WILD WYOMING:
Hike and Backpack Yellowstone and
the Grand Tetons
Trip Newsletter #3, MAY/JUNE 2005
MISSING BIOS
We had our last participant join us just before the last newsletter came out, so we are giving her a
chance to let you get to know her. Also, Rob was unable to provide us with his blurb too. With out
further ado, may we present…
Dawn Britton
I'm a late-comer to the group and very excited for the opportunity to join you. I'm a 35-year-old
Chemical Engineer from Yardley, PA. Although I've been an AMC member for 5 years, I only
became an active member last year, when I had the happy opportunity to be between jobs for the
summer and realized I wanted to spend all my time outdoors. I took up backpacking for the first
time last spring, but I've only been on trips within PA, so you can believe I'm working hard to get
ready for this trip! I was looking for an exciting goal to push myself to the next level, and the Teton
trip sounded absolutely perfect. I've also become more active with AMC in another way, having
recently volunteered to be editor for the Delaware Valley Chapter's newsletter, Footnotes. I look
forward to spending some time with you all in majestic Grand Teton!
Rob Slavin
I am 36 years old and single. I work at State Street Global Mkts in Boston as an Equity Trader. I grew up Northern
NJ and did most of my hiking in the Catskills, but once a year my friends and I would come up and hike the Whites.
Since moving to Brookline MA 5 years ago the White Mountains have become my favorite destination when I go
hiking. Besides being a AMC member for four years. I also am a member of the New England Mt Bike Association
and kayak when I can. I am looking forward to this trip because I always wanted to hike the back-country of one of
our national parks.
THE YELLOWSTONE ASSOCIATION
While we are in Yellowstone we will be accompanied by a Yellowstone Association Naturalist named
Ashea Mills, who has extensive experience interpreting in the park and traveling the Yellowstone
backcountry. She will be camping with us at Grants Village both nights. Since Ashea has not yet started
her season with the Yellowstone Association, we will be unable to provide you details about her or more information
about the hikes until next month. We will most likely send this information in an email as this will be the last
newsletter before we send the final trip information.
For your information, the non-profit Yellowstone Association funds and provides educational products and services
for Yellowstone National Park. The Yellowstone Association is the National Park Service's primary partner in
providing educational programs, exhibits, and publications for park visitors and has furnished $9.5 million in support
for Yellowstone since its inception in 1933. All net proceeds from Yellowstone Association sales, memberships, and
programs are used to support education in and about Yellowstone National Park.
Wild Wyoming Newsletter #3- May/June 2005, page 1
The Yellowstone Association also sponsors the Yellowstone Association Institute. Founded in 1976, the Institute
offers a wide range of classes related to the Yellowstone ecosystem. These classes, which range from one to five
days in length, focus on the park’s abundant wildlife, geothermal features, rich history and expansive wilderness.
Through interaction with the park’s environment, thousands of participants each year experience, understand, and
appreciate the natural wonders of the area first hand. The Institute has developed a reputation as one of the
nation’s outstanding wilderness schools, with high standards for instructors and academic credit available for many
courses.
HIKING IN BEAR COUNTRY
Bear attacks are uncommon. Wild animals generally prefer to avoid people and bears are no exception. Most
encounters between bears and people occur when the bear's natural avoidance behavior shifts to aggression
because of the following factors:
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You surprise them.
They are protecting young or food.
They follow food and food-like odors to you.
Your dog provokes an attack.
The bear you encounter is habituated to people and has lost its natural fear.
The following guidelines to safety in bear habitat are just that: guidelines. Bear behavior is hard to predict because
they are complex animals. Each bear is an individual with the potential to react differently in different situations. The
information that follows will give you some basics on how to avoid an encounter in the first place and guidance on
how to react should one occur.
AVOIDING an encounter
 Make noise! Let bears know you're there. Call out, clap hands, sing or talk loudly, especially near streams, dense
vegetation and berry patches, on windy days, and in areas of low visibility. (Some research shows that bear bells
are not enough).
 Watch for fresh bear sign. Tracks, droppings, diggings, torn-up logs, turned-over rocks are all signs that a bear
has been in the area. Leave the area if the signs are fresh.
 Travel in groups if possible. Use officially marked paths and trails and travel during daylight hours. If you come
across large dead animals, leave the area immediately and report it to Park Wardens.
HANDLING an encounter
 Stay calm and don't alarm the bear with screams or sudden movements. Your calm behavior can reassure it.
Bears may bluff their way out of an encounter by charging and then turning away at the last second. Bears may
also react defensively by woofing, growling, snapping their jaws, and laying their ears back. It's difficult but
important to remain calm if a bear reacts to you this way. A scream or sudden movement may trigger an attack.
