I hiked the Inca train in the Peruvian Andes and Dead Woman’s Pass was 14K feet. I remember the porters zipping by me with huge bags on their back compared to mine as I slogged along sucking air. I remember the hunk of bread cheese sandwich someone gave me at the summit that tasted amazing. I remember how cold it was at the top. I especially remember the out-of-body experience I had going down the other side. Lotta coca leaves
Yes; there was a little gummy bit that you rolled the leaves in and then put in your mouth for a proper chew. For this pass, our guide pulled a little bottle out of his bag with liquid that you rubbed between your hands and huffed. God knows what was in it. We bought some later at the market Cusco and when we got to the airport there were signs all over that it was flammable and they confiscated it all
I am curious about what you huffed, but that's pretty cool about the coca leaves! I need to visit Bolivia at some point. My partner's family is from there, and she has dual citizenship!
My family and I got a little taste of this a couple of weeks ago when we visited Rocky Mountain National Park. Seemingly within a few minutes as we ascended a mountain side, we went through vastly different terrain from forest with large pine trees to open meadows and finally tundra (and there was even pockets of the snow still on the tops of the mountains)! But it’s pretty amazing how much thinner the air can get quite quickly, and almost immediately most of us were having mild headaches from the altitude.
Impressive. I know Bolivian farmers will chew coca leaves to alleviate this pressure, which means that they're just barely high for large portions of the day. Atmospheric microdosing?
Yikes. I think it's kind of like a sense, where we rely on that feeling to know how high up we are. Some folks are VERY sensitive to this, and it sounds like that is you!
I love how so much of science relies on inductive chains of facts like these. This article reminds me of how we know Mars used to have a much thicker atmosphere than it does now: there are clear indications of running water on the surface! There had to be enough atmospheric pressure to support liquid water, since the current thin atmosphere would permit any liquid water to boil away quickly even at the cold Martian surface temperatures.
I always thought I carried the weight of the world on my shoulders, but not like this, man....not like this!
Also:
"Every morning, I bring water to a boil
So that I can start my day with oatmeal."
For some reason, this sounds strangely poetic and has a nice rhythm to it. Could make a good opening for an acoustic guitar song.
EDIT: Here's what Udio did with it (you might want to skip to the halfway mark to skip the long-winded intro): https://www.udio.com/songs/t9GvQ3EYnCEE34tHmWJ6Vj
Something to build on!
The Indigo Girls are the soundtrack to my life.
I hiked the Inca train in the Peruvian Andes and Dead Woman’s Pass was 14K feet. I remember the porters zipping by me with huge bags on their back compared to mine as I slogged along sucking air. I remember the hunk of bread cheese sandwich someone gave me at the summit that tasted amazing. I remember how cold it was at the top. I especially remember the out-of-body experience I had going down the other side. Lotta coca leaves
Did you chew the leaves? I've never done it!
Yes; there was a little gummy bit that you rolled the leaves in and then put in your mouth for a proper chew. For this pass, our guide pulled a little bottle out of his bag with liquid that you rubbed between your hands and huffed. God knows what was in it. We bought some later at the market Cusco and when we got to the airport there were signs all over that it was flammable and they confiscated it all
I am curious about what you huffed, but that's pretty cool about the coca leaves! I need to visit Bolivia at some point. My partner's family is from there, and she has dual citizenship!
That would be amazing! Carpe the dang diem! Trips where you have local friends/fam are the best
That sounds like an epic experience! Maybe I'll get to try something similar one day if I'm not too old to handle it.
By the way, while Mr. Smith's song was more of an acoustic guitar, Mr. Sniderman's makes a perfect rock ballad (shortened for Udio's character limit):
https://www.udio.com/songs/4YQePYnbGUd4vyvu4MCr7o
Surprisingly catchy!
You can really feel the intelligence blistering from this thing.
lol that's amazing and exactly what was going through my head at the time. I diddit with a bunch of friends the year we all turned 50 - don't wait
Aye aye, captain! I'm starting with a four-day test trip to Bulgaria with four other guys in early September. Then we gotta build it up from there!
My family and I got a little taste of this a couple of weeks ago when we visited Rocky Mountain National Park. Seemingly within a few minutes as we ascended a mountain side, we went through vastly different terrain from forest with large pine trees to open meadows and finally tundra (and there was even pockets of the snow still on the tops of the mountains)! But it’s pretty amazing how much thinner the air can get quite quickly, and almost immediately most of us were having mild headaches from the altitude.
Impressive. I know Bolivian farmers will chew coca leaves to alleviate this pressure, which means that they're just barely high for large portions of the day. Atmospheric microdosing?
Excellent, thank you, I shared this! ✨💖🤗
Yay! Thank you!
My pleasure 🤗
"What’s the highest elevation you’ve visited?"
The top of Colorado's Mount Evans. I've also been atop Pike's Peak, a hundred or so feet lower.
Awesome! Was the air "rare", as they say?
Yes. The story is told here:
https://kenbarber.substack.com/p/to-the-top
And the bags of potato chips in the store at the top of Pike's Peak were so poofed that some of them had burst.
My ears are super sensitive, and they’ve been popping for what seems all summer lol 😂 just from the minor daily pressure changes in flat Iowa!
Do you ever travel by air? How is it going up in a plane?
I have only flown maybe 4 times - it’s awful for my ears!! Even chewing gum doesn’t help much.
Yikes. I think it's kind of like a sense, where we rely on that feeling to know how high up we are. Some folks are VERY sensitive to this, and it sounds like that is you!
I too eat oats in the morning!
You eat pieces of oat for breakfast?
[sic]
Funny I never use the term "oatmeal". Not sure why? I guess I am used to 'meal' of the corn variety (cornbread!!!). :-)
Oatmeal is awesome. I do steel cut oats with blueberry and banana most days.
I love how so much of science relies on inductive chains of facts like these. This article reminds me of how we know Mars used to have a much thicker atmosphere than it does now: there are clear indications of running water on the surface! There had to be enough atmospheric pressure to support liquid water, since the current thin atmosphere would permit any liquid water to boil away quickly even at the cold Martian surface temperatures.