Altitude sickness is caused by rapid or prolonged exposure to low amounts of oxygen at high elevation. Symptoms may include headaches, vomiting, tiredness, trouble sleeping, blue lips and extremities and dizziness. It can progress to worse conditions including HAPE (high altitude pulmonary edema), which is a fluid buildup in the lungs that prevents the normal […]
Some Other High-Altitude Animals
The antics and habits of some of the animals along the way on a hike can be entertaining and worthy of a stop and look. Rocky Mountain Yellow-belly Marmots Marmots are large ground squirrels, brown in color. They live in burrows in rock piles and are present on rocky slopes all the way up to […]
Mindset During a Hiking Emergency
The best way to have a hiking excursion is both fun and safe, is to be prepared for possible emergencies. I suggest equipment and other preparedness items to have on hand to deal with potential emergencies, See: Long-hike Equipment Checklist. Also see a range of scenarios that may occur on a hike, including how to […]
Tips for Off Roading to Trailhead
Most hikes, certainly the ones that are named and documented, start at a trailhead. Usually there is a sign or other indicator that a trail starts there. Getting to trailhead can require driving on dirt roads, rocky tracks, uphills and downhills, and across water features. This is another reason why researching a hike beforehand is […]