HUNTING AT 9000 TO 120000 FT
Elk
WHATS THE BEST WAY TO GET READY FOR A ELK HUNT AT HIGH ALTITUDE BEING A FLAT LANDER?
sorry suppose to 12000 ft.
You'll never be in better shape than the elk, though you want to be able to handle it. Exercise as much as you can and allow your body time to acclimate before going all out at high altitude.
I spoke to a photo-journalist guy at an airport one day and he was heading into the high mountains to film some hunts. He used a treadmill and one of those air restricting masks to simulate the altitude to prepare. No idea if it worked for him or not. I have a feeling regardless how good of shape you are in, 12k will kick your butt regardless.
Acclimate, acclimate, acclimate.
What everyone else said.....acclimate. I will also say to go slow your first couple days and let your body adjust. I've pushed it on first days before and really paid for it.
If you are training, I would strongly suggest a combination of both aerobic and anaerobic exercise and mixing both in the same work out session. I find that such a combination best matches hunting.
The altitude will be an issue no matter what. Hydrate and Hydrate and Hydrate some more. As other have mentioned, give your body time to acclimate. Start your hunt easy and work up to longer hunts. Many people hit it really hard the first day and then struggle in later days.
Thats what i herd. we will be at the ranch 1 day before our hunt starts.
Hydration is very important. Try to get out here a few days early if you can, to acclimate. Stay away from alcohol.
I am 55 and live at 800' AGL. I have had great luck by climbing mountains with a 60# Pack 3x week (Live in the Shenandoah valley, we have steep, just not high), circuits with resistance (currently a total gym), and Yoga. Combine with a paleo diet to lose as much weight without losing muscle. Drink as much water as you can on the way out and take ibuprofen and vitamin e. Last year I drove straight out and up to 13,200 within 12 hours. Mild altitude issues at first, but lots of people in the first spot, movd to another area at 9500 and got in and stayed in elk, killed a big cow in day five and no problem carrying out. If you live in flat areas do stairs/mow your lawn while carrying weight. The hiking, weights, and yoga give you the strength, lungs, legs, and balance/flexibility that are all essential in mountain hunts.
My best bud, who is now 60, and I, who am now 57, have a favorite area in Colorado that we still hunt, pretty much every other year for deer and elk. We camp at 11,800 feet. These mountains top out at around 13,000 feet.
I live an "in shape" lifestyle. Eat clean and 4 days a week in the gym doing meaningful strength and cardio training. It definitely helps.
Did I mention that we live in Oklahoma? 750 feet of elevation.
What these guys have said is absolutely correct. Although, in my opinion, physical conditioning is very important,but, acclimation is much more so. If you can get up there and spend a day at a lower elevation, it will help a lot. Then, like others said, hydrate, hydrate, hydrate- before and during the hunt. Take is easy the first day or so.
None of this guarantees that you will not get altitude sickness, but it sure helps. If you go often enough, you will experience it, at some time.
The beauty of the mountains along with the opportunity to bowhunt alpine mule deer and elk make it all worthwhile!
Exercise and diet as other have said. There is no such thing as being in "too good of shape".
Also, consider taking Diamox to help your body acclimate to high altitude. I wouldn't bother if you're going to 9,000. But I'd strongly consider it if you're going to 12,000 with only one day to acclimate.
Diamox requires a prescription so ask a doctor.
A better idea would be to acclimate for 2-3 days starting at 5-6,000 and then progressing up, especially if this is your first time to high elevation.
Register, train for and complete this event: http://www.pikespeakmarathon.org/Registration.shtml You'll have 10 days of recovery time before Sept. 1st :)
Put your pack on, hike to the grocery store, go to the produce section and get yourself one of those clear plastic produce bags. Open it up and put it over your head, then hike home wearing it, might want to grab a couple extras while you're there! Lot lot cheaper than those air restricting masks that JFP mentioned. Other than that listen to what the other guys said!
Elkstabber x's 100. Fitness is important, but altitude sickness can affect the most seasoned athlete in the world. It takes time to acclimatize and that is the best way to avoid complications. If you get altitude sickness, DESCEND IMMEDIATELY.
Good advice by several others. Stay away from all alcohol is probably the second best advice.
