by Ellie Bishop McKenzie
Day 6, September 2nd, 2024
We woke up today with nervous excitement. Today we will hit Base Camp and tonight we begin our final ascent to the summit, but we are on the lookout for signs of altitude sickness.
Our morning hike was a short journey through the Alpine Desert, where the cold, dry air made our noses run consistently and the fact that we were constantly looking down at our feet made the dripping worse. There are very few plants here, just rocks and dust – making the nasal issues even worse. My number one essential gear recommendation for this trip is a good balaclava! It’s just a scarf that covers your nose and mouth and keeps dust out of your nose and mouth.
Altitude Sickness
We hit Base Camp School Hut, elevation 4,800 meters (15,750 feet), around 11 am. At this elevation, many of us started to feel the effects of altitude and altitude sickness. Symptoms of altitude sickness can feel mild at first, and feel similar to a hangover. Headache, nausea, shortness of breath, dizziness, vomiting, loss of appetite, fatigue, insomnia, and poor coordination are all symptoms of not getting enough oxygen.
Despite taking Diamax, a prescription to prevent altitude sickness, some of us still struggled. I took note of my members’ training protocols. Those who had done more Zone 2 and cardiorespiratory training performed much better and experienced fewer symptoms. As a CrossFit gym owner and a health and fitness geek, I have been particularly focused on Zone 2 training for the past few years – especially regarding VO2 Max for improved endurance and longevity. Zone 2 training and HIIT (high-intensity interval training) increase your VO2 max, which is the maximum amount of oxygen your body can use. Some studies show that higher lever athletes acquire more red blood cells as they acclimate to higher altitudes, enhancing oxygen transport, which helps manage the lower oxygen levels at high altitudes where every breath becomes more important.
Can Fitness and VO2 Max Affect Altitude Sickness?
However, according to Dr. Michael Koehle of the University of British Columbia’s Altitude Medicine Clinic, fitness alone does not grant you immunity. Highly fit hikers often go too fast and overexert themselves, putting them at greater risk. That’s where our Team Kilimanjaro guides came in with their expertise. They kept emphasizing, “pole, pole” – Swahili for “slow, slow” because by moving slowly we were able to keep our heart rates low and oxygen levels stable. However, for those who were unaccustomed to even slow exertion, the altitude proved challenging.
That afternoon we took a brief acclimatization hike, followed by a light dinner. That dinner was a careful balancing act for me. I wanted to make sure that I was fueled for the summit hike, but not so much that the altitude could upset my stomach if I started having symptoms, too.
After dinner, we tried to get some much-needed sleep, knowing we would get up at midnight for our final ascent to the summit!
Next… the Summit!