It was five years ago when I first traveled to high altitudes. Preparation started three months before my trip, and it was all fascinating. Travel mates started plotting out the altitudes that we will be passing and staying:
For 14 days, We were going from 0 to 5000m, and most accommodations were at altitudes above 2500m. The only good thing was that we were going from lowland to highland gradually (i.e., the altitude chart will be conquered from right to left instead).
The planning brought back the memory of a woman who was experiencing acute mountain sickness (AMS) during a lift up to the Mt. Jungfrau, and we were all trying to help with what we had, and it was only whiteflower embrocation medicated oil, but it was life-saving for the lady to help in regaining consciousness. Friends also started sharing stories of people who were sent back on chartered flight suffering from AMS. Alert mode went from yellow all the way to red, but I felt confident that I would have enjoyed this trip back then no matter what happened.
The planning brought back the memory of a woman who was experiencing acute mountain sickness (AMS) during a lift up to the Mt. Jungfrau, and we were all trying to help with what we had, and it was only whiteflower embrocation medicated oil, but it was life-saving for the lady to help in regaining consciousness. Friends also started sharing stories of people who were sent back on chartered flight suffering from AMS. Alert mode went from yellow all the way to red, but I felt confident that I would have enjoyed this trip back then no matter what happened.
After spending some time researching on the topic, I started laying out the plan in 3 aspects:
- Herbal: Helping oneself to adapt to high altitudes quicker is the number one goal, and that goal cannot be achieved on the first day of the trip. It had to start weeks before a two-week trip. I decided on a 4-week herbal protocol and started preparing the tincture that took two weeks.
- Exercise & Lifestyle: Oxygen is running low at high altitudes, and endurance at high altitudes was all critical to enjoying the trip. I decided on a 4-week Qi Gong regime. I was aware that sleep would be an important aspect of the preparation and kept my sleep schedule to be 11-6 as I always did.
- Clothing and Accessory: I got much help in this regard as travel mates were experienced traveler to Tibet and helped with a list of items that went onto the shopping list.
After all the preparation, I embarked on this fulfilling Tibet journey on Jul 6, 2013!
Since then, I had become more experienced in highland travel – went to Tibet / SiChuan a few more times, climbed Mt. Fuji and could be planning the next one to Machu Picchu soon! I will share my learning and the various AMS journeys in upcoming blogs and if you will be traveling to Highlands, be sure to tune in or leave a comment/question on the topic.
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