Q and A
Hiking in the Pyrenees
Q. I have heard of a hiking trail called G.R. 7 that traverses the Pyrenees. Where can I find information, preferably in English, to help plan a walk next summer? -- Christopher Newton, Clinton, N.J.
A. The G.R. 7 (G.R. stands for Grand Randonnee) runs 183 miles from Castelnaudary in southwestern France to Andorra in the Pyrenees. A guide, in French, is available in Paris from the Federation Francaise de la Randonnee Pedestre.) The route is covered by Topo-Guide No. 714, each 57 francs (about $11), with a map on one side and information (in French) on walking times, places to see, sleep and eat on the other.
Another Grand Randonnee that crosses the Pyrenees is G.R. 10, between Banyuls on the Mediterranean to Hendaye on the Atlantic, 434 miles. The whole route is covered by topo-guides Nos. 1086, 1087 (each 87 francs, or $17.40), 1088 and 1089 (each 78 francs, or $15.60).
Also available at the the Federation Francaise de la Randonnee are guides to the "Detours Pyreneens." These detail two- to seven-day walks that branch off of the grand randonnees in the Pyrenees. These detours appear on maps No. 013 and 014, each $17.40. The material is available from the Federation Francaise de la Randonnee Pedestre, Centre d'Information, 64 Rue de Gergovie, 75014 Paris, France, telephone (44 1) 45.45.31.02. The guides may be ordered from the United States with an international money order for the price of the maps in francs, plus 30 francs (about $6) for mailing.
The maps of the French Institut Geographique National Serie Bleue sheets, $8.60 each, cover the eastern (map No. 2249) and western (No. 2349) areas of the Pyrenees, and include the Grand Randonnees and other routes. They are sold at large bookstores and at Institut Geograph ique National, 107 Rue la Boetie, 75008 Paris, France; (33 1) 43.98.85.00, fax (33 1) 40.70.04.39.
An English-language translation of the Federation Francaise de la Randonnee Pedestre guide to G.R. 10 called "Walking the Pyrenees," from the British publisher Robertson McCarta, is available for $17.95 (plus $3.50 for shipping) from The French Walker, 145 East 22d Street, Apartment 5E, New York, N.Y. 10010; (212) 353-2022.
Another source of English translations of French guidebooks is Michael Chesler Books, Post Office Box 399, Kittredge, Colo. 80457; (800) 654-8502. Books include "Pyrenees High Level Route," by Georges Veron ($27.95), and "Pyrenees East" ($20.95) and "Pyrenees West" ($19.95), both by Arthur Battagel; all three are published by Gastons-West Col. Shipping parcel post is $2.50 for one book and 50 cents for each additional one. U.P.S. is $3.50 for one book and 50 cents for each additional one. Avoiding Seasickness
Q. What is the best location on a cruise ship to minimize the chance of getting seasick? Any other pointers? -- Helga Doessinger, College Point, Queens
A. The least motion is experienced in a cabin in the lower part of midship, according to a spokeswoman for the Cruise Line International Assocation, which represents 31 cruise lines.
Dr. Kenneth L. Koch, a gastroenterologist at Hershey Medical Center in Hershey, Pa., who specializes in the study and treatment of motion sickness, offers this additional advice to those prone to seasickness:
When on deck face forward and keep your gaze on the horizon. The sight of rolling waves or the nearby shoreline can contribute to nausea.
Eat lightly, mainly starchy meals or snacks like cereal, toast or crackers. Laboratory tests have found that a stomach doing the work of digestion is less likely to suffer the most intense symptoms. Fatty meals, which slow the stomach down, do not help.
Divert your attention with a card game, for example, or some other activity. Pilots and astronauts report little nausea when engaged in tasks requiring concentration.
If you worry that the above won't help, ask your doctor about medication. Dr. Koch says that many travelers find a scopolamine patch worn behind the ear to be effective; these work for three days. The side effects can be dry mouth, blurring of vision and some sedation, he said. Dramamine and Bonine, trade names for two types of antihistamines used to prevent motion sickeness, often cause sedation, he said. Dr. Koch said that continuous electrical stimulation of a point on the left wrist said by acupuncturists to affect nausea has helped control motion sickness. A portable stimulator is being developed, he said, and some use a wrist band with a lump that applies pressure to the point.
Finally, Dr. Koch, said, remember that if you do get seasick, it will most likely pass. Most people adapt to their new, moving environment. How long that takes varies, but for most it is within a few days. Zion and Bryce in January
Q. We were planning to visit Zion and Bryce National Parks in Utah in January but wonder whether it will be too cold. -- Dirk van Roon, New York, N.Y.
A. Temperatures in Zion Canyon itself, at 4,000 feet elevation, range from 39 to 60 in the daytime and from 15 to 37 at night. There is about two inches of precipitation in January, either as rain or snow that melts quickly. In the eastern part of the park, where elevations are 6,500 to 8,000 feet, temperatures are below freezing day and night in January, and those two inches of rain translate into two feet of snow.
At Bryce Canyon, where the elevation is 5,200 feet, the daily average high in January is 39 and the low is 9. The highest ever recorded there in January was 62 and the low was minus 30. At the rim of the canyon, snowfall averages 100 inches each winter. Whose Air Ticket Is It?
Q. I had bought a round-trip ticket on American under my son's name but my wife used it instead. When the flight was overbooked, an agent inspected her ticket. It was taken away and she had to pay a more expensive fare. Does an airline have the right to do this? -- William E. Pollak, New Brunswick, N.J.
A. According to a spokesman for American Airlines, tickets are considered a contract between the airline and the person whose name is on the ticket. Tickets are not transferable under any circumstances, he said, and you would have needed to buy a new ticket under your wife's name. He added that you would retain the value of your son's unused ticket, which could be applied toward a new flight minus a $25 service fee. The nontransferability of tickets is written into the conditions of carriage, which govern all American air tickets, according to Cornish Hitchcock, legal director of the Aviation Consumer Action Project, a consumer organization based in Washington.
Correction:  November 8, 1992, Sunday
An answer in the Q & A column on Nov. 8 about the weather in Bryce Canyon, in Utah, misstated its elevation. A letter from a reader, delayed in reaching the editors, points out that it is 8,000 feet, not 5,200.