By the time you read this, I’ll be high in the Himalayas, trekking to Everest Base Camp. The 80-mile trek takes 11 days and gains around 8,000ft (2,438m). There are a lot of unknowns to venture into with this next chapter in my storied hiking career, but one thing is for sure: the air will be thin.
As we climb higher, air pressure will go down, and that means the oxygen particles in the air are spread more diffusely, which means I get fewer in each breath. This induces a state known medically as hypoxia, and ideally, my body will increase hemoglobin levels (red blood cells) to help deliver more oxygen to my muscles to offset the effects. If it doesn’t, I’ll suffer the effects of altitude sickness, something I’m eager to avoid.
