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Either option is acceptable, particularly since you aren't going very high. There are rare instances where people get Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS) or worse even at relatively low altitudes, and these are more common when there is no acclimatization. However, it is very rare for such problems to suddenly arise and not be fixable (through rapid descent). Each ...

General fitness is the only technique you can employ without going to higher altitudes. Acclimatization is the most common technique. Altitude sickness occurs at 2,400 m, so you go to a base camp (for example Cuzco if you're doing the Incan trail, or the South/North Base camps for Everest) and you let your body adjust to the altitude over a few days ...

There isn't necessarily a way to prepare your body for the altitude. You should however: Be in good condition overall, i.e. able to handle at sea level more than you are planning to do at altitude. Try to spend several days at a lower altitude (like 7000 feet) doing some aerobic activity before trying to go higher. Drink more water than usual. Take ...

Sounds like a myth to me. The only thing that could possibly come into play is the pressure inside your head. But in order to hold the pressure inside your head constant, you would have to plug your ears with something air-tight, not open your mouth, et cetera. I can’t see how a beanie hat or something like that could prevent the outside and inside pressures ...

Other tidbits I've heard from local** guides: Wearing red increases your risk of being struck by lightning Burning egg shells will anger forest spirits and cause nightmares and illness The quickest way to heal a compound fracture is to wrap it with raw chicken Sticking tobacco in your socks will ward off leeches (this may have some validity). That's half ...

Find an area with a large stairway (football field bleachers work great), then power-walk/run up and down them while taking a break every few runs. Keep doing this until the trip, while increasing the number of "laps" when you think you're improving. When it starts becoming easier, pack up your backpack with your gear or simulate the weight with something ...

I think @Greg's answer is excellent, but I'd add the following. It's true that there's a delay before altitude sickness sets in - this is what makes going up to a 4000 meter peak on your second day possible. However, should conditions on the top be bad, and you end up staying up there, you are at some risk of altitude sickness. For example, if you twist your ...

To deal with low oxygen environments you need more red blood cells. To get more red blood cells you have very few options. Blood doping Low pressure chamber treatments Actually going into higher altitudes on a regular basis (I recommend this one) Make sure your diet has enough iron to support the red blood cell production. However, iron by itself is ...