Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board I have been to 14,000 feet, but...

I'm a newbie at tackling high peaks; Whitney is my first. I have been to the top of Colorado's Pikes Peak twice and have spent significant amounts of time in the Rocky mountains. However, I've never climbed a high peak with my own two legs. Both times in Rocky Mountain National Park or on Pikes Peak, I reached those elevations in an automobile. That said, I did not feel any signs of AMS... or even shortness of breath or a headache... while at these elevations (and I was at the top of Pikes Peak for nearly an hour both times).

Is this a good sign that my body will be able to at least cope with a hike up Mount Whitney?

Not really (the short answer).

a one-hour exposure and especially non-exertional exposure by driving up does not predict risk of AMS. Apples and oranges.

Lots of medical tests have also failed to predict how well a (healthy) person does at moderate high altitude. So ...go for it. Gotta go rub your nose in it to find out. Use some caution, proper ascent rate, acclimatization schedule and hydration. These have been discussed here before.

There are sure to be some other comments on this debated subject.

One of the studies that tested the effectiveness of gingko biloba in preventing AMS involved driving people up Pikes Peak. Something like 2/3 of those who got placebo developed AMS symptoms while only 1/3 of gingko users did. Since all of these were driven up, it is not clear what effect exertion has on a person developing AMS. People have reported on this board that sometimes they feel AMS and other times they don't on the same hike. So, AMS seems to vary from time to time in the same person. The fact that you could breathe thin air and feel good about it has to be some sort of plus. Follow the usual steps to adjust to altitude and enjoy the hike.

Actually, that's what I was thinking. Did my time on Pikes Peak properly simulate the strain it takes to climb it? No. But I would think my ability to stand at that elevation for more than an hour without developing a killer headache or feeling the need to descend would be, minimally, a good sign.

Wish me luck. I'm driving all the way from Arkansas to tackle this, and the schedule (due to factors out of my control) is tight; I won't have time to properly adjust to the altitude. If I don't make it, at least I'll have a bit more experience for future efforts.

Sebourn, I have spent most of my life living and working below 2,000 feet. Over the decades, I have always been adversely effected by high altitude over 9,000 feet. My symptom, without prophylactic intervention, is a SEVERE headache. At altitude, I undergo increasing severity over a three-day period, before I am fully acclimated. This happens regardless of my rate of exertion. I can drive to altitude without any exertion or summit Whitney with maximum exertion and have the same headache. Did I say I get SEVERE headaches? It actually feels like my head is going to explode. (However, once I learned a prophylactic regimen years ago, I have never suffered headaches at high altitude.)

Sebourn, obviously we are all different, but you not showing any altitude problems on Pikes Peak is a good indication you are not susceptiple like many others. The only way to know for sure is to hike up Whitney, with the cautions others expressed above.

If you get a chance, after doing Whitney, let us know how you fared. We all wish you the best!

Everyone reacts differently. I live at an elevation of 16 feet. I've never had a severe altitude problem. Sleeping at the trailhead usually does the trick for me. YMMV. Some people can go from sea level to 12,000' the same day, no problem. Some can't. So it goes.

Good luck!

Now if you pushed the automobile up Pike's Peak that's a different story!!!

Sorry but staying at 14,000' for a couple of hours a couple of times is enough of a sample. I can go to any peak in SoCal day hiking without a problem but put me at 10,000' for a night it is another story entirely...headache, nausea, vomiting, lost of appetite, malaise and the mother of all headaches.

This is one of the reason I suggest anyone doing these peaks for the first time to get some experience before coming if at all possible. For day hikers, I recommend a weekend in the Whites and for backpackers a weekend at Kersarge Lakes, Cottonwood Lakes or the Bishop Pass area. If you have problems you will have enough time to see a doctor for a prescription of Diamox before your big trip.

Wayne, out of curiosity, what does your regimen consist of?

Years ago I explained the terrible pain I went through every time I climbed to altitude to one of my buddies. He told me that I wouldn't believe it, but he used to have the same problem until he discovered a solution.

The solution was...aspirin, but done a very specific way.

He found if he took two aspirin tablets every four hours, 24 hours BEFORE going to altitude, he had no headache symptoms.

Since I don't like pain (and I had never explored any other remedies, other than taking three days and nights to acclimate), I tried the regimen. And lo and behold, it worked. In fact, for the past 20 years or so it has worked without fail, as long as I took the tablets every four hours (except during sleep hours) AHEAD of time.

I discovered that if I did not take the tablets ahead of time, but waited until I was already at altitude, the aspirin gave me no relief whatsover. I still had to go through the three-day acclimation--in severe pain. But if I took the aspirin ahead of time, I never experienced any kind of headaches whatsover.

Now that I'm a bit older, I find that my stomach is bothered more by aspirin over a day ahead, but I experience no headaches, and I can live with the stomach discomfort.

If this "regimen" could help someone else, then fine. But we are all different, and my buddy and I are aspirin tolerant. If you have any problem or adverse reaction to aspirin, then it makes sense to me that you should not do it. And, as far as I know, Ibuprofin (?) or the like does not work for me, as far as altitude goes. I'm sure there is some medical explanation, but I do not know it.

A better solution would be to live or be at altitude all the time, then there would be no need for any help, such as aspirin. But in the real world, most of us live down by sea level, and have to cope with the circumstances to be effective up above.

I hope this helps. My buddy's "secret" was a tremendous help to me and made climbing a lot more fun--pain-free fun.

I discovered the aspirin trick a few years ago, and it really helps me. You just need to be aware of the fact that this will increase the hemorrhage risk if you are injured.

Wayne -

When you say aspirin tablets - is this the "standard" 325mg dosage? And how many tablets do you end up taking the day before? 6?

As for aspirin's effect on blood clotting - many of us over 50 take an aspirin/day routinely, so am familiar with its effects. Perhaps someone with medical background could comment on the impact on clotting with 1 aspirin as contrasted with 6.

I just use the standard, off-the-shelf tablets. I take two tablets every four hours, so 12 in 24 hours. Once I'm at altitude, I stop the dosage.

I would hope that hikers/climbers would know if they are susceptible to headaches at altitude. AMS hits people differently. If they don't know headaches are symptomatic for them personally, I think they should find out first before taking unnecessary aspirin.