Hugh on being a High Altitutude guinea pig.

I starved overnight in preparation for a test this morning, but the company had sent the wrong lead for an item of kit, so the test was deferred.

I took this opportunity to walk with Mark Wilson. Crossing several (freezing!!!) glacial streams, we reached a ruined village on the east of the valley before ascending a nearby ridge. We saw a wealth of pretty flowers, some glorious (and huge!) insects, and even two Tibetan Hares. On the walk down, we found a small Yak skull- and one member of the team is now convinced of the existence of the Tibetan Horned Rabbit. It is very hot out there, but I have been denied all the lovely Lucozade we have been given, remaining starved for my test!

Returning, I was finally ready for the experiments. The plan was to look at oxygen delivery to brain, muscle, and gut. To this end, recording pads were connected to my temples and legs, and I swallowed a stiff tube (inserted via the nose). After a rest, I pedalled for 10 minutes at an ?aerobic? workload. Then came 10 minutes of work at ?anaerobic? levels.. and the pain. My muscle oxygen saturations dropped to <18%, my blood levels to <72%, and my brain levels to <30%. Coming off the bike, I felt most peculiar?and it took some hours before I was able to function normally.

Story by Hugh Montgomery