I was thinking maybe Mt. Kilamangaro. Anyone have an idea?

What does this have to do with flying?

Did you do a google seach?

I believe the name of the forum is TravelBuzz, hence my topic about travel.

Anyway, what is the highest you guys have ever hiked to? I know there was some discussion a while back that I saw a trek to Advanced Base camp on Everest that required no climbing.

Does hiking from one end of the AC to the other at 39,000ft count?

nothing that requires ropes! everything else depends on your fitness level.

Altitude affects people differently, even people with similiar fitness levels. I used to be a swimmer in high school and college, very fit, and got quite sick at only 10,000 feet. How high have you been in the past and how did it affect you? What is your current aerobic fitness?

been upto 14000 ft elevation without any major issue.. just some minor shortness of breath.
(started at a higher elevation)

I've done the Everest Base Camp trek. I'm succeptible to altitude sickness, but the trek is done over several weeks so you gain altitude slowly (2-3 weeks), with plenty of time for your body to adjust. The highest we got was the top of Kala Pattar, a nearby peak, about 18,200'. Base camp is about 17,600'.

Kilimanjaro is higher, the true summit is about 19,340', and it's also a non-technical climb. However, guided tours up Kili usually do the ascent in only 4-6 days, which is not enough time for your most non-Sherpa bodies to adjust. If you're considering going, I'd definitely do some hiking around some peaks in the US to gauge how your body reacts to altitude.

The north face of Aconcagua in Argentina can also be done as a non-technical climb, and it summits at ~22,840'. I don't know if it's the highest "walk-up", but it must be close.

Happy hiking!

I did some hiking around 13,000ft in Switzerland, and the altitude didn't really affect me. I didn't know Aconcagua could be done non-technical. That's pretty cool, I might have to look into that someday. Thanks for your reply.

I tried to climb to Everest base camp, but got Strep Throat on the way up and had to turn back.

In Colorado you can drive 12K up a 14'er.

In China you can ride a train through a high pass that will knock out most laptops.

In Space Camp...

I've done Kilimanjaro but we only made it to the secondary summit. 5 days total, 3 1/2 going up, 1 1/2 coming back down.

We left base with 12, lost two on the first day (she couldn't handle it, he turned back with her. She was a heavy smoker who had no business being on the climb in the first place.) At the third camp we had 1 turn back when he realized his boots were inadequate and that making the final climb was asking for frostbite of the toes. That left 9 of us. Two of us made the final ascent, the rest turned back with altitude sickness.

I did later learn there was a low pressure cell over the mountain that day so this was probably worse than typical.

We had come overland but we did spend a few days at the base before making the climb.

People with way too much money burning in their pockets and no climbing experience pay guides to drag them up Everest every year. Your pocketbook is the limit.

peace,
~Ben~

I did the Inca trail with no training (and being a heavy smoker at the time). That reached 4200m (and I felt half-dead afterwards...)