The sea level dweller goes up
| August 1, 2011 | Posted by Melinda under Uncategorized |
Off to climb Pikes Peak!
For those of you interested, we are taking Barr Camp Trail and staying at Barr camp for 2 nights during the adventure. Too bad we aren’t horses and can’t take advantage of their natural altitude adjusting physiology.
These two sea level gals (with my mom) have been doing all we can to prevent altitude sickness (Pikes Peak is a 14er, my first) which includes:
*Staying hydrated, starting a couple of days before the ascent.
*Considering electrolytes during the hydration process
*plenty of sleep (there hasn’t been a night where midnight has seen us in our beds, so this isn’t going so well…)
*Fitness at sea level
*A series of gradually more strenuous warm up hikes in the days leading up to the ascent – All above 6k ft elevation and range from actual trails, to “hiking” the down town at used gear shops.
All these things are very similar to what I would do the prepare for a high elevation endurance ride, such as Tevis.
Back in a couple of days!
RCC and I were just up Pike’s Peak. But we drove it, we didn’t hike it. Would have been faster to hike than drive, I’m thinking.
I have heard that the drive is SCARY. In fact, I’m not so sure that I would do it….I’ll stick to my own two feet… 🙂
We didn’t make it all the way up. We got above tree line, to about 12,500′ and a storm started to come in, so we went back down to the A frame (a shelter just below tree line) and then headed back to Barr Camp. I really want to go back and hike to the summit. I’m also considering the 1/2 marathon…
Also – I did the thing in my barefoot shoes! They are absolutely amazing. My feet never felt better after a hike, although I think I STILL have electrolyte issues to work out, based on my calves :(.