Does anybody live in a high altitude location? How does it affect you?

[ShawnFuzz]

I live at an altitude of about 6,000 feet, which I think is roughly 1,800 meters for those of you who are more logical than us Americans . (People live much higher up than I do, but it still makes a difference!)

I realize I may be singling out just about everybody, but I am still curious since I grew up and lived at ocean level for over 30 years and had to adjust to Colorado.

For example cooking... simple things like boiling an egg need to be done differently. You may notice that cooking instructions may include "high altitude instructions".

For the most part it's not a massive adjustment, but you definitely have to tweak cooking time.

Another example (at least here) is how dry it is. So much chap stick

You don't have to live in high altitude, but
maybe visited? What are thoughts on your experiences?

 

[Saylor]

I've lived in Colorado for almost my whole life and I still kinda struggle with the high altitude. I have to stay on top of moisturizing and using lip balm and picking the right shampoos and conditioners cause of how dry it gets. Thankfully it doesn't happen as much anymore but I used to go through little periods where I'd feel like I wasn't getting in enough air. I think it was anxiety but I'm sure the altitude wasn't helping. It's easier to tell the difference when I visit family in Houston or my girlfriend near Toronto and I feel like I have more energy and can breathe without issue.

Also not really something that affects me but it's always jarring traveling elsewhere and then coming back and looking at the sky! It feels so much closer

 

[ShawnFuzz]

Thankfully it doesn't happen as much anymore but I used to go through little periods where I'd feel like I wasn't getting in enough air. I think it was anxiety but I'm sure the altitude wasn't helping. It's easier to tell the difference when I visit family in Houston or my girlfriend near Toronto and I feel like I have more energy and can breathe without issue.

Also not really something that affects me but it's always jarring traveling elsewhere and then coming back and looking at the sky! It feels so much closer

I think not getting enough air is normal! It takes a while to adjust!

As far as the sky looking closer... do you mean the clouds? I haven't seen clouds like this until I moved here. But it definitely FEELS closer because I sunburn much quicker here! 80 degress here feels hotter than in the 90's at low elevation. It's weird! Less atmosphere?

 

[Saylor]

I think not getting enough air is normal! It takes a while to adjust!

As far as the sky looking closer... do you mean the clouds? I haven't seen clouds like this until I moved here. But it definitely FEELS closer because I sunburn much quicker here! 80 degress here feels hotter than in the 90's at low elevation. It's weird! Less atmosphere?

Yeah! I totally agree it feels so much closer... during the summer especially it's like the sun is constantly hovering over you. Not to say high humidity isn't awful too but the dry heat at such a high elevation can feel so suffocating! This last summer we had was really unbearable for me

 

[QueenCobra]

No, but, for a different perspective…I traveled to the Great Smokey Mountains once.

As someone who didn’t grow up around mountains, I was amazed by how beautiful the scenery was. I even saw some black bears climbing trees, and a mama with her cubs in a field! Cades Cove is also a lovely area to explore. I also visited Cherokee, North Carolina for a day and toured their museum and Oconaluftee Indian Village. (recreation of an 18th-century Cherokee village)

When we drove up or down around the mountains, I was told to chew gum to keep my ears from popping, but they still popped a bit. It was an interesting experience. My head felt fine, though.

(No, I didn’t go to Dollywood, but maybe next time!)

 

[ShawnFuzz]

No, but, for a different perspective…I traveled to the Great Smokey Mountains once.

As someone who didn’t grow up around mountains, I was amazed by how beautiful the scenery was. I even saw some black bears climbing trees, and a mama with her cubs in a field! Cades Cove is also a lovely area to explore. I also visited Cherokee, North Carolina for a day and toured their museum and Oconaluftee Indian Village. (recreation of an 18th-century Cherokee village)

When we drove up or down around the mountains, I was told to chew gum to keep my ears from popping, but they still popped a bit. It was an interesting experience. My head felt fine, though.

(No, I didn’t go to Dollywood, but maybe next time!)

It's cool you saw black bears! I have been here in Colorado for ten years and have yet to see a bear! Most people I know here have bears going through their trash, and they seem happy about it when they get a video . I have seen all sorts of other wildlife though, including a very large coyote trot past me multiple times in the snow like it was going for a nightly stroll, and it looked at me like "'sup dude". I would like to think we became best friends, until I started finding.... well... leftovers of dudes meals.

By the way, chewing gum has never worked for me to pop my ears when going up or down quickly. Has it worked for anybody?

 

[silliestbilly100]

I visited a place with a pretty high elevation (at least compared to what I'm used to ) and I was incredibly miserable the whole trip... Right when we arrived I fainted in the airport and the entire trip I was super off-balance and dizzy constantly, I wanted to do things with my family but my body was too exhausted to do anything. It was horrible!!

 

[Neb]

I’ve lived in an area that is 3,623 feet above sea level off and on for over 10 years and I’m pretty used to it. I only notice the difference when I visit other places and my ears pop and then when I come back I find it a little harder to breathe. When it’s Summer the heat feels more direct and intense than when I lived in a valley.

 

[ShawnFuzz]

When it’s Summer the heat feels more direct and intense than when I lived in a valley.

Yes! I try to explain that to to others and they don't believe me... the people I know at sea level (where I came from), where it is over 100 degrees, argue it's worse than 80 degrees at high altitude. But, the altitude does make a difference... I sunburn quicker, and the heat truly does feel closer.

Maybe I imagining things, but it's way hotter "up here" in the hot months