by AlmostThere » Mon Aug 11, 2014 12:44 pm
Do you know how you will get back to the car if you start from Glacier Point? Or are you going to reserve a ticket one way on the tour bus? Not sure I would want to hike back up there at the end of a backpacking trip. It's either steep (four mile trail) or long (Happy Isles to Nevada Falls, to Panorama trail, back down to Ilillouette, back up to Glacier Point) to walk it. No free shuttles take you to GP.
Some people have issues with elevation. Some people have issues with fitness. Some fit people overpack their packs and go to elevation and find out that it's harder than they think. Lots of people think they can do lots of miles without realizing that trails full of granite hammer away at their bodies as they hike along with heavy packs under the higher-elevation sun that bounces back up from the granite. It all depends on how careful you are with sun protection, hydration, and your level of fitness, combined with your response to elevation, combined with how much you've backpacked before. If you just got the shoes, the backpack and the gear, you knocked your chances of doing the proposed trip without suffering to pretty low lows... if you've backpacked with the gear you're taking, have shoes you've hiked in without issues 10+ miles a day, and you know to increase water intake to appropriate levels to keep from dehydrating, you'll probably be fine. I've taken people from all ends of the spectrum - the less self aware promise they are prepared and then have issues. The folks who are a little less daring with limit-pushing do better.
Elevation issues are a concern for anyone, any time they go over 6,000 feet - I've seen people develop mild symptoms lower - it pays to be aware of the symptoms and what to do if they get serious. If you've never been to elevations higher than 7,000 - yes, absolutely, it is a concern on red peak pass and the approach to it.