Not wanting to look irresponsible or foolish, I was reluctant to post all the details of what happened, but my desire to learn from this experience is greater. I appreciate all of the responses.
This is all from personal experience and not scientific in any ways.I believe sleep and exertion plays a critical role. I also personally believe people who are sensitive to the altitude like me may be affected by low pressure systems.
While not scientific, your observations and ideas regarding AMS make sense to me and seem logical. I agree with them.
You guys need to try Diamox. I, myself, would not go to Horseshoe Meadows without it, let alone hike out of there! (The PA in your group should read up on it.)
I've used it in the past (Whitney '11, '12, '13), but not on this trip. I mistakenly thought that the night at Chicken Spring Lake would help.
I experimented with it a bit on my Whitney trip last year. I took it for the 3 days prior to leaving home. Day 1, I took it the morning before we left and we spent that night at Rock Creek. Day 2 I did not take it, hoping that the ummm... 'crappy' side effects would dissipate before we started our Whitney overnight hike on Day 3. On Day 4 we started our hike very early (hoping for a sunrise summit), but I only made it to Trail Camp. Hiker C from this weekends hike was not feeling well (headache, dizziness) and I volunteered to descend.
I was hoping that I could start the acclimation process by taking the diamox, let the fact that I was above 10,000 ft take over, then hopefully not have GI issues on a trail where I had to carry everything out.
A person vomiting is on the verge of serious trouble. It appears you were ok staying, since the he/she improved. However, it could have gone the other way. Leaving someone alone after that could lead to serious trouble. If someone could check up on them each hour, and if the situation worsens, get them the h**l out of there!!!
In most situations, I would have descended immediately. Looking back, my judgement was clouded by a few things:
1. Hiker A's prior hiking experience with with no AMS issues. I realize now that this shouldn't have been a consideration.
2. Having a PA in the group. The same person has also worked as a leader/supervisor for large groups of students on outdoor/adventure trips. Being a leader requires specialized training.
3. Knowing that my son had vomited twice earlier in the day. I thought Hiker A likely had food poisoning. This thought was reinforced when Hiker A starting cracking jokes and was sharp mentally after his nap.
4. I tend to be overly cautious and I have become self-conscious of this. At times I overcompensate and don't speak up when I should. I need to get over this.
Three of us shared a tent, so Hiker A was checked on throughout the night. I was not going to leave Hiker A alone on Day 2. If Hiker B had not decided to stay at camp, I would have stayed.
You did not mention it... Was everyone consciously drinking enough?
I am usually really good about hydration, but I know that I did not drink enough on this trip.
From you description, it appears that you and the rest of your group were carrying way too heavy packs for your physical conditions. Start working on reducing the amount of stuff you carry, and start doing some daily walking.
As we age, it is important to maintain a regular exercise program, throughout the off-season, if we expect to cope with mountain hiking in the Summer.
I agree Bob. Since I live in SoCal, I am able to hike year round. The frequency of my hikes drop off during the winter, but I still get out there once or twice per month. One of my favorites hikes is Skyline Trail in Palm Springs (11 miles, 8000 ft elevation gain). During the off-season I also ramp up my weight training, cardio (high intensity interval training on a stationary bike) and I walk 6-10 miles per week due to my job. I have been 'under the weather' for the last 6 weeks (sick, possible allergries) and my training had dropped off as a result.
I really need to reduce my pack weight. On my first Whitney hike in 2011, my daypack was 28 lbs. One most dayhikes now, my pack is down to around 22 lbs (still too heavy). When I start adding overnight gear, the weight gets ridiculous. This was only was 2nd overnight hike.
