Advice for the altitude sensitive

[spartafish]

im going up to Bishop with my family in mid june and my dad is supposedly a little altitude sensitive so he doesnt want to go up to the mammoth area. i was wondering if anyone could give me any advice on locations that arent too high in altitude. thanks in advance

[SoCalGuy7]

I'll be keeping an eye on this also, had some family concerned about going up there....

Someone suggested staying at a location, the night before at a elevation that is getting up there, but not too high....if that makes sense.

[spartafish]

we're staying in bishop, so i guess thats about halfway up compared to our sea level home.
i heat staying hydrated goes a long way, too.

[Koshaw]

I would seriously check with a family doctor as every person is different...it also doesnt matter if you are skinny, fat, out of shape, or in perfect shape...



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Altitude_sickness

[Sparky70]

You might try staying at Lake Isabella in Kern county..Altitude about 2600ft. Nice lake and trout fishing river alot closer than Mammoth.....

[Koshaw]

I was a bit worried so I told my doc how I spent 6 months at 7000ft in big bear before and I hit the high sierras before as well...


If you havnt spent time at hight altitudes or cant... then I would ask a doc.


Also if you are up at a higher elevation...stay up there a few days and you actually make more red blood cells...to carry more O2

[gwjones00]

im going up to Bishop with my family in mid june and my dad is supposedly a little altitude sensitive so he doesnt want to go up to the mammoth area. i was wondering if anyone could give me any advice on locations that arent too high in altitude. thanks in advance

Define "high elevation". You are starting in Bishop at 4500 feet. If that isn't too high, Pleasant Valley Reservoir is 4500. Most of the fishing north of Bishop is over Sherwin Summit, which is 7200 feet. Crowley is 7,000.

June Lake/Mammoth are between 7,000 and 8,000 feet. The lakes along Bishop Creek are higher.

On the other hand, if you head south toward Big Pine, Independence and Lone Pine, you can get decent creek fishing right outside of most of the towns.

[sierraslam]

I get AMS when backpacking a lot. Doc says to drink lots of water starting a week before you go. Stay hydrated throughout the trip, and slow down when walking or even just standing up. Spending a night at a lower elevation then moving to a higher elevation the next day is a good idea as well. Very few people have trouble below 7000, I think most of the drive up lakes in Mammoth and June are just a little higher than 7000 ft. Water and a slow pace and you should be fine. good fishin!

[Badfish2]

If you have anyone going with you on any kind of blood pressure meds.. I highly recommend they DO NOT go up into any of the canyons of the sierras or above the 4000ft level for that matter. Bishop is about 4500 and if the person going up regularly spends time at 1000 ft or less will have some problems out of the gate. If they insist.. I HIGHLY recommend spending a day or 2 at the 4500 ft level before venturing up. I've seen many people litterally fall over in the parking lot at Sabrina after driving up the canyon. Be careful folks. Acclimate Acclimate Acclimate!!

[rusty6]

the best advice as most people have already said is stay hydrated. make sure you ALWAYS acclimatize before you head up high. that's about all i can think of.

[spartafish]

thanks for all the input guys. some of sounds pretty bad (collapsing upon exiting the car). i'll be sure my dad stays hydrated and wikipedia says theres some medicine you can take to alleviate the problem.

also, anyone know how tioga pass is looking? im meeting my parents there and im leaving from san jose, so hopefully i can make it through there. hows it look that time of the year (mid june)

[gwjones00]

It opened last week, but according to Caltrans, Tioga Pass is closed again (as of 7:00 AM PDT, 5/26). You might want to call Yosemite at 209-372-0200 to find the real story....

[Joshua]

I had an older fishing buddy have problems with the altitude when we stayed at Bishop Creek Lodge (elevation 8500 ft) His hands and feet started to swell up (like Mickey Mouse hands). He went into town and got a shot at the hospital. This was a preexisting condition that was aggravated by the elevation.

If you cant come up with a solution for the elevation,then fishing at lower altitude may be the only alternative. Convict lake is a bit lower than some of the others. Lower Rock Creek (Ruff campground ) is East of 395. This will keep you from climbing the Hills. Someone already mentioned Lone Pine, Indy and Big Pine. Let me include Tuttle , Gooddale, Taboose, Shepard and Tinnemaha into the mix. All of these are in the Owens valley.

