More than 140 million people–and thousands of plant and animal species–live at 8000 feet above sea level, where the air is thin and extreme variations in temperature make life difficult. This book is filled with useful information–from explaining how plants have adapted to high altitude, by growing only below the permanent snow line, to detailing how llamas, guanacos, alpaca, yak, and the Himalayan Snow Leopard learned how to acclimate to this extreme environment. Also discussed are the people who live at high altitudes, as well as high altitude adventurers who ski and hike this environment.