Hiking hills with serious weight at lower altitude provides a decent correlation to high altitude with lower weight. It takes me about 3 days to feel good about going full on at 9,000 plus anyway. If you can sleep high the night before you start hunting it will begin the acclimation then. On the hunt try to vary hard/easy days, at least you know how your body feels on the third day. If you're pissing bright yellow you aren't getting enough liquid. Be honest with how you feet - if you are getting a major headache and having difficulty breathing/moving, get lower by at least 2,000 feet asap - it could save your life.
Hey goat, funny but not about the plastic bag over the head - kids kill themselves doing that.
Thanks for the advice. i just dont want to be the guy whos sick all week. i want to be able to have fun and enjoy the hunt.
Don't drink alchohol... Seriously.
Water, water, and more water. Force it down your throat and Advil 3 times a day.
i wouldnt drink alcohol at all while i am hunting. or during the time im there.
Try and stay a night at slightly lower altitude. Drink a lot of fluids(water) on the way out, and during the hunt. Don't go crazy the first day.
I take a little supplement called altitude advantage. Maybe just a placebo but they are really cheap, and my slight symptoms have decreased since I started taking it. It is like one or two the day you leave and another the first day at altitude.
Some years I have felt marginal the first day, some years I have felt great. I try and follow the same protocol every year.
That said usually after the first day I am good, although you will still notice the lack of oxygen.
Highest we have been was 12,300 or so.
Later in the week if we are in camp I will allow myself a couple of beers, but never get really crazy.
I live in OK at 750 feet too. I do a lot of hill repeats(short hills) with a weighted pack as well.
the cabin we are staying in is at 8500 ft. and we will be hunting between that and 12000 ft.
Altitude masks have been proven to be worthless. It's been studied.
Just get in the best shape that you can.
Personally, I start hydrating like crazy on the way up the mountain (lots of pee stops). I also take an Aleve. No alcohol the night before...keep it clean.
That being said, it takes me about a day to acclimate (I hunt between 10,500 and 8000 feet in a day).
Like an outfitter buddy of mine used to say "why you working so hard to breathe...there's no oxygen up here anyway".
Best of Luck, Jeff
After living many years in Leadville at 10,200', I have to say that you never really acclimate to the higher elevations. I hunt and hike up to 14,000' and it always seemed like it was almost an exponential effect.
It still hits hard the higher you go. Hunted deer at over 16,000' in Peru and it was unbelievably difficult.
My last sheep tag up in high elevation in CO, I think I dropped over 30 pounds through the summer hiking and scouting and hunting season. Keep in mind that every pound you lose is a pound you don't have to pack...
Best you can do is like others have said - get in good shape and drink lots of water.
Get there a week before your hunt starts and just hang for a few days then start walking around a little
Exercise, hydrate, and acclimate.
I did lots of training with running, stair master, and Jacobs ladder...the latter two helped with slopes
You can buy a airflow restrictor mask that will act like at different altitudes for working out, just seen one in Dunham's Sports; my nephew uses one when working out also.
I do that about every year. going from sea level to camping over 10,000'
Everyone is different so its best to know the symptoms and solutions of altitude sickness.
I take a couple antacids and aspirin for the first few days with lots of water and don't have too much of a problem....but it doesn't work for everybody.
We do not know what shape you are currently in or what shape you keep yourself in. Is overweight an issue? Smoker?
It is all about legs and lungs and then the willingness to get it accomplished before the trip starts. Run, jog, speed walk every day and build up for the trip. Wear your hunting boots and carry a backpack with a couple of gal jugs of water in it.
25 years ago, I drove out from Ohio, (flatlander) and hunted around 10,500 ft in the Flat Tops wilderness area at the age of 51. Took me a few days to prepare and get use to the higher elevation but after that, no issues. I had done everything I suggested.
Nothing will ruin an elk hunt like not being able to perform when needed and to the last minute of the hunt.
My best, Paul
I've guided and been with a lot of people who come from very low altitude to the high mountains. AMS affects everyone differently, because we have so many physiological differences.
Three guys from the same town may have no ill effects, while the fourth guy may be crying (yes, really) and vomiting with a splitting headache. One guy from Florida had a Grand Mal seizure at 10.5 and he's never had one before or since. His wife was just fine. You won't know until you know. Good advice from all above.