 Speak to the bear. Let the bear hear your voice - talk calmly and firmly. This lets the bear know you are human
and not a prey animal. If a bear rears on its hind legs and waves its nose about, it is trying to identify you.
 Back away slowly, never run! Running may trigger a pursuit and bears can run as fast as a racehorse, both uphill
and downhill.
 Make yourself less vulnerable and stay in a group.
 Don't drop your pack. It can provide protection.
 Always leave the bear an escape route.
Handling an ATTACK
Most encounters with bears end without injury. If a bear actually makes contact, you may increase your chances of
survival by following these guidelines. In general, there are 2 kinds of attack:
Wild Wyoming Newsletter #3- May/June 2005, page 2
DEFENSIVE
What is the bear's behavior? The bear is feeding, protecting its young and/or unaware of your presence. It attacks
because it sees you as a threat.
Use bear spray. You must be very close to the bear for this to be effective.
If the bear makes contact with you: PLAY DEAD! Lie on your stomach with legs apart and position your arms so that
your hands are crossed behind your neck. This position makes you less vulnerable to being flipped over and protects
your face, the back of your head and neck. Remain still until you are sure the bear has left the area.
These defensive attacks are generally less than two minutes in duration. If the attack continues, it may mean the
attack has shifted from defensive to predatory fight back! Bottom line? It is very difficult to predict the best strategy
to use in the event of a bear attack. That is why it is so important to put thought and energy into avoiding an
encounter in the first place.
PREDATORY
 What is the bear's behavior? The bear is stalking (hunting) you
along a trail and then attacks. Or, the bear attacks you at night.
 Try to escape into a building, car or up a tree.
 If you can’t escape, DONT PLAY DEAD.
 Use bear spray and fight back!
FIGHT BACK! Intimidate that bear: shout; hit it with a branch or rock, do whatever it takes to let the bear know you
are not easy prey. This kind of attack is very rare but it is serious because it usually means the bear is looking for
food and preying on you.
Backcountry camping
To stay safe and protect wilderness, travel with two goals in mind: limiting your impact by avoiding encounters and
managing your food, food smells and garbage.
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Camp in designated areas where provided. Avoid camping near running water, thick brush, animal trails or berry
patches.
Keep yourself and campsite odor free. Set up cooking, eating and food storage areas at least 100 meters (300
feet) from your tent and consider wind direction. Keep sleeping bags, tents and sleeping clothes free of food,
food odors or beverages.
Leave smelly cosmetics at home. Store toiletries and personal items with food.
Use bear-resistant canisters that provide for food and
garbage storage. They are mandatory in some northern
national parks for overnight backcountry trips.
Store your food, pet food, livestock feed and garbage away
from your tent. Hang it between two trees at least 4 meters
(12 feet) above the ground and 1.3 meters (4 feet) from top
and side supports.
Wash and store all dishes and food utensils immediately
after use. Strain food particles from dish water and store
with garbage. Dump dishwater in designated areas or at
least 100 meters (300 feet) from your sleeping area.
Pack out garbage do not burn or bury it. Same storage as food.
We do not plan to purchase bear spray, but if you are interested in buying it to carry on the trip, you can do so when
you arrive. Pepper spray is not allowed on an airplane. The cost of a small canister is approximately $35-45.
Wild Wyoming Newsletter #3- May/June 2005, page 3
HIGH ALTITUDE HIKING
What is High Altitude?
Altitude is defined on the following scale High (8,000 - 12,000 feet [2,438 3,658 meters]), Very High (12,000 - 18,000 feet [3,658 - 5,487 meters]),
and Extremely High (18,000+ feet [5,500+ meters]). Since few people have
been to such altitudes, it is hard to know who may be affected. There are no
specific factors such as age, sex, or physical condition that correlate with
susceptibility to altitude sickness. Some people get it and some people
don't, and some people are more susceptible than others. Most people can
go up to 8,000 feet (2,438 meters) with minimal effect. If you haven't been
to high altitude before, it's important to be cautious. If you have been at that
altitude before with no problem, you can probably return to that altitude
without problems as long as you are properly acclimatized. While each
person's sensitivity to oxygen deprivation is unique, most will feel little below
2,000 m. However, a headache and stomach discomfort to a varying degree
may be common symptoms above that. And for many, along with heavy
breathing, this may be all they will experience to 6,000 m.
To combat these symptoms hikers should drink more than they feel they
need. In situations of declining oxygen, blood tends to thicken making
oxygen dispersal in the body less efficient. Where one to two litres of water
per day may be adequate at sea level four litres might be optimum at 5,000 m. As breathing through the mouth
eliminates water, nose breathing is recommended. In addition, eating more than one wants is also helpful. While
nausea reduces the desire to eat, the body has an increasing need for nourishment. High calorie meals are
recommended, supplemented with sweets.
A slow ascent offsets the negative symptoms of altitude such as nausea and headache. This may involve adopting a
pace that seems 'too easy'. While it may seem too easy for the muscles, it is necessary to allow the body time to
adjust to declining oxygen levels.
What Causes Altitude Illnesses
The concentration of oxygen at sea level is about 21% and the barometric pressure averages 760 mmHg. As altitude
increases, the concentration remains the same but the number of oxygen molecules per breath is reduced. At
12,000 feet (3,658 meters) the barometric pressure is only 483 mmHg, so there are roughly 40% fewer oxygen
molecules per breath. In order to properly oxygenate the body, your breathing rate (even while at rest) has to
increase. This extra ventilation increases the oxygen content in the blood, but not to sea level concentrations. Since
the amount of oxygen required for activity is the same, the body must adjust to having less oxygen. In addition, for
reasons not entirely understood, high altitude and lower air pressure causes fluid to leak from the capillaries which
can cause fluid build-up in both the lungs and the brain. Continuing to higher altitudes without proper
acclimatization can lead to potentially serious, even life-threatening illnesses.
Symptoms include drowsiness, lethargy, headache (low or high-grade), nausea, flu-like symptoms, lack of sleep, lack
of mental focus.
Acclimatization
The major cause of altitude illnesses is going too high too fast. Given time, your body can adapt to the decrease in
oxygen molecules at a specific altitude. This process is known as acclimatization and generally takes 1-3 days at
that altitude. For example, if you hike to 10,000 feet (3,048 meters), and spend several days at that altitude, your
body acclimatizes to 10,000 feet (3,048 meters). If you climb to 12,000 feet (3,658 meters), your body has to
acclimatize once again. A number of changes take place in the body to allow it to operate with decreased oxygen.
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The depth of respiration increases.
Pressure in pulmonary arteries is increased, "forcing" blood into portions of the lung which are normally not
used during sea level breathing.
Wild Wyoming Newsletter #3- May/June 2005, page 4
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The body produces more red blood cells to carry oxygen,
The body produces more of a particular enzyme that facilitates
the release of oxygen from hemoglobin to the body tissues.
Prevention of Altitude Illnesses
Prevention of altitude illnesses falls into two categories, proper acclimatization and preventive medications. Below
are a few basic guidelines for proper acclimatization.
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If possible, don't fly or drive to high altitude. Start below 10,000 feet (3,048 meters) and walk up.
If you do fly or drive, do not over-exert yourself or move higher for the first 24 hours.
If you go above 10,000 feet (3,048 meters), only increase your altitude by 1,000 feet (305 meters) per day
and for every 3,000 feet (915 meters) of elevation gained, take a rest day.
"Climb High and sleep low." This is the maxim used by climbers. You can climb more than 1,000 feet (305
meters) in a day as long as you come back down and sleep at a lower altitude.
If you begin to show symptoms of moderate altitude illness, don't go higher until symptoms decrease
(&quotDon't go up until symptoms go down").
If symptoms increase, go down, down, down!
Keep in mind that different people will acclimatize at different rates. Make sure all of your party is properly
acclimatized before going higher.
Stay properly hydrated. Acclimatization is often accompanied by fluid loss, so you need to drink lots of fluids
to remain properly hydrated (at least 3-4 quarts per day). Urine output should be copious and clear.
Take it easy; don't over-exert yourself when you first get up to altitude. Light activity during the day is better
than sleeping because respiration decreases during sleep, exacerbating the symptoms.
Avoid tobacco and alcohol and other depressant drugs including, barbiturates, tranquilizers, and sleeping
pills. These depressants further decrease the respiratory drive during sleep resulting in a worsening of the
symptoms.
Eat a high carbohydrate diet (more than 70% of your calories from carbohydrates) while at altitude.
The acclimatization process is inhibited by dehydration, over-exertion, and alcohol and other depressant
drugs.
Preventive Medications
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Diamox (Acetazolamide) allows you to breathe faster so that you metabolize more oxygen, thereby
minimizing the symptoms caused by poor oxygenation. This is especially helpful at night when respiratory
drive is decreased. Since it takes a while for Diamox to have an effect, it is advisable to start taking it 24
hours before you go to altitude and continue for at least five days at higher altitude. Frank Hubbell of SOLO
recommends a trial course of the drug before going to a remote location where a severe allergic reaction
could prove difficult to treat.
Dexamethasone (a steroid) is a prescription drug that decreases brain and other swelling reversing the
effects of AMS. Dosage is typically 4 mg twice a day for a few days starting with the ascent. This prevents
most symptoms of altitude illness. It should be used with caution and only on the advice of a physician
because of possible serious side effects. It may be combined with Diamox. No other medications have been
proven valuable for preventing AMS.
Wild Wyoming Newsletter #3- May/June 2005, page 5