Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board You'll Never Guess What Was On White Mtn Summit

Doctors!

At the Open House Aug. 5, there was a team of 3 young doctors from UC San Diego doing research on high altitude sickness. All of us who summitted got an extensive free workup that would have cost hundreds of dollars IF you could get this in a regular doctor's office. Not unless your doctor has a high altitude chamber and you walked 5.5 miles straight up to the 14,000's prior to your test. This was a chance of a lifetime test!

They believe altitude sickness first shows up in saliva, so we left a cottonball full of saliva. Also taken: respirations per minute, pulse, blood oxygen, blood glucose, lung capacity, ataxia test (heel to toe DUI type test, answer simple questions)body temperature, edema (swelling) check on extremeties.

For my age, 62, I got a rating of outstanding. I went down the hill with wings on my feet!

Thank you WMRS for the free checkup!! I heard at Barcroft Lab they may do this again next year. If you area hhiker of advanced age (and there were many there) do not pass up a chance for a test like this.

Not everyone got the checkup. I got to the top about 11:45 and there were no doctors in sight. I had passed a group of about 5-7 young people wearing WMRS caps on the way up - that might have been them. They were still coming up when I was on my way down after about 20 minutes on top. I was about in the middle of a fairly large group that went through the gate went it first opened and started up the trail at more or less the same time. I am disappointed. I am 70 years old and was actually hoping for something just like that.

I was the first one up White on Saturday morning (the day b4 the open house). Not another person within a couple of miles but there was a small herd of ten sheep at about 13,200'.

I'm off on the time I stated above. I got back to my car at 1:00 which means I left the top no later than 11:00.

Side question: does anyone know the altitude gain and distance for the stretch after you lose altitude the second time and start up the final leg to the summit? It feels like about an 18% grade.

The "low" saddle before the final gain is at just a few feet below 13000' and it is about 2.2 miles to the top from there. About a 10.7% grade if my math hasn't failed me.

Thanks. Your math is right. But I'm surprised that the final uphill is almost 1/2 the total distance between Barcroft and the top. I would have thought it was more like 1/4, with 3/4 being the more moderate ups and downs.

Burt-

They started setting up at about 11:40 AM and said they would end at 4PM. If they do this next year they would like for you not to eat or drink 1/2 to 1 hour before tests. I ended up 2 hours on the summit which was just fine and the weather couldn't be more perfect.

I made it to the top (First Time) at 10:00 am. Beautiful day and geat cookies and coffee at the Barcroft lab..

I got the same check up on top. Very thorough although I dont know why all three insisted on a rectal exam? Kind a strange. Oh well.

Lucky