Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board ? Altitude sickness

I will be attempting to summit Whitney in a couple of weeks and was looking for some advice. Three years ago was my first attempt and was stopped due to snow at the cables. Last year I made it within half a mile and had nothing left in the tank. I wasn't really sure what my body was doing, so I decided to go back down, which was a very hard decision for me. The problem I had was that I could only take about ten steps and my heart rate would go way up and my legs would give out. I was very pissed, but didn't want anyone else to have to worry about me, so I broke from our group and went back to the portal. Never once along the trip did I have any other problems, so I was wondering if this was altitude sickness or not? Also I was wondering if I should take diamox this time to prevent this from happening again? I do have asthma, but haven't had any problems the past 8 years and wanted to make sure diamox wouldn't hurt me. If someone could give me some insight I would appreciate it.

Thanks.

Did you remain well-hydrated/well-fed on your hike up? If that happens to you again, sit down with a high carb snack and a 1/2 liter of water, wait 20 minutes, and I think you'll notice a big improvement and you'll be able to summit.

That doesn't explain the elevated heart rate after 10 steps though - maybe someone else can comment on possible causes/solutions for that.

I am certainly not an expert, but having gone above 14,000' many times I can share my experience.

The typical altitude sickness symptoms that I have experienced are headache, nausea and general exhaustion.
In addition to altitude, you must also consider dehydration, lack of nutrients, dry air, sun exposure and physical exertion.

A good strategy is to attempt to address all factors in your preparation and execution.

As KevinR states - begin hydrated and well fed and continue to eat and drink during the trip. Move at a pace that does not destroy you - resting periodically. Be in excellent physical condition. Use sun screen, a wide brim had and sunglasses. Don't forget your Chapstick!
If possible, acclimatize by being at altitudes as much as possible pre-trip.

If time allows, I am a proponent of climbing Whitney in two or three days instead of a day hike. Who wouldn't want to spend more time on Whitney? I think it is easier to carry in gear for a base camp than to do a 22 mile, 6,000' day.

Lastly, and most controversially, there are drugs that can help -and I have used several at various times.
When unable to acclimatize naturally, I have found Diamox to be very helpful. Tylenol, etc. can also help during the climb. If considering drugs, always consult your Doctor. You might want to do this anyway to get a professional opinion on your heart rate issue.

I hope that your 3rd time is a charm and you have a great climb!

I am in great physical condition and made sure to keep well hydrated, but maybe I needed to eat more since I am only 165 lbs wet. I did eat donuts on the way up and 2 peanut butter sandwichs and a protein bar. When I did turn around and come down I practically ran( just at 4 hrs to the bottom).

Thanks again

As a general rule, if dropping altitude makes you feel lots better, it was AMS. If you don't feel any better when you go down, your problem wasn't AMS. It sounds like your problem was AMS.

Keep in mind that overexertion and failure to take proper care of yourself can predispose you to AMS. Your choice of food wasn't terrible, but donuts (sugar and fat) and peanut butter (more fat) aren't perfect choices. You probably need to eat more and cut down the fat; it's hard to digest, especially at altitude.

What kind of food do you suggest, I will eat anything you all recommend.

The most important thing is to bring food that you like and will actually eat, even when you are tired and possibly dehydrated. I like sandwiches made on a bagel, but I have a hard time chewing a dry bagel late in the day.

You need to keep sugar and fat within reasonable limits. If you expect altitude issues, you don't want to be digesting a lot of fat at high altitude. Popular foods with a lot of fat include cheese, nuts (including peanut butter), and chocolate. No food is off limits, but consume your sugar and fat in moderation. Once you are well on your way down, you can break out the junk food if you like.

I've been using a lot of Perpetuem (from Hammer Nutrition) the last few years. Energy bars are good choice. I also eat sandwiches. (Hold the tomato; it gets disgusting after a few hours in a pack.) Hard-boiled eggs, cheese, dried and fresh fruit, and trail mix all work. I also eat chocolate and sometimes pudding. The list of potential trail foods is endless. Bring whatever you like; just don't binge on sugar or fat.

I prefer foods which contain little/miminal processing, whether it's on the trail or off. That means my sandwich is probably a PBJ on a whole-grain bread, and occasionally a tunafish if the temps are right. For snacks I carry 3 or 4 dehydrated pineapple slices (for Whitney as a dayhike probably 5 or 6) and some pitted dates, along with a few hard candies. That combo has worked for me over the years. If I don't eat the food at home, I don't eat it on the trail. Mostly the above is carbs, but a bit of fat is also necessary. Winco carries an excellent selection dehydrated fruit in their bulk section if you have access to one of their grocery stores (I noticed you live in CA).

Am not sure it's possible to over-emphasize the need to eat/drink at regularly intervals - at least hourly. On a big hike like Whitney I can't recall overhearing anyone complaining they've eaten or drunk too much ...

Also - am a big fan of Ellen Coleman and her discussions of nutrition. Not only is she highly regarded in the professional sports community, but she's a big hiker herself. I think she posts here occasionally, and I recall a link Ken made to a video presentation to a SoCal med school. I do know she posts regularly on the San Jacinto BB.

How long did your heart rate going way up? Did it come back down when you stopped? How long did it take to return to normal?
Do you normally do aerobic activities? How were you on the down hill or flats? Were you dehydrated? I have seen people have cardiac abnormalities form electrolite imballances. If it slammed you that hard I would talk to a doctor, just to be sure that you dont have some cardiac issues.
As a X medic the going way up and weak legs happening together would concern me.