If you really are concerned and have never been to altitude before, ask your doctor about a prescription for Diamox. Then get in the best possible shape because you'll need it whether you are afflicted or not.
jjs,
Those airflow masks are not doing what you think they are doing. Save yourself some money and just run some hills.
Training at altitude is different than a mask because your body is taking in less oxygen per liter of air you breathe in. A mask simply makes it harder to get air in, which you can accomplish for free by running up a hill at an anaerobic level.
True altitude conditioning actually takes place when you live at altitude and your body makes physiological changes to adapt to the lower oxygen content.
My suggestions are.....
Get lungs and quads in good shape.
Do not run or jog to get in shape for elk hunting. You don't run when elk hunting. Running just dramatically increases your chances of hurting your knees. If that happens your hunt will never begin.
Use the big stair stepper type machine. It is just like climbing a mountain with zero strain on your knees. It isolates your quads and lungs, which is what will get you there and back when it counts in the mountains.
Drink a whole lotta water. Drink more than you thought would ever be necessary and begin before you ever leave the flat ground.
Get to the mountains at least 1.5 days early in order to acclimate. That is extremely important to avoiding potentially serious health conditions.
That is advice is coming from very much South Alabama.
We used to hunt for a week at 4000' and then hit 9000-11000 for the next week. If this is a once in a lifetime hunt for you, get out there early.
Sapcut is right on everything except the running. Unless you have a pre-existing injury, running will strengthen your knees and is a great way to get/stay in shape. If you are not a runner and want to start,see a doc first.
If you are overweight, lose it. If you are in good shape, get in great shape. Or, go with out of shape people and be ahead of them.
Have fun!
Im not in bad shape but not in great shape weight isnt a problem. i was at about 7000 f. a few years ago and and had a problem with digesting food. so im just wanting to make sure i try everything i can to have a great hunt.
Anything you that affects you at 7,000 will affect you 4 times more at 11,000.
There are two issues here: physical conditioning and altitude adjustment.
Physical conditioning is something you have to do way in advance of your trip.
Altitude adjustment can only be accomplished in the couple of days before your hunt. Altitude sickness is rare but it can kill. A friend of mine had to be rescued by helicopter in southern CO two years ago due to altitude sickness.
It wasnt real bad but just enough to be uncomfortable. breathing and stuff didnt bother me but i know being even higher can add to the things that can go wrong.
Just be prepared to do lots of hiking, where you are going. I have stayed at the same ranch you are going to. Hiking, hiking and more hiking!!!!
What the heck are you hunting at 120,000 feet?!
"After living many years in Leadville at 10,200', I have to say that you never really acclimate to the higher elevations. I hunt and hike up to 14,000' and it always seemed like it was almost an exponential effect."
"Anything you that affects you at 7,000 will affect you 4 times more at 11,000."
TRUE DAT.
When I was in my early 30s I lived half time in Denver and half in Summit County, so about 4 nights a week I slept at 8500. I was teaching skiing (Masters' Bumps), hitting the gym, biking a good 150 miles a week - a lot of it on Elk trails - and my resting heart rate in Denver was right around 40 BPM. Had the aerobic, the anaerobic, the strength... Honestly, I was in better shape than just about anybody outside a special forces unit.... I'd love to be in shape like that again, but I'm not sure my body would take it!
And with all that for context.... On the mountain bike, above about 11.2, I could usually ride about 50-100 yards of moderate grade without having to stop and get some air. It's not just feeling "out of breath".... It's a matter of just feeling like you have nothing at all left in the tank.
So my best advice....
Get out and do something - ANYTHING - where you can push yourself to the point where you can just barely keep up with your oxygen demand while breathing with your mouth shut. Walk faster or jog or bike or whatever you have to do to stay right at that threshold and see how far you can get in a half hour or an hour a day. Get some kind of a pack, and if you lose a pound, add one to your pack. Pound and a half would be better.
The crazy thing about keeping your mouth shut is how fast you will build capacity at that level of output. Feels like you're not doing anything, which is why you have to keep track of your time or distance or whatever.
And I'd agree with getting out there - or close to it - as many days in advance as you can. I'd also agree with starting out slow so you can build some capacity during your trip. Sprint out of the gate on that first burst of adrenaline and when the chips are down at the end of the hunt... You'll fold. You don't want that!!
Like somebody said - you'll never be in the same kind of shape as the Elk. So don't think in terms of keeping UP with