[BBL2Baja]

Hydration is the key to staying well at altitude. Your blood is thicker the closer you get to dehydration. For those of you not into kinesiology, it's the blood that transports oxygen to the rest of the body. With less O2 at altitude and thicker blood not transporting that sparse O2, you're in a world of hurt. Every winter Snow Summit (here in BBL) offers a job program to a bunch of Brazilian students. First thing they tell them (most are from RdJ) is to drink MORE water than they usually would.

Later,
Scott

[ZenDragon]

Have a friend with the same problem, He will be fine fishing any creeks from (Lone Pine to Bishop) plus the Pleasent Valley Reservior. Crowley will be problems for him as the altitude is higher...

[chummer]

Having spent a lot of time in the Sierras during my climbing days, I fortunately only suffered altitude sickness once, because we did not *acclimate* correctly.

Back in the day, we would drive up to a trailhead at 8 to 9,000 ft on a Friday night, throw out a sleeping bag and go to sleep. Wake up the next morning and we were acclimated.

Biggest mistake was to drive up and start strenuous activity. Nearly died one night after driving up and then hiking up to about 12,000 feet without acclimating, throught my head would explode. Had to abort our climb and hike down, which is the only cure.

So, I suggest you drive up late in day, restrict physical activity to zero, drink lots of fluids and get a long night sleep. No alcohol, because it will dehydrate you. Also, take it real easy the first day at altitude until you adjust.

Lastly, be aware of developing a bad cough with a deep "gurgle" in the lungs. That is a symptom of a dangerous condition called pulmonary edema, or fluid in the lungs. If that happens, get down to lower elevation and seek medical attention immediately. I doubt you need to worry about PE at the altitude of fishing lakes, but it is good to know about it. Generally, it developes at over 14-15,000ft.

Good luck and hope you enjoy the Sierras.

[greg]

Finally, a topic I can really contribute to from both a patient and a physician views. The reference from Wikipedia is an excellent synopsis of this medical problem. The first time I went to ski in Mammoth, I got AMS. I just came out of my first set of college finals and drove straight to Mammoth. I partied all night and skied hard the next day. By that evening, I was sick as a dog with a pounding headache, dizziness, vomiting, difficulty sleeping, etc. This lasted for more 2 days. I did all the wrong things – exhausted prior to going to altitude, got dehydrated from alcohol, over exerted myself on the first day by learning to ski, no time to acclimate, etc.

In years past, I’ve tried acetazolamide (Diamox – a prescription medication which make your blood more acidic thus making you to take more breaths per minute therefore getting in more oxygen per minute) which may have helped by made everything I ate taste like metal (I have not tried this since then). I have not tried decadron (another prescription medication which decrease inflammation). But I found some things that have lessen the symptoms of AMS: getting into shape prior to going to altitude, drinking plenty of fluids and avoiding dehydration (alcohol), taking it easy the first day at altitude, taking ibuprofen (Motrin) for the headache, getting a good night sleep on the first night, spending a night in Lone Pine or Bishop prior to driving up to Mammoth, etc. Over time, my symptoms of AMS has lessen but I still can get a whopping headache the first day at altitude if I over exert myself.

High altitude pulmonary edema and high altitude cerebral edema are life threatening complications of AMS. Mammoth Hospital deals with a few cases a year of high altitude pulmonary edema and rarely has cases of high altitude cerebral edema. Both conditions are medical emergencies whose treatment includes getting to a lower altitude.

Talk to you physician before you go to altitude to avoid this potentially life threatening condition.

I hope this is helpful.

[DreStyle]

anyone know how tioga pass is looking?

I just got back today and the last few days it's been open, then closed, then open, then closed, and so on and so forth. Hopefully by mid June it'll be a bit more consistent.

[Granny Fish]

As long as you don't have any pre-existing conditions, drink lots of fluids on the way up and don't exert yourself for the first couple of days you should be fine. If you get a headache and feel winded, that is a good indication that you're not acclimated yet so find a place to lay down and take it easy. Just don't do like I did once and lay in the shade on the ground next to the river. I got up and found scorpions next to me. :Shocked: