Damn Altitude
On occasion today, while walking swiftly around Gnomedex, I’ve noticed that I feel a little dizzy and my heart starts pounding. Am I falling love? Having a stroke? What’s up? Stupidly, I couldn’t figure it out, until it recently occurred to me that I’m 6225 feet higher than I usually am.
Then I remembered the first time I came to Lake Tahoe, when I was about 10. It was the one and only time I tried downhill skiing, and it didn’t last long. After taking a lesson in the morning, I skied down the bunny hill and promptly fainted at the bottom. My aunt, who was with me, had no idea what to do. She just lied, told me to put my head between my knees, and fed me M&Ms, assuring me that the sugar would rejuvenate me. So, it’s not that I’m now terribly out-of-shape–I just have a sea-level body.
September 30th, 2004 at 11:21 pm
The Air Up Here
It seems I’ll have one more home turf advantage at Gnomedex: I’m used to the altitude. I’ve been seeing posts by lots of people, like Darren here, who are having trouble coping with the thin air. Well, I’ve been breathing…
October 1st, 2004 at 12:41 am
Altitude? Not a chance. You’re in your little heaven. Happens to all geeks who go to Gnomedex
October 1st, 2004 at 10:38 am
This happened to me when I was in Mongolia. Sometimes I would just feel very tired, or dizzy. When I went hiking, I would become winded very easily. At first I thought I was just out of shape, but then I figured it out.
By contrast, when I used to come to Vancouver or Victoria to visit, the change in air pressure and level would make me very sleepy.
October 1st, 2004 at 10:59 am
I get massive migraines if I go to the Upper Levels or Burnaby Mountain. I can’t deal with altitude at all…which is very sad when you live in BC.
October 1st, 2004 at 12:12 pm
Hey! Maybe that explains my low centre of gravity, too.