Altitude considerations for Western US travel with children

[dt123]

When my kids were younger we took teen boy scouts every summer to summer camp, from sea level Texas to locations in New Mexico and Colorado that were anywhere from 7000 to 10,000 feet. Drove there in a day and a half. Usually about 1 in 20 would get altitude sickness. Weak and throwing up for a day or two. Fine after. It was just an expected feature of our scouting adventure. One was so sick one time he had to be hospitalized a couple days for dehydration. Even he was fine afterwards and rejoined the group.

At Philmont backpacking scout camp in New Mexico, the drill is for everyone to spend the first 36-48 hours at base camp, ostensibly to get everything ready for the trek but really to keep an eye on the kids and adults for altitude adjustment.

 

[Zoocat]

IKids IMHO are over coddled, constantly herded. Just yesterday as I was sitting on a park bench, sipping on a cup of coffee in the town square, there came a bunch of kids in a column of two. With minders. Looked way too contrived, reminded me of moving forward in chow line in basic training. As they got closer the reason became obvious.

Each kid was hanging on to a harness like those used by mushers for sled dogs. I could not help but say to one of the minders, say, with that setup they should be pulling a sled.

They were not amused.

I find it horrid that the kiddie garden kids are constantly being herded, prodded, flash carded, homogenized, indoctrinated all bloody day. I see it daily, I go the the Y at random times, where they run daycare. I'm sure parents like it that way, I just don't see the point.

When do kids get to be kids?

//Rant off.

The ole days are gone. Our culture has become increasingly violent. My evidence: watch the TV police dramas that include pornographic violence that I cannot stomach, having grown up in a gentler era. Today violent images are available everywhere and those who would use children for their own purposes have been emboldened. Any parent who relaxes vigilance and takes his/her eye off their child (unless in a secure environment) is being very stupid. IMHO.