-about 9,000 ft.
(ha ha I kill me)
No seriously, it is quite an adventure, this living waayyy above sea level thing.
Take that Christmas picture down there... yes! I do! wear glasses! And here, in the dry-as-a-desert state of Colorado, I wear them almost all the time. When I do manage to force my contacts into my eyes, I have about 6 hours until I absolutely need to take them out. Otherwise, my eyes become so dry, I have to literally pry and peel them off. No fun.
Speaking of dry, there is a different sort of dry here. Not the Bible Belt kind... as in, the grocery stores don't sell beer because this town is drah darlin'. No, not that kind. This is a new kind of dry... as in, one must drink a quart of water an hour or else one runs the risk of severely depleting the H2O quota of 80% that is absolutely necessary for human survival.... Yes, that kind. In fact, there is a real danger in not taking proper care of yourself in these conditions. There are a few names for it: AMS, HACE, HAPE... otherwise known as, drink! more! water! (or kahlua, take your pick) Actually, kahlua will only make it worse, so I guess you should stick with the water.
Did I mention it was dry? Oh right, I think I did. My nostrils know it, too. My wonderfully sympathetic mother has purchased two humidifiers for our bedrooms to help re-create the steam that is North Texas... year round. It has certainly been helpful. I can't imagine what it would be like to breathe through my nose without my daily dose of humidity and saline nose spray.
If you read that bit up there about AMS, you noticed that fatigue is a symptom. And it's true! I do laundry and cook dinner and call it a day. It's like I just ran a marathon, or climbed Everest... or the stairs, as the case may be. If you hear someone huffing and puffing up the stairs? yep, that'd be me.
But I love the mountains, and I'll get this altitude thing down yet. I have high hopes of scaling my parents' road in an upright position by the end of our visit.
Just call me Mountain Mama.
:)
4 comments:
Don't worry! Hold on for a few more days! It takes about 2 weeks for your red blood cells to fully replenish themselves (read: for you to adjust to the altitude). The dryness? Sorry, no answers aside from those humidifiers!
LOL! You really will get used to it! And it's worth it! When you go back down to sea level, you'll have so much more energy than everyone else due to your beautifully toned and exercised lungs! Our solution to the dry skin is the same: humidifiers and lotion. And, actually, over time, your skin does adjust to the dryness, too...
Thanks, ladies, I feel better already! It's been about 2 weeks now, and I can feel the difference.
I was hoping to go for a run every now and then, but maybe just walking will be enough....
:)
This is so funny. When I first moved to CO from CA, I couldn't figure out why I was getting dizzy. It turned out it was dehydration! Of course, I'm used to it now and we live at 8600 feet!
Where are you? You should visit me! Anyway, just keep chugging the water and if you feel a headache coming on, drink more water. That's pretty much the answer. Merry Christmas, Carmen
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