Final answer:
A person hiking up to high altitudes may hyperventilate to increase oxygen intake due to lower oxygen levels at higher elevations, leading to hypoxia. The body compensates by producing more hemoglobin. Climbers may carry bottled oxygen to cope with the reduced oxygen availability and prevent altitude sickness.
Step-by-step explanation:
A person hiking up to high altitudes may hyperventilate in an attempt to gain more oxygen. As the altitude increases, the oxygen concentration decreases, leading to a condition called hypoxia, which is an inadequate supply of oxygen to the body. Due to the lower atmospheric pressure and lower level of oxygen at high altitudes, there is less binding of oxygen with hemoglobin in the lungs.
To adapt, the body produces more hemoglobin, but it can take about 10 days for the body to adjust the hemoglobin level in the blood. People living at higher altitudes tend to have a higher level of hemoglobin for this reason. Furthermore, mountain climbers often carry bottled oxygen to mitigate the effects of low oxygen levels and low barometric pressure, helping to reduce the symptoms of altitude sickness, such as shortness of breath and nausea.