Posted on 04/30/2016 2:19:22 PM PDT by fella
"Plowing the Beartooth Highway"
I stayed a couple days in Leadville. Lotsa history there-fascinating town. We stayed in an original hotel-48 very steep steps up to our top-floor room! No elevator!
Because of the thin oxygen at high altitude, many people have trouble going to sleep.
Why, you ask?
Because we breathe automatically at night; no thought is required.
The problem is that the body cannot get enough oxygen using that automaticity.
It was always my weakness when backpacking and mountain climbing. I simply could not fall into a restful sleep, even when bone-tired.
The highest I’ve ever climbed was 14,495 feet.
Yes I found out the hard way about needing oxygen. It ruined my art workshop. My heart pounded even during the day. It was like someone was jerking the sleeve of my shirt 24 hours a day. I am a low land gal, the mountains are beautiful but no more.
I have been on many hunting trips to New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming but for some reason the altitude gets to me now. Could it be my advancing age? LOL!
If you ever have to go to altitude ever again, try taking Gingko Biloba beforehand.
The rumor is that it very slightly allows red blood cells to carry a little bit more oxygen, and that little bit can make all the difference!
I’d love to go to Santa Fe again and when we got back down there the heart pounding stopped. SF is about 9000 feet so I guess anything higher than that is too high for me.
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