Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Dayhike with infant

I am heading up to Horseshoe Meadows next week to acclimate for a dayhike of the MR. I am hoping someone could point me in the right direction for a dayhike that would be OK for an infant. We will either have her in a 'Baby Bjorn' or an off-road jogger. I hear the Cottonwood Pass trail is fairly easy and well maintained. Would it be possible to do with the jogger, or is that asking too much? Any input would be appreciated.

If your girl is small enough to carry in a Baby Bjorn pack, then I would do that. I just don't think any trail in the Sierra would be comfortable with any baby-jogger stroller. Hit a rock any place, and baby gets a big jolt.

Second thing, the 10k elevation may be a bit extreme for a baby that small. I have heard the altitude affects children more than adults. (Maybe call her pediatrician.)

You might want to try Whitney Portal, and a walk up to Lone Pine lake instead.

A couple of weeks ago I was hiking up the switchbacks from Vincent Gap to Baden Powell in the San Gabriels. About a mile or so up the trail there is a viewing are with a wooden bench. There were two women sitting on the bench and each had a child with them that they had taken up there in baby strollers. I was very surprised, probably because I had never seen anything like that before. I guess they were proof that it can be done. The altitude was not nearly as high here, though. Only about 7,000 feet.

Speaking from the standpoint of mom, grandmom and 30+ year ER nurse, I would definitely consider the altitude factor is taking an infant to 10,000 for a stroll, particularly if you are coming from sea level. If you do bring along a binkie, bottle to suck & some decongestant in case the baby's ears get plugged. Infants have very small ear canals, and the altitude can really play havoc on their internal ears, along with some of the symptoms that big people can get at altitude.
That's why so many babies yowl in airplanes.....
and that's decompressing to the equivalent of 7000' or something like that (pilots, educate me on that)
Perhaps this is the grandmother speaking. Sounds like something I would have tried with my own kids when they were little.....

I'm with Steve -- carrying the baby sounds a whole lot more attractive than trying to make anything with wheels work on a Sierra trail.

My limited experience says that small children have trouble with rapid altitude changes. I suggest taking your sweet time in driving from Lone Pine to the trailhead at 10000'. Make a few reasonably long stops to enjoy the great views along the way.

The definition of high altitude illness begins at 8,000 ft so there is not a concern until over that, assuming your infant is otherwise well.

Steve C is correct, there are suggestions that smaller children are more susceptible to high altitude illness. May have something to do with how the arteries in their lungs respond to the atmospheric changes.

No offense to asking your pediatrician, but they may not be knowledgeable about this unles they have a specific personal interest, or live in/near a climbing/altitude type community.

Here is some expert advice. This link is from the International Society for Mountain Medicine, Consensus Statement on Children at High Altitude. Much of it is medical jargon, but there are some practical tips scattered in there as well.

Harvey

http://www.ismmed.org/ISMM_Children_at_Altitude.htm

I don't know about the effect of altitude on infants, so I'll let others who are more knowledgeable help you out with that.

I would say, and this is purely personal opinion, that babies seem to get more out of the experience being packed along in a pack than riding in a stroller. I've raised 4, and each one seemed to respond to a stroller or jogger very much like they would to a ride in the car. They seemed to like it, but they also were fairly quiet and fell asleep pretty quickly.

Being in a backpack was a very different story, although each one responded in her own way. One would sing and laugh the whole time, one thought it was very funny to use the top of dad's head as a drum, one liked to steer using my ears . . . but it was always very personal and very interactive. (Okay, maybe the difference was how much I enjoyed it!) It sure made for some wonderful bonding experiences. As each one got a little older, I also shared some great conversations with with my little pack riders - with the jogger it's a little harder to talk to each other.

My 2 (non-technical) cents.

z

Thanks for the replies. I am aware of the issues with bringing a 10 month old to altitude. I will be stopping frequently and keeping an eye on her. Her doctor is fine with this, as long as we keep an eye on her and keep her hydrated.