[Leica] 12000 feet and no oxygen - the Tibetan Experience

[cummer at netvigator.com (Howard Cummer)]

Message: 23
> Date: Tue, 05 Jun 2007 20:21:57 -0400
> From: Tina Manley <images@comporium.net>
> Subject: Re: [Leica] 12000 feet and no oxygen
> To: Leica Users Group <lug@leica-users.org>
>
> At 05:48 PM 6/5/2007, you wrote:
>> A lot of folks do suffer from "altitude sickness" when attempting to
>> move from, say, 800 feet above sea level to 12,000 feet:  witness
>> the problems Ginny Heinlein had in the 1950's at the lower altitude
>> of Colorado Springs!  But, again, go high, wait a day, then go low
>> for a couple of days, then go high again.  This increases the red
>> corpuscle count and increases the ability to abosrb the oxygen  
>> which is there.
> Unfortunately, I won't have a choice as to where to spend the
> night.  The camp is at 12, 000 feet and that's where we are
> sleeping.  I didn't have a problem in Bolivia at higher altitudes so
> I hope if I drink plenty of fluids and move slowly, I'll be o.k.  I
> may revise what camera equipment I'm going to carry, though!
>
> Tina

Hi Tina,
I went to Tibet on business about 15 years ago with colleagues. The  
Gongga Airport outside Lhasa is at 11,621 feet, (3,542 meters) and we  
travelled from Hong Kong (sea level). I carried a 645 Pentax plus  
lenses and an M6 plus lenses. The Pentax never left the hotel room  
(the famous Holiday Inn in Lhasa - the only international hotel at  
the time) but the M6 went everywhere and I got some truly atmospheric  
shots with it with my old 50mm summilux and old 35 summilux in the  
smoke filled temples. One of our party had such severe altitude  
sickness that she had to be evacuated back to Cheng du. The rest of  
us did okay - especially one older gentleman who insisted on drinking  
a glass of scotch each evening before dinner for medicinal purposes.  
I would leave the Canon at home, take the M8 and a film M body as  
back up. Have fun!
Cheers
Howard.