Head in your Bag

On a mountain climb to the summit of Mount Shasta we camped at 10,400 feet and early the next morning we headed for the 14,100 foot summit. But my 17-year-old son was ill from the moment we left the tent door. He hiked for about half and hour before becoming so ill that I had to lead him by the hand back to the tent and where I placed him in his bag. Once he felt a little better, one member of our group took him down the mountain where he quickly recovered.

Mulling over the reasons for his illness, I determined the cause was quite simple and could have been prevented if I had remembered my son's dislike of cold temperatures. He had slept all night with his head buried deep in his sleeping bag. The stale recycled air poisoned his body and by morning he had altitude sickness.

On all high altitude climbs I remind all the members of our group to sleep with their faces out of their sleeping bags and for those who use bivy sacks to keep them unzipped. This is a good practice for all hiking trips.

Mount Shasta

Mount Ritter and Banner

Mount Lyell