Medical and Safety Aspects of High Altitude Mountaineering
I came across a website talking about the medical and safety aspects of high altitude mountaineering.
Actually, I’m kind of anxious right now, because as of now the furthest I’ve been is Gunung Stong, which is just 1422 meters above sea level. I’ve never done trekking above that height, and so I don’t know how my body reacts to high altitude.
If I am going to attempt Kilimanjaro in 2008, I should better know what it is like trekking over that altitude! According to the article, people experience altitude sickness because of the inability of the human body to adjust to a rapid gain in altitude. It would be a real waster if I travel all the way to Tarzania and then find that I have to descend to a lower altitude to recover from any altitude sickness problems. I will also need to find out if there would be a need for an extra day for acclimatization (getting used to the altitude).
Fortunately Mount Kinabalu, which I am going to climb this June, is 4101 meters! (Even though the trek starts at about 1800 meters) From what I heard from friends who have went to Kinabalu, you tend to get very tired easily as you ascend, because of the thin air. Hopefully from this June’s experience, I will have a better understanding my ability to overcome high altitudes, so that I can plan my Kilimanjaro trek in 2008 for a higher success rate!
Tags: first aid kit
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January 24th, 2006 at 9:53 pm
Visit sharlet
Do you take all these photos yourself? Because they are quite well-taken. Very beautiful! What cam do you use? Can’t wait to see your Mt K photos!
January 24th, 2006 at 11:29 pm
Visit Kian Ann
Yeah, I took these photos myself, but these are the nicer ones. Like 1-in-100 kind you know… haha! I’m using a Konica Minolta Z2! Oh, I can’t wait to take the Mount Kinabalu photos too! However, my camera is breaking down due to the way I treat it - bringing it to treks and everything. There has been a couple of occasions where I almost dipped it into the river while trekking.
Still learning how to take good photos… and still saving for my digital SLR. Heh.
January 26th, 2006 at 12:15 am
Visit sharlet
Cool! 1 in 100? Can’t be that bad I’m sure!
I didn’t know K-M cams can produce such nice photos! Must be your expertise! Haha! 
The reason why I’m so interested is because I’m thinking of getting a digital camera myself soon. This might sound ridiculous to you, but I don’t own one!
And wow, digital SLR? Isn’t that thousands of dollars?! Maybe instead of trekker you can take over as photographer on all your trekking trips! You can’t do both at once.
I’ve been on guided hikes and adventures before and the leader can never pause to take photos. Often there is a guy who’s a photographer too who tags along and takes snaps. And we sometimes have to pose for him. Haha. 
Then later somehow the photos arrive in the mail! That’s the way it used to work when I was still into this kind of stuff. 
April 20th, 2006 at 3:07 am
Visit mog
I did Kilimanjaro in 2004 but did not reach the summit due to AMS ( Acute mountain sickness).
At that point of time all I felt was downright fatigue, nausea and a pounding headache that could not go away.
But when I did Kinnabalu my body never exhibited any of those signs.
Go figure.