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Altitude sickness: 5-things you didn't know

Thanks for the article. As I didn't know about HAPE or HACE. I know that when I go to Colorado hunting I breath harder just walking in the fields. They are around 8,000 feet above sea level and I walk up the mountain to near 10,000. So far I have been ok with it.
 
I got a bad case of AMS years ago. I went with the Addams Family (LOL - my girlfriend at the time, and her...um...dysfunctional family) to Maui for 2 weeks. Gorgeous area, and we spent a day/night hiking and camping in the Haleakala volcano crater, 10,027' elevation.


GORGEOUS area - it was like hiking and camping on the moon. But after hiking most of the day (and this was when I was in my 20s) I started to feel woozy, with a bit of a headache and upset stomach. I went to bed while the others (my gf, her sister - both of them competitive swimmers - and their...um...overweight brother) had dinner around a campfire. It was about 35 degrees overnight there, and I was FRO-ZEN, even in my 10 degree bag. Got up in the morning and felt a little better for the pack out - I think we were seven or ten miles in - but didn't really get back to 100% until we were back at sea level that evening. I was (and still am) very active in general; the sisters were competitive swimmers as I said, and Barry was...relaxed in general. Like the article says - it has nothing to do with physical ability or athleticism. Barry fared perfectly well. The girls were...OK, but I was the worst of the bunch. And it sucked. It was SO beautiful up there, and all I could focus on was how crappy I felt.
 
Good article! I wasn't aware of HAPE and HACE before. I lived in Colo. Springs for a long time and never experienced any problems, but now, after living in the flatlands of South Dakota for over 30 years, I'm afraid it might be different if I went back to COS today.
 
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