DonnaR57 
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It's the Altitude!
Donna:
Great report so far; love your pictures, and all those little details that make your posts so informative!
Your horrible night and rough morning at the North Rim is almost undoubtedly a result of the altitude. You guys live at sea level, and the North Rim is almost 8300 feet. That's a huge difference--3,000 feet higher than Denver--and it takes time for the body to acclimate. It's possible that you've never had a problem with altitude in the past, but (speaking from experience), the closer one gets to qualifying for that Lifetime Senior Pass, the harder such adjustment becomes.
Here's a little info on altitude sickness; see if it doesn't sound familiar!
Altitude Sickness: What to Know
Sometimes called “mountain sickness,” altitude sickness is a group of symptoms that can strike if you walk or climb to a higher elevation, or altitude, too quickly.
Why It Happens:
The pressure of the air that surrounds you is called barometric pressure. When you go to higher altitudes, this pressure drops and there is less oxygen available.
If you live in a place that’s located at a moderately high altitude, you get used to the air pressure. But if you travel to a place at a higher altitude than you’re used to, your body will need time to adjust to the change in pressure.
Any time you go above 8,000 feet, you can be at risk for altitude sickness.
Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS) is the mildest form and it’s very common. The symptoms can feel like a hangover – dizziness, headache, muscle aches, nausea.
Symptoms usually come on within 12 to 24 hours of reaching a higher elevation and then get better within a day or two as your body adjusts to the change in altitude.
If you have a more moderate case of altitude sickness, your symptoms might feel more intense and not improve with over-the-counter medications. Instead of feeling better as time goes on, you��ll start to feel worse. You’ll have more shortness of breath and fatigue, and trouble sleeping.
Who Gets It?
Anyone can develop altitude sickness, no matter how fit, young, or healthy they are -- even Olympic athletes can get it. In fact, being physically active at a high elevation makes you more likely to get it.
Your chance of getting altitude sickness depends on a few other things: how quickly you move to a higher elevation, how high you go up, the altitude where you sleep, and other factors.
Your risk also depends on where you live and the altitude there, your age (young people are more likely to get it), and whether you’ve had altitude sickness before.
Having certain illnesses like diabetes or lung disease doesn’t automatically make you more likely to develop altitude sickness. But your genes could play a role in your body’s ability to handle higher elevations.
Treatment
If you get a headache and at least one other symptom associated with altitude sickness within a day or two of changing your elevation, you might have altitude sickness. If your symptoms are more severe, you’ll need medical attention.
Knowing the symptoms of altitude sickness will help you seek treatment early, while the condition is still mild. The most important treatment for any level of altitude sickness is to go down to a lower elevation as soon as possible while remaining safe.
If you have severe altitude sickness, you’ll need to be taken down to a lower elevation right away -- and it must be lower than 4,000 feet. You’ll have to see a doctor as soon as possible and you may need to go to the hospital! (Yikes!)
This is a good cautionary tale. Acute Mountain Sickness is indeed extremely common, and it can sneak up on the best of us!
Keep your story coming! We're all looking forward to hearing the rest of your adventures!
Rick
