the right one.