Full disclosure. I cannot take credit for the photo. It was shot by a real pro not a simple snapshot artist like myself but sunrise at Red Rocks is a beautiful experience and it's one I have had.
I believe it. I didn't notice it too much, but I also didn't do anything too strenuous while we were there. Did a little horseback riding, but that was the horse doing all the hard work.
We try.....LOL. And ya' know I would love to visit Ireland. My maternal grandmother was born there. If I ever make a bucket list Ireland will be on it.
I don't know about actual lung capacity, but you do acclimate. I used to go skiing at least 2 times a week, on average while there. Funny aside was, when tourist come there to ski, if they are not already skiing in high altitude places in other states and countries, they tell them to acclimate down in Denver, which is still a mile in the air, for a day or two and DONT drink booze. So what do they do, first thing? Go down town to all of the bars and get blasted, even worse because it takes less to get blasted in the first place due to the elevation. Some of them get so sick they can't even make the trip up into the mountains, and miss skiing all together, others go so hung over that they can't enjoy it.
Oh yeah, when I still lived in Wisconsin I'd come out to ski, get hammered the night before, then head up the next morning and ski from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM without a break. Then we'd hit the chalet and drink some more. LOL I can recall having some nasty headaches but once the adrenaline shoots in and you're staring down a mile long ski run it goes away pretty quick. But I was so much younger then I'm older than that now. (apologies to Bob Dylan for paraphrasing) But I agree with you that some of the "Flatlanders" don't take the advice to acclimate. I never did either 30 years ago when I still believed I was invincible and would live forever. To each his own though. Some people can't be talked out of lots of things until they experience it for themselves. I was one of them. I can't verify the lung thing medically but it does make sense.
The wife and I took a wrong turn last year in Denver trying to get to Breckenridge. Cruising around the outskirts and literally stumbled on it. I got out and hiked up to it and then hiked some more. God it was a long walk all uphill. Once I got there it was pretty amazing and I was surprised and how awesome it was. It was almost a year to the day...Jan 13th 2020
In the 90's I moved from RI (the ocean state) to Los Alamos NM(elevation a little over 7,000). I could get schitface drunk on a ten dollar bill.
Yup, the C470 belt line freeway makes a big circle around the city all the way out to airport now. I used to live just off the point where it curves from the south to the east and can recall when it wasn't there at all and cattle grazed and coyotes prowled and howled in pastures where the highway is now. So much has changed but Morrison is still pretty much the same with the Morrison Inn where the Parrot Heads and Dead Heads would hang out and the Red Rocks Grill down the street and Tony Rigatoni's Italian joint. If you take that main road through town up the canyon you end up in Evergreen another neat mountain town where the Little Bear Roadhouse is located.
I saw the Dead at Red Rocks a couple of times in the early 80's. I was living in Telluride, so Red Rocks was at lower elevation than I was used to. Plus I was a 22-23 year old kid, so I wasn't easily phased. After many years as a flatlander, though, I once flew from my sea level home near Philly to Salt Lake, got a van ride down to Moab and spent one night at 4000 feet. The next morning a bunch of us took a van over to Telluride to start a mountain bike tour back to Moab. By mid-day I'm starting to ride from Telluride (about 8500' elevation) up a bunch of dirt tracks up to Last Dollar Pass, where we set up camp, at about 12,000 feet. I was in my mid 40's but I was in fantastic shape, and it was hard work, but I did OK, with almost no acclimation and a bit of jet lag. Then rode five more days back to Moab, then spent one three days riding the White Rim Trail. By the time I got back down to sea level about 10 days after I left, I was like Superman on my bike for a couple of weeks, having developed all of those extra red blood cells at altitude. Now I walk for an hour or so - that kind of condition is waaaay in the rear view mirror... -Ray
Well, for a while, anyway. When I got to CO. I was only 18, and they were a 21 drinking age state. They did sell what they used to call 3.2 beer, but in the enlisted club I could buy all the bourbon and coke I wanted, and I had enough friends, that could go to the base package store, and buy me real beer. Have to admit, I got crap faced stupid off of 3.2 beer on more than one occasion. Once you got acclimated, though, it was o.k. to drink, you could handle everything o.k. I've got drunken stupid back in my old days on 3.2 beer, you just had to drink more of it. Beer got me in trouble though. A retired military guy let me buy a '65 Strat from him, he owned a small guitar/pawn shop off base and let me, under the thread of repo'ing it and calling my First Sargent if I missed a payment. Alcohol was a major factor in destroying that Strat, but I'd already had it paid for by then.. At the time it wasn't a big deal, as far as Strat owners today would see/feel. It was just 10 years old, so it was just an "old strat". Well all tolerance to beer and bourbon/whisky aside, I would love to have that back today. It was a sunburst, and in pretty damn good condition, some buckle rash and a ding or two. Bet it would fetch a pretty penny today. Young, Military, Altitude, and alcohol. Anyone else have the guts to admit to other such crimes against guitars under the influence... Actually I hope not...
How thin is the air at 5500+ feet? Here are two water bottles I drank somewhere in the 5500-7000' range. After drinking, I screwed the tops back on. I didn't squish them since I reuse them on the next hike. This is what they looked like when I pulled them out of my pack back down at 1000' where I lived:
Yeah just comin' down into Denver from 11,000-12,000 feet and I'm always yawning to get my ears to pop. Air is thin up on top but it's so fresh and sweet and scenery is just beautiful.
