Journeying to High Places — How to Prepare for Altitude & Elevation

What are the symptoms you might experience when faced with a drastic change in elevation? According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the most common form of altitude illness is acute mountain sickness (AMS), and its symptoms can mimic an alcohol hangover — headache, dizziness, fatigue and nausea.

So, how high is high? Well, that depends on where you live and what you’re used to. Each individual’s response to higher altitude varies. We asked Road Scholars on our social media pages, and many of them commented that if they lived near sea level, then they were likely to feel the effects of altitude when they visited locations above 5,000 feet elevation.

Of course, you should always check with your doctor before traveling if you have concerns (especially if you have preexisting medical conditions), but the CDC offers a wealth of detailed information on high-elevation travel and altitude illness.

Here are five important recommendations for high-altitude travel:

1. Drink plenty of water to stay hydrated.
2. Avoid alcohol for the first 48 hours at higher elevation.
3. With your doctor’s okay, take ibuprofen to help with altitude headaches.
4. If you’ve suffered extreme altitude illness in the past, ask your doctor about prescribing Diamox.
5. If you’re prone to asthma and have been prescribed an inhaler, make sure you keep it within reach when traveling to high elevations.

Interestingly, the CDC also recommends that if you’re a regular caffeine user, you should continue to consume the same amount of caffeine at high altitudes as you normally would, so as to avoid a withdrawal headache, which could be confused with an altitude headache.

We asked Road Scholars how they prepared for and handle high elevation. Here are interesting tidbits from members of our 50+ Outdoor Club and Women of Road Scholar Facebook Groups:

Tom R: I do okay, but the air is definitely thin up there over 5,000 feet and exertion means heavy, fast breathing. If you think you can just drive up to a high altitude, hop out of the car and behave like you do at home, you’ll be disappointed.

Joanne M: Even though I walked several miles a day to prepare for my visit to Colorado, I struggled to breathe at Pikes Peak. It’s not about the strength in your legs. It’s your lungs that are affected at high altitudes.

Megan A: Walking and hiking at a slower pace than I normally do helps me avoid becoming breathless at higher altitudes.

Linda D: I live in the “Mile High” city of Denver. My house is around 5,500 feet above sea level. When I go to above 7,500 feet and hike, I usually take two puffs of my albuterol inhaler at the beginning of the hike, per my doctor.

Mathew S: I live at sea level and spent two weeks in Peru last year — one week between 9,000 and 10,000 feet and the last week above 11,000. Chewing cocoa leaves helped a lot. Some of my friends say sugar helps and drink orange juice or nibble on chocolate.

Sheri M: I didn’t know altitude sickness was a thing until I went to Rocky Mountain National Park and hiked almost 7 miles at over 10,000 feet elevation. I’m in good shape but still had to cut down the length of hiking from what I’m normally able to do.

Erica W: I acclimate to wherever I’m going by getting there a few days before I begin hiking so that I don’t get winded.

Theresa P: I’ve experienced nausea. Knowledge is power — I know the symptoms of altitude sickness, so I don’t mistake it for the flu or food poisoning. Then I work through the nausea until my body adjusts.

Rena C: I’ve learned that anyone at any age or level of fitness can develop altitude sickness for the first time. I listen to my body — if I feel symptoms while hiking, I go back down to a lower elevation. It also helps if your hotel is at a lower altitude than your hikes so that you can sleep better and recuperate. I plan to wear my smart watch with an oxygen level reader to be a bit safer on my next program in Colorado.

Dawn H: I went from sea level to over 14,000 feet on Mauna Kea (Hawaii). I had to stop at a visitor center at about 9,000 feet for about an hour to acclimate. Then I felt fine at the top. I’ve also felt altitude sickness in Arizona.

Sue M: High altitude has started to bother me immensely and has caused me to limit my activities at high elevation. I’ve started to cut back on steeper hikes with large elevation gains.

Barbara V: I increase my sleep by two hours a night at high altitudes.

Daura C: High altitude didn’t affect me much in my youth or even in my middle age. But now it does.

Kathleen W: I avoid strenuous hiking at high elevations due to lightheadedness, labored breathing and chest pressure from altitude sickness. I remind myself that there are plenty of beautiful and fascinating places on earth to visit at lower elevations.

Marti S: My husband and I live in Florida, and when we got to Glacier Bay National Park, my husband was challenged by high-altitude symptoms. But now that we’ve learned how to prepare for elevation, we spent two weeks hiking Rocky Mountain National Park with no issues. We’ll be at Machu Picchu soon!

Thank you, Road Scholars, for sharing your comments on our Facebook group pages! Your thoughts and anecdotes sure are eye-opening — just goes to show that altitude and elevation gain are something to consider when planning your next learning adventure.