I'm feeling a bit ill just thinking of "donuts" on they way up. You packed alot of fat and protein in, but you'll likely need alot more carbs as all others have mentioned.

I coach marathon training groups and one of common "training" goals is to "test" different foods and drinks to see what works for each. Everyone is different, though most find that too much protein and fat are not the best on the morning of (our long runs and races.) nor is it ever recommended.

You could have just "bonked" and ran out of energy/fuel stores if you were truly fueling on donuts. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hit_the_wall

Definitely prepare the few days leading up to the climb, and then the morning of and during. Many other here give alot of good ideas as far as how and what.

Gagckk, that's not food (the donuts). I try to mix equal parts carbs(inc sugar), protein and fat. High altitude early AM for me is CliffBars, or similar. Mid-morning is string cheese, crackers and dry salami. The differant food types metabolize at differant rates. Later in the day, as I am at the highest altitude, and the most tired, I relay a lot on GU and the electrolye mix in my backpack, as I am less interested in chewing.




Very, very good advice... If you can look forward to something you really like, that really helps. I just found the jerky house in Bishop on my last trip. My summit pack will always now contain some of their sweet & spicy turkey jerky!



Bingo! I eat EVERY hour. Even if I don't want to.

As I said before I am in great shape, but I don't have any fat on me in the staorage tank. My heart rate would jump up and drop down to normal within 30 seconds of stopping. My thought was that my body had nothing left to give. I really wanted to make sure this didn't sound like AMS because I had none of the other symptoms and eating wasn't even a problem. I guess I just really want to make it this time, but not if it will hurt me.

Last month, as I was approaching the summit hut (about a 1/4 mile), my heart rate also shot up. I felt like one of those cartoon characters with his heart jumping out of his chest. The ensuing panic didn't help either. I just walked 50 yards, and then sat down until my heart slowed down, and repeated all the way to the top. At the summit, I talked to a man with his daughter and he experienced the same thing. He said that it was your body adjusting to the altitude, which I tend to agree with because my heart rate was no longer a concern once I reached the top. On the way down I talked to another trekker and he knew what I was feeling and when he experienced this rapid heart beat, he would just sit down and get in a zen mode until it passed.

On reflection, I think that I needed to breathe more (a swimmer told me to double breathe) and go at a slower pace above the Trail Crest (13K'). That Ridge Route is a tough 2 mile slog. Also the backpackers coming up the John Muir trail along this route upset the rhythm for day hikers because of their faster pace.

Steve's post reminds me of techniques that the guides on Mt. Rainier teach that might be pertinent to those struggling on Whitney. These techniques are used on Rainier because of the steepness of the ascent.
The two technique are the "rest step" and "pressure breathing".
The rest step consists of locking the the knee of the back leg and pausing ever so momentarily before shifting the weight to the front foot. Pressure breathing consists of pursing the lips and blowing out each breath. I think the theory is that this causes back pressure in the lungs, thereby delivering more oxygen.
Don't know if they really work, but the prominent guide service on Mount Rainier, RMI, adamently teaches them.

This could be literally correct. Fueling up on Donuts and Peanut butter and protein bars won't give you much of the carbohydrate fuel to begin with. While i can't speak for the racing heart issue (though the altitude issues others have spoken to make sense) the "feeling like nothing is left" may simply be attributed to plain old nutrition and hitting the wall. Taken from wiki http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hit_the_wall:



You can be in the best "shape" in the world but that can mean so many different things. If you don't properly fuel or train it, you wont go far very fast for very long

I recommend you do some research and planning on proper nutrition before and during your climb. (Before includes 2-4 days prior. Endurance athletes call it "carbo loading") Diamox may also help if it's AMS related - I use it anywhere above 10,000 ft as my body goes a bit whackey (and sometimes not just nausea)

I plan my big hikes like i would a running a marathon, from a nutrition standpoint. (FYI - I coach a marathon training club so have seen alot of experience in the "endurance nutrition and training" side of things, and I relate the 2 closely http://www.vavirunningclub.com/about-us.htm )

It might be worth at trip to a cardiologist to be checked for atrial fibrillation, which has been discussed before on this board. He would probably put you on a 24-hour Holter monitor, which you could wear up Mt. Whitney or other steep and long trail, and nail down the issues. A-fib or not, the results should prove very revealing.

I have found that pita bread, hummus (in a plastic tub), carrots (frozen in bags) and cucumber slices work for me as "meals". They look fresh unlike sandwiches made earlier. I supplement these with bars and trail mix.

This thread has a lot of discussion about nutrition when in fact the most likely dx is plain old AMS at 14,000+ ft. Of course other dx are possible, but key words are 'most likely'

Symptoms at altitude are altitude sickness until proven otherwise.

Right on. Soggy legs and high heartrate are just the precursors to AMS. BUT hummus and cucumbers sound pretty good anyway...

This is very sound advice. It may seem a pain in the butt or extreme but it will pretty much rule out any health related issues you may be having or had.

I might add that in my training a good heart rate monitor can be a valuable source of feedback on what my body is going through as exercise intensity increases. In addition to helping you train more effectively, interval training will allow you to gain a "feel" for when you can push it or when it is best to back off a bit. I use a Suunto Advisor because it serves double duty as an alitmeter and barometer but there are certainly many other quality choices out there just make sure the one you choose uses the electrocardiogram type of transmitter that straps around your chest for the best accuracy.