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High Altitude Trekking
Getting in Shape!
Staying Healthy During Your Climb
Secret Tips for Trekkers
 High Altitude Trekking
Trekking in high mountain areas provides unmatched beauty with an experience of ultimate wilderness and personal achievement. However, these attributes are counterbalanced by the hardship of exertion at high altitude - you'll walk more slowly and rest more frequently. Now, why is that?
As you may know, oxygen contributes about 20% to the air pressure. The air pressure falls with increasing altitude, so as you ascend in elevation, your body is exposed to less oxygen. At 18,000 feet, there is only one-half the amount of oxygen in the air as at sea level, which imposes considerable physiological stress on the body. As a result, most people feel physical discomfort of shortness of breath, nausea, insomnia, headaches, and exhaustion while trekking in high altitude. However, if you give your body the appropriate time to acclimatize to the thinner air, you'll greatly improve your chances of doing well and decrease the level of discomfort you'll experience at high altitude.
A rapid ascent to altitude without allowing your body time to adjust is the main cause of high altitude illnesses. Since we want you to enjoy your trek and stay well, each of our treks have slow-graded ascents allowing proper time for acclimatization. In addition, our treks are designed to maximize altitude conditioning in the early part of the trek. Once at altitude, elevation gains between camps are limited: you may climb higher during the day but descend to sleep. Extra nights are spent at the same elevation after each 2,000-3,000-foot gain over 12,000 feet.
That said, the individual's ability to acclimatize differs - and your ability to adjust may even vary from time to time you go to high altitude. Some people adjust quickly and easily - others may take longer, and there are some people who cannot adjust at all. But in general, the success of acclimatization depends on rate of ascent, severity of the stress, and your physiology.
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 Getting in Shape for Your Trek
What can one do before a trip to improve his/her prospects, assuming he/she has good results on a medical exam and physiological testing? The short answer is to get in shape! If you smoke - well, here's a good reason to quit. This improves both heart and lung function. Trim off extra fat. Exercise to improve your cardiovascular endurance, muscular strength, and balance.
We recommend that you start a moderate training program 6-8 months before departure, then slowly build up to a more strenuous level. The level of fitness needed for a trekking adventure requires regular aerobic exercise for at least one hour 4-5 times a week. This may include aerobic fitness classes, power walking, running, cycling on hills, swimming, and cross-country skiing. Additionally, you must be able to sustain exercise for prolonged periods. Finally, you must have some experience with exercise at altitude.
Here's a recommended program that should get you in good shape, but please remember it's only a guideline. You should always consult your physician before beginning any new fitness program:
Week 1 through Week 4:
Start moderately and work out a minimum of four days per week. Strike a good balance between aerobic workout and muscle strengthening. Outdoors, you can run, hike, cross-country ski, or mountain bike on hilly terrain to best achieve the aerobic fitness component. Indoors at a gym, you can use the Stairmaster and treadmill wearing a backpack with some weight in it to substitute for the outdoor activities and take aerobic fitness classes. Work on muscle strengthening either by lifting weights or by doing pushups, sit-ups, and squats. It is very important include a long hike with a pack on the weekend, since there's no better way to train for a trek than... to trek!
Running: 3 to 5 miles is an adequate training run.
Biking: 1- to 2-hour rides. Be sure to include some hills.
Hiking: 5- to 6-hour hikes. Be sure to include some hills.
Treadmill or Stairmaster: 50 to 60-minute sessions.
Week 5 and Onward Until Departure:
Increase your workouts to a minimum of five days per week.
Being "in shape" does not necessarily guarantee good performance at altitudes, but it helps. Being "out of shape" definitely increases the chances of doing poorly. Remember, a trek can be the trip of a lifetime and you really want to enjoy it, so take your training program seriously—it'll be worth it!
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 Staying Healthy During your Trek
Proper acclimatization, getting in shape - what else can you do to stay healthy during your trek?
Begin your trip in good health and excellent physical condition and obtain all the recommended immunizations for your trip.
Follow food and water precautions along the way so that preventable illnesses do not ruin your trip.
Understand the concept of altitude acclimatization and recognize the symptoms of altitude illness. Don't ignore the symptoms - successful treatment is based on early detection.
Drink a lot of water - more than you feel you need to. Water losses at altitude are very large and dehydration is common. Increased water intake facilitates adaptation to altitude and helps the kidneys excrete excess salts that bind extra water in tissues.
Eating is also important. Diet should be high in carbohydrates, with adequate amounts of protein to rebuild muscle that is being broken down by strenuous exercise.
Diamox or not? The drug Acetazolamide (Diamox) can facilitate acclimatization, prevent acute mountain sickness, and treat mild cases of mountain sickness. It is also very helpful for altitude insomnia and should be used in preference to sleeping pills or Valium, which are dangerous at altitude. Diamox produces faster, more regular breathing with higher oxygen levels during sleep. However, most people do not need to use this medication routinely at altitude if their trip allows adequate time for ascent. Diamox can be very helpful, but it must not be used as a substitute to push through symptoms of altitude sickness. There have been cases of high altitude cerebral and pulmonary edema in people taking Diamox. So, if you consider using this drug, make sure to discuss its pro and cons in detail with your doctor and with your trip leader once you're on the trek.
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 Our Most Secret Tips for Trekkers
Here are some excellent tips and tricks for your upcoming trek – compiled by some of our expert trek leaders.
Bring Tevas or other sports sandals to wear around camp and to slip on when you have to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night and don't want to lace up your hiking boots.
Fill up your water bottle with hot water at night and bring it with you when you crawl into your sleeping bag. It'll keep your toes, feet, and hands warm and cozy, and you'll have cool water in the morning to drink.
Pack your clothes and sleeping bag in plastic garbage bags inside your duffel. Not only will they help keep everything dry, no matter the weather, they'll help keep your gear sorted.
Bring some Ziploc bags for organizing and keeping things clean and dry.
Instead of treating blisters – try to prevent them if you are prone to getting them. Before you start hiking, tape your feet and use moleskin, Second Skin, and/or Compeed (an excellent new blister-preventive Band-Aid) where it is needed.
Bring one or two bandanas or a similar size scarf. They are great to protect your head and/or neck from the sun and serve as excellent hand towels.
To boost your energy bring extra munchies for those high-powered days. Energy bars are good, but watch out - frozen Power Bars can be jaw-breaking.
Bring a small notebook and make an entry every day, maybe adding a sketch or two of the view from your tent. You'll really enjoy rereading it years later. You might also want to try your hand at poetry—the mountains will inspire you!
Check out the stars in the middle of the night—they are incredible.
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For more information and reservations, please contact:
Mountain Travel Sobek
1266 66th Street, Suite 4
Emeryville, CA 94608 USA
Toll Free (USA and Canada): 1-888-831-7526
Phone: +1-510-594-6000
Fax: + 1-510-594-6001
Email: info@mtsobek.com |
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