Hiking is a natural act to the human body. Put on a pack and go. Humans have been doing this for over a million years. However, most of this travel has been done at sea level, or at the very least, at lower elevations (the Incas and Tibetans excluded). Except for the last five years the majority of hiking I have done was in the Redwood forests of Northern California. Since most of these forests are along the coast, and at relative low elevation, altitude hiking is something I haven't had to worry about.
Back in July, as I lay on the ground at our canoe campsite on Crescent Lake in Oregon, I was looking up at the stars in the pre-dawn hours when one word popped into my head: Whitney. Of course I had heard of Mt. Whitney, you can't be involved very long in scouting without hearing about the holy grail of scouting in California. It is the one thing all troops dream about, but only a small few actually accomplish.
Why it popped into my head at that particular time I don't know, but my radar was locked on and it was now in my sights. After we got home I did a little research and ran the idea past the one person I trust most in these types of matters: Emily Malcolm. (Well, to clarify, I did mention this to my wife who promptly started sizing me up for a straight jacket). Emily couldn't say yes fast enough (proving even if I am a little on the nutty side at least I'm not alone.)
Mt. Whitney is unique. Not only is it the tallest mountain in the lower 48 states, it has a trail that goes all the way to the top. This leads a lot of people (too many if you ask me) to think that this a simple day hike open to anyone. This couldn't be further from the truth. The summit is at 14,505 feet. The trail starts at 8,000 -- this is typically the highest I have been on my hikes around Tahoe. Acute Mountain Sickness (or AMS) starts at 8,000 feet and is one of the primary reasons people do not make it to the summit of Mt. Whitney. The other reason is lack of conditioning.
Since I have never been hiking at high altitude I started researching on how I would go about making myself ready for elevation hikes. After looking at various websites and training programs I came across a statement that both helped and hindered my search:
"Increasing the efficiency of your aerobic system at low elevation will give you increased ability to meet the demands of low oxygen at high elevation."
(high altitude training)
Yeah, duh. But how?
I know how to train for long distance hikes. Lots and lots of walking, cardio, and swimming. But is it the same for altitude hiking? One of the best pieces of information I came across was a pdf file put out by Bio Bio Expeditions. (High Altitude Advice) This breaks the training down step by step and even includes a proposed training plan and time frame.
Other websites recommended training programs you can buy on-line like P90X (P90X) and Insanity (Insanity). These are great workout systems that will get you into shape in a short time frame but they cost upwards of $100 or more.
Every reference I came across had various ideas but some were consistent throughout all of them:
1) StairMaster -- 30 minutes or more.
2) Walking -- 30 - 45 minutes per day.
3) Hiking in full pack -- the steeper the trail the better.
4) Stairs -- 30 minutes in full pack at a local parking garage.
5) Sit-ups, push-ups and pull-ups.
These five items were at the core of each training program I found. Not every program was the same but each had its own merits. In the end I discovered that it doesn't really matter which system you use, as long as you start a training program. I mixed and matched from the various systems I found and developed my own program which consists of 30 minutes on a StairMaster three days a week, a swimming workout that concentrates on breathing twice a week, and the Killer Core from Gorilla Workout (Gorilla Workout App). In between these workouts I walk as much as possible and I am currently developing a hiking schedule to get outside and at some altitude at least once a month.
Is this something you have to do? Absolutely not. But if you are attempting a long distance hike or a climb of any mountain of high altitude, you'll enjoy it better if you can get up those steep sections without having to gasp for air and suck wind for 20 minutes before being able to take in the view in front of you.
Resources:
maxadventuretravel.com/2012/05/13/training-for-high-altitude-trekking
www.livestrong.com/article/360485-how-to-train-for-high-altitude-hiking/
www.blackwoodspress.com/blog/11329/how-to-train-for-hiking/
http://www.100swimmingworkouts.com/
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