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Disclaimer:
This site is provided for informational
purposes only. The information here is not intended to diagnose
or treat any condition, and should not replace the care and attention
of qualified medical personnel. Use the information on these pages
at your own risk, and, as with any information pertaining to health,
nutrition, mental health, or fitness, consult your physician before making any
changes that might affect your overall health.
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Day
Travel
Considering
how wild and lonely some of the higher altitude areas are,
it is pretty astonishing how much there actually is to see
and do! Where we live, there are all kinds of things to see
within a few hours.
 If you are vacationing at higher altitude, or living
permanently there, you may need to prepare differently for
a day out.
For one thing,
we don't even travel to the grocery store without taking water
along. Ok, so the store is an hour away, but still, any time
we are planning to be out for more than an hour or two, we
take water along.
If we are walking,
we take water no matter how short we expect the walk to be.
Even just strolling a mile or two can dry you out up here,
and we are only at 6000 ft. We found some nice fanny packs
that hold water bottles, and the kids use those when they
do yard work for other people, or when they are hiking, or
out of the house for long.
Many scenic and
historic spots are high enough above sea level that extra
precautions are wise when visiting them. Besides water, you'll
need to make sure that you have adequate clothing - that means
layers, with the option to keep warmer than you think you
might need - and emergency shelter and heat if there is a
chance that you could end up stuck some place lonely.
In a lot of the
higher areas, roads are not well traveled. If you break down,
it may be hours before another car passes. This is one reason
we tend to always carry snacks and water. Our years out in
Wyoming have not been easy ones financially, and our cars
have tended to have very high miles. We have broke down on
the side of the road probably a dozen times, and sometimes
rescue was quick, sometimes not. Had we not had a coat, and
water, we could have been in serious trouble before help arrived.
We were blessed to have never broke down in the middle of
winter, because even inside the car, temperatures can drop
very rapidly, and a cold car offers little protection against
exposure, even if it does offer shelter from the wind.
Cell signals are
pretty scarce out here too. If the wind happens to wiggle
the nearest tower in just the right way, you may get a brief
signal, but in many areas, you get nothing but dead air. You
have to be more prepared to rely on your own resources.
The issues with
day travel at higher altitudes have less to do with height,
and more to do with dehydration, cold, and isolation that
usually go along with higher areas.
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High
Altitude Library
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Editorial Comments throughout this site written by Laura Wheeler (with occasional sarcastic remarks by her son, David). Laura is a 10 year resident of Medicine Bow, Wyoming, where the altitude is greater than the population. Medicine Bow is at 6200+ ft above sea level, and boasts a total of 297 residents from the last census. Laura is an experienced technical, health and family writer.
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