Cross country skiing through the Green Mountain State

Sarah Tuff has a nice article at NYTimes.com about cross country skiing from the bottom of Vermont up to the top. Using old logging roads, snaking from Massachusetts to Canada, the Catamount trail is 300 miles of gorgeous Vermont scenery. Though some dedicate a month to take a long-haul trek, many enjoy simply biting off one of the 31 sections as a way to enjoy some nature. (Photo courtesy of NYtimes.com/Caleb Kenna)

"“The trip was absolutely wonderful,” said Mr. Bushey, who is now a cartographer in Portland, Me. “Skiing the length of Vermont from ski center to ski center and inn to inn was a memorable life experience for me.”

Becoming an “end-to-ender” on the Catamount Trail is also an unusual accomplishment. Mr. Rose is now the executive director of the Green Mountain Club and said some 3,500 people had completed the Long Trail.

Mr. Fredericks, meanwhile, said he knew of around 60 association members who had skied the entire Catamount, with more and more on the way. “A lot of people just like to do a section here, a section there,” Mr. Fredericks said, “until they have the whole trail done.”"

Know & Control Altitude sickness

Have you ever gone skiing, hiking, biking or done any activity that required going to high altitudes?? Have you ever felt even a hint of altitude sickness - such as dizziness, nausea, trembling, headaches, or lack of coordination? Well if this sounds like anything that you may have experienced, you may know as I do, that it is not a fun experience. I felt my first wave of sickness during a trip to Colorado to ski. One of the authors for GoNOMAD was also a victim of altitude sickness and wrote an article with some tips to help the rest of us overcome it! Below is part of her article How to Avoid Altitude sickness

Beginning at about 6,500 feet, oxygen becomes thinner, and if you are not used to it, you can find yourself in the beginning stages of altitude sickness. Your body requires time to acclimate to the reduced oxygen and changes in air pressure.

Even if you live at a higher elevation, it is still no guarantee that you will avoid altitude sickness. According to Better Health Channel, Healthier Living Online, if you’ve had elevation sickness before, you are more likely to experience it again.

*Acclimate yourself before you reach your elevation. At sea level your blood oxygen is 98%. At 10,000 feet it is reduced to 89%. With exertion you can easily drop below the level required to stay conscious. So take it easy the first day or two.

*It’s always a good idea to be in good physical shape before you exert yourself on the mountain with skiing or hiking. Not everyone experiences altitude sickness, but sometimes even a healthy person can feel out of sorts.

Young and old, healthy and not so healthy, everyone is susceptible to altitude sickness.

To finish this article, please visit GoNOMAD.com