Having Faith in a Product

[Oakman]

Sometimes you just have to have faith that the product you bought is exactly what it is advertised to be. We recently purchased a couple of cans of Boost for the high altitude hikes we planned to take when we visit Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons. Boost is compressed oxygen in a can. The thought stuck me today that the company could probably just send me cans of compressed air and I probably wouldn't know the difference. I wonder if I will be able to notice a difference when I use the oxygen during an uphill hike at 10,000 feet?

[tosh99]

How far of a hike?

We fish the lakes near Yosemite and once I saw a really nice small ledge near a shoreline but it would take about a 200 foot hike almost straight down carry equipment and rods. I think the elevation there is about 8000-9000 feet. Going down was easy, coming back up I had to take a break but those fish did make it to the frying pan!

[Oakman]

Glad you got those fish into the frying pan. Fresh caught fish always tastes the best.

One of our hikes will be to the top of Mt. Washburn in Yellowstone. It will be a three mile hike to the top with an elevation gain of just over 1400 feet up to an altitude of 10,243 feet. For Missouri flatlanders like us that will be a big challenge.

[bakken]

Do the cans come with a mask?
Any extra O2 at those altitudes would definitely help.
We have spent a lot of time in the mountains, and any strenuous activity is difficult once you get over 8000 feet. 12,000 is a killer!

[Oakman]

The larger cans do have a built in mask but we purchased the smaller cans that don't have masks.

Last year we did the short 1/2 mile Tundra Communities hike in RMNP that starts at 12,090 feet and has a 200 foot elevation gain. We were able to do this without issue.

In 2004 we attempted to get to the top of Mt. Washburn but failed. This time I think we're in better shape and will have the Oxygen with us.