Deadly Ascent

Student Handout

Going to Extremes

The world offers many exciting places to travel. But some of the world's most beautiful places—rainforests, deserts, deep ocean environments, and mountaintops—are also the most remote. Many of these environments require extreme caution. In this activity learn about some of the extreme places you can go on Earth, some of the dangers you can encounter, and some of the ways you can deal with those dangers.

Check Out the Glossary
If there is a word you come across that you don't understand, try looking for it in the Glossary on your "Extreme Survival" handout.

Grand Canyon National Park
Arizona, United States
Get your hat out, because if it's summer, it's going to be hot. In July, maximum temperatures range from 25° to 41° C, depending where you are in the canyon. Despite the heat, the park is home to a diverse range of species, including 50 species of reptiles. You should watch out for some of those creatures, particularly the rattlesnakes. If you are one of the unfortunate few people to get bitten by the most common rattlesnake, the western diamondback, you will likely have a rubbery taste in your mouth, and feel weak and nauseous when the poison enters your bloodstream. Dehydration is one of the biggest threats here. Drink plenty of water to replenish what you lose due to sweating but watch out for hyponatremia. Be careful when you hike as well; don't hike the inner gorge in the summer when you may get hyperthermia. If you're hiking during the winter months, make sure you bring cold weather gear, for night temperatures are cold enough to cause your core body temperature to drop below 35° C. During the day, you will surely want to get pictures of the unique variety of rocks and geological features. But be careful of those rocks; they can form rock landslides. And if there is a storm, watch out for lightning strikes or flash floods.

Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean covers more than one-third of the Earth's surface. It is filled with interesting geological features, including plateaus, ridges, trenches, and seamounts. If you decide you want to go scuba diving to see some of those, remember that water conducts body heat much faster than air of the same temperature. If you dive too deep for too long, your body temperature will drop below 35° C. You're also subject to other dangers while you're down there, including nitrogen narcosis if you stay down too long, and Caisson's disease if you ascend too rapidly. If you decide to do some deep-sea fishing, better make sure you have some protection from the sun. If you get caught adrift and experience extended exposure, your body temperatures can rise above 41° C. If night falls and you don't have warm clothes or blankets, you face a different problem—cold temperatures that put you at risk for hypothermia. And at any time of the day, you are subject to hazards that include typhoons and tidal waves. Even under normal weather conditions, ocean wave heights can easily reach eight meters, so take care or you may get mal de mer, where your brain and inner ear have a different take on just how stable the world is.

Amazon Jungle
South America
Welcome to the Amazon, the wettest area in South America. The weather is generally hot and humid throughout the year, with average temperatures ranging from 23° to 33° C. More than one-third of all the species on Earth live here. And some of those can cause you some problems. You should take care to watch out for snakes, jaguars, and piranhas, to name a few. On a smaller scale, it would be good to try to protect yourself from the mosquitoes (particularly the Anopheles that causes malaria). You might also see the poison dart frog while wandering around. It was named that for a reason—the poison it emits is so deadly the equivalent of two to three grains of table salt is likely to kill a human. Some of the less deadly dangers you face here are dehydration, diarrhea, and fungus infection. If you travel to the Amazon, it is likely you will want to see the world's largest water basin, the Amazon River. You can find the biggest freshwater fish in these waters. Called the pirarucu, this fish can weigh 250 kilograms and measure up to 2.5 meters in length. There is something else in these rivers, which while much smaller, may present a bigger problem for you. The rivers contain snails that carry a worm that cause a disease known as schistosomiasis. You will know you have it if you develop a rash or itchy skin, fever, chills, cough, and muscle aches within one to two months of infection.

Denali
Alaska, United States
You have arrived at one of the world's seven summits, the highest mountains on each of the world's continents. The National Park and Preserve that contains Denali (also known as Mt. McKinley) boasts more than 2.4 million hectares of land. First climbed in 1913, Denali is 6,194 meters high, making it the highest peak in North America. And with temperatures that can fall below -40° C in winter, it is also one of the coldest mountains in the world. This can give you a serious case of hypothermia. Despite the frigid temperatures, if you exert yourself too much you can get too hot. When this happens, your body's core temperatures can reach dangerous levels of more than 41° C. If you look around you may spot grizzly bears, wolves, and moose. Careful how close you get to any of those, however, as they could all pose some problems for you. If you decide to try to summit this mountain, be careful as you get to the higher altitudes. If you start to get a headache; lose your appetite; and feel nauseous, weak, and dizzy, you may have Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS). Other dangers here include frostbite, hypoxia, and High Altitude Pulmonary Edema (HAPE).