Mountain hiking demands great gear and more education than your
typical trail hike. Why? Because as you ascend breathing becomes less
efficient, passage grows rugged, and rescue becomes more challenging. So
consider your mountain equipment to be your life support system.
Where
in day hiking you may be able to get away with wearing light-weight
boots or shoes, in remote mountain hiking it's a good idea to wear
heavier supportive boots to protect your ankles and feet. Walking with a
sprained ankle on a day hike is inconvenient compared to trying to limp
out of the back-country mountains with the same problem and a heavy
pack. Thinking ahead and being prepared with the right mountain gear,
guides, and information can literally mean the difference between a
minor mishap and at times death. Take your safety seriously.
As
elevation increases the atmospheric pressure decreases (amount of oxygen
doesn't actually drop until over 50,000 feet) which means there's less
pressure to 'push' the air into and fill your lungs. Because there is
less air going into your lungs you'll fatigue more quickly. How much
does the pressure really change? According to an academiclibrary.com
article (that can be applied to mountain hiking) the barometric pressure
can drop by 40% between sea level (average 760 millimeters of mercury)
and 12,000 feet (483 millimeters of mercury). Obviously having 40% less
oxygen available to your body (because of the pressure drop) will impact
you.
Now if you had a 40% decrease in your ability to deliver
oxygen to your body during an average day wouldn't you be concerned? Add
in the fact you're asking more of your body in terms of keeping you
warm in a cooler/cold environment, you are constantly losing water from
your system, your reactions are slowed, and your not around the corner
from the nearest hospital. Your mountain hiking equipment becomes a more
important consideration the higher the altitude and the more remote
your location.
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