I have discovered after visiting several parks and mountain ranges two things: I have a love for the mountains and I cannot get enough of their majesty splendor. I also may or may not get acute mountain sickness above tree level. By that I mean, when I reach the top of the mountain peaks and there are no trees but rocks and I am at cloud level or above the clouds, I get AMS which kicks in at 10,000 ft above sea level. At 10,000 feet, a person only has the effective use of 14% oxygen, only two-thirds that of sea level. Besides needing to breath deeper, I start feeling lightheaded and fear sets in. I read that a person is at higher risk for acute mountain sickness if you live at or near sea level and travel to a high altitude. Since I have been living in Florida most of my adult life, I now pay the price with AMS. Living in Florida is not all what it is cracked up to be in my opinion!
