High elevations

[ppdunn]

In a month or so, we will be heading from Alabama to Colorado Springs. The elevation will go from 597 ft to about 6,000. Just wondering if we should expect to "feel" the thinner air, or will we adjust to it as we drive in? Thanks!

[Martyn]

2milesup wrote:
Expect your respiratory rate and heart rate to be a little higher, that's just our bodies' normal response to lower levels of oxygen in our blood. Take it easy for a day or two before exerting yourself excessively. You'll want to drink lots more water when you get up here. If you drink alcohol, expect it to affect you more at altitude. Enjoy your stay.

^^
Best answer. My home is at 6000ft, just east of Denver. I have sarcoidosis in my lungs and while I get out of breath with over-exertion I do just fine. In fact, next weekend am of up to Ridgway State Park near Ouray. No big deal - even taking the bikes. 🙂

As 2milesup says, take it easy for a couple of days, drink plenty of water and have fun.

[2milesup]

Expect your respiratory rate and heart rate to be a little higher, that's just our bodies' normal response to lower levels of oxygen in our blood. Take it easy for a day or two before exerting yourself excessively. You'll want to drink lots more water when you get up here. If you drink alcohol, expect it to affect you more at altitude. Enjoy your stay.

[Go_Dawgs1]

It depends on your health condition. I had 2 heart attacks in March and when we were at the Grand Canyon in July I could tell the difference at 7000. I had never felt an issue before. For me is was take it slow and easy and rested more than I would at sea level. As for temps. it will get cooler at night then you would expect.

[ppdunn]

Thank you everyone for your response! Fortunately, we're not smokers! Sounds like we'll just have to pace ourselves and see how the "thinner air" feels!

[bsinmich]

If you have a Select Comfort bed you better let out some air before heading up in altitude. They can make a big noise when they pop. I don't have that experience, just what I have heard.

[wa8yxm]

Altitude sickness is something some folks have and some do not. Now, what this means to you.

At that elevation I do not believe you will have a serious problem, but if you are one of the more sensitive you may "Notice" it. Odds are you will not but you might.

Your generator is more likely to notice it. But it has an adjustment.,

If memory serves I've seen 9,000 feet plus a couple of times with no problems (Crossing Confidential Divide, and on top of old Smokey and places like that)

I did have ears popping from the pressure change though.

[amandasgramma]

According to your health!!!!! I live at 4300 feet, have asthma.....and had a hard time when in Denver..... I lolled around for a week at my son's. Nothing so desperate that I needed oxygen, but I DID feel it.

[tatest]

How much have you smoked? How much aerobic exercise do you get each day? In other words, how good your health?

You'll have to breathe more, harder, to get as much oxygen. So how you adjust depends on how much reserve you have. I know people who struggle with light exercise at sea level, have to ride around on the electric carts to do their grocery shopping, they'll struggle to breath at 6000 feet.

At 35-50, I noticed the difference at Denver's elevation only if I had to hurry.
At 55-60, I could hike all day at 7000 feet, but climbing 6%-15% grades in 90F temperatures would do me in within 15 minutes.
At 65, I could feel I was at 11,000 feet, walking around in the cold air, but not beyond my capacity to breathe.

FWIW, if you fly jetliners, most of the time you will be at about 7000 feet. That is the "official" limit for most of our population, at rest, assuming moderate to good respiratory and cardio health.

The small amount of time you have to travel to that altitude, you will not "adapt." Training athletes to maintain performance at higher altitudes takes months of hard work. You will definitely "feel" the thinner air, and for most people in good health, the feeling is invigorating; if you have respiratory problems, it can be incapacitating.

[BB_TX]

If you are in good health probably will not notice much at all. A little extra breathing if you do any semi strenous activity.
We go from around 600' to 8,600' in Colorado for two weeks every summer. No problem at all. And we have a number of friends of ages late 30's thru late 60's who also go during the same time. None have ever had any problems. RV park has C&W dances several nights a week. A few of the faster tunes can get you breathing a little harder though. :C

[rockhillmanor]

I felt the difference at 3,000 ft when taking walks. Guess it depends on what shape your lungs are in when you go to higher elevations! :B

[Desert_Captain]

Keep in mind that your Class C will lose 3% of its power for every 1,000' of elevation. On the other hand the thinner air offers less resistance. I don't see much difference with my 5.4L until we get up over 8,000' to 9,000' at which point we've lost a quarter of the available power. Turbos have no such problem. :C

[12thgenusa]

If you're not venturing any higher into the mountains you might not notice a thing. OTOH it doesn't affect everyone the same way or even affect the same person the same way every time. Here is a good article about altitude sickness and the things you can do to help yourself.

[Dennis_M_M]

Yes if you do much walking or hiking, and as the doc always says "as we get older ..."

We spend the winter in Tucson at about 2,400 feet and do a lot of hiking. Even so I could feel the difference in Denver in the spring if I tried to do anything strenuous - like carrying my 18 month old great nephew three blocks!

[RoyB]

Downtown Flagstaff AZ is almost 7K and the beer taste just good there at 50 feet here on the East coast... I did go to Pikes Peak one time and I about died haha... Walked from the parking lot to the restaurant and was totally wiped out.. The rental car would hardly work as well...