[desert spirit]

I've been visiting friends in Flag for the past several days. I've always loved it up here ... it's so beautiful this time of year (except for the traffic!), and so many trails, so little time! The first day, my friend wanted to go for a run in Buffalo Park. "Let's do it!", I replied, thinking that since I run in the desert around my house all the time, I'd run her into the ground. Ha! Unfortunately, I forgot about the altitude. Within half-a-mile, I was gasping like a bellows.

Hey, I'm a desert girl ... a flatland girl ... a downstream girl. And I swear, there isn't enough air up here to keep a bird alive! Everyone probably has supplemental oxygen hidden in their packs ... I just know it.

[imike]

I know the feeling, from the flip side. Friends come to visit me here in Cloudcroft (8600') and we head out on the trails and for once I get to enjoy staying up with or ahead of those runners who would leave me in the dust back in Tucson. Ah, the joy...

[fricknaley]

what's my excuse for sucking wind at sea level???....

[Jim_H]

Well, here at 7000' you've only got about 79% of the air that you do at sea level. Me, I go down below 5000' and my ears start to feel funny. I have more energy, too.

[Sun Ray]

I'm one of those that really benefits from going up the night before I hike at 7000' or higher. Even when I was running high miles and marathons the higher altitudes effected me. What I remember reading is that each of us have different abilities to adjust to the altitude no matter what shape we are in.

[Jim_H]

Back in 2003 I visited the White Mountains from Florida. I remember walking up this one hillside above the San Fransisco River. I had to stop repeatedly to catch my breath and it felt like it took me for ever, even though it was probably only 200 feet of vertical, or so. I was back in the area 2 years ago. I flew up that hillside and never even thought about it. Then I remembered 2003 and I thought of how nice it was that I lived up high.

[rally_toad]

I visited the White Mountains from Florida

Haha isnt the highest point in florida a whopping 500 feet or something like that?

[chumley]

Haha isnt the highest point in florida a whopping 500 feet or something like that?

Britton Hill: 345 feet
Its the lowest highest spot of all 50 states.

[rally_toad]

lowest highest spot

that begs the question. What is the highest lowest spot in the 50 states?

[azpride]

It looks like it's 3,350 in Colorado.

Google: highest low point united states
First result gives some stats to go through.

[Al_HikesAZ]

lowest highest spot

that begs the question. What is the highest lowest spot in the 50 states?

I think that's the Arikaree River in CO at 3,315.

[writelots]

I think we were discussing Van Buren and Miracle Mile on another thread... talk about highest lowspots...