Climbing Day 2 adn 3


Climbing Day 2

Today’s s altitude change: 11,100 feet to 14,400 feet = 3,300 feet is a big day. Yesterday wasn’t too bad. We were up early to finish the trek to basecamp (Plaza de Mulas or PdM). The trek was long and slow – necessary to conserve energy and be careful not to overtax our systems. This Trek is rough!

 

Climbing Day 3
Active Rest. We took a few acclimatization hikes up the hill to get used to the area and thin air. Also cached gear at the next camp (Canada) on this day. Rest days are active, but easy activities only. They require eating and drinking all day without fail. (Altitude change: 14,400 to 14,400 - in other words, none)

Our Team will be conducting a pilot study on cognition in hostile environments at basecamp. Research suggests that the human brain has multiple memory systems: one system (called system 2) is good at analyzing problems, this is the system for things like facts (Washington D.C. is the capital of USA) and events (remember that crazy July 4th?!); the other system (System 1) works outside of awareness and controls things like intuitions, instincts, and gut feelings. The team will be testing a new method of training that embeds information into this non-conscious, System 1 part of the brain that is hypothesized to be more resistant to low-oxygen environments.
Cognition Test on Tablet

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