2 Years Ago... Denali
We went on the Alaska Cruise inland waterways and then took the train to Denali. 10 days well spent. On a chance we took an air tour over Denali. I have to admit that I was violently ill the night before the flight and during the flight got extremely light headed from altitude (~12,000 feet) in un-pressurized plane. It was all I could do to take photos. But I just happened to capture this. It is one of my personal favorite photos of a lifetime moment. This was taken with a Nikon D810 and Nikkor 28-300 3.5-5.6 VR.
you were unpressurized at 12,000 ft? What about the pilot? Certainly, he was on oxygen at the very least, right?
rcarol wrote:
you were unpressurized at 12,000 ft? What about the pilot? Certainly, he was on oxygen at the very least, right?
Nope. I looked at the altimeter because I thought it was getting a little light. Two other people were also like me... loopy.
PS... I have been to the top of Haleakala Crater which is 10,000 feet and you can drive there. No problems for me at that level.
rcarol wrote:
you were unpressurized at 12,000 ft? What about the pilot? Certainly, he was on oxygen at the very least, right?
Yup, for people who are not accustomed to that altitude. Up until 3 years ago I skied Loveland at the continental divide for years - 13,010 ft. Never had a problem. If your a pilot who flies there, it’s a walk in the park.
My advice for flat landers going to altitude is HYDRATE. Flying to Denver I would drink at lease 32 oz of water on the plane. I stayed at 7,800 ft and would always have a cup of water with in reach. At the ski area after 3 or 4 runs I would have at least 2 cups of water. AND, watch the booze - one drink at 12,000 ft is like 2 or 2 1/2 at 800 ft:)
As a crew member you must use supplemental oxygen when you're above 12,500 feet altitude for more than 30 minutes and anytime you're above 14,000 feet. Above 15,000 feet you have to provide it to your passengers.
Chromodynamics6 wrote:
As a crew member you must use supplemental oxygen when you're above 12,500 feet altitude for more than 30 minutes and anytime you're above 14,000 feet. Above 15,000 feet you have to provide it to your passengers.
Exactly what the pilot said. He took us to just below ceiling and went back down. I was very dehydrated as I had projectile vomiting in middle of night from food poisoning. Really quite sick. No alcohol either. I had never had altitude issues before that. BUT...I would do the trip again in a heartbeat to see what we saw. The pilot said only about 25% of the travelers ever get to see the views we had. When we got back to airfield a torrential thunderstorm hit and even the locals were shocked by its immensity! Gotta love Alaska!
westitzer
Loc: Central California coastal area
If 12k gets to you, don't try Pikes Peak. It's 14.4k. After being up there for about 25 - 20 minutes, I had to go over and lay my head down on a table until the wooziness went away. Beautiful ride up and down. My friend who lives in Denver drove us up. So clear you could see Kansas.
Jim Eads wrote:
Exactly what the pilot said. He took us to just below ceiling and went back down. I was very dehydrated as I had projectile vomiting in middle of night from food poisoning. Really quite sick. No alcohol either. I had never had altitude issues before that. BUT...I would do the trip again in a heartbeat to see what we saw. The pilot said only about 25% of the travelers ever get to see the views we had. When we got back to airfield a torrential thunderstorm hit and even the locals were shocked by its immensity! Gotta love Alaska!
Exactly what the pilot said. He took us to just be... (
show quote)
The photo was worth all the bother!
Very good photo. Took the same air tour in 2015. Denali had plenty of snow still on it and we could see mountain climbers going up to the top. What a great experience. Unfortunately, we lost the camera with all of its pictures. Thanks for the memory.
That is a beautiful image!
I haven’t seen Denali in person, but I know this is a magnificent shot of the mountain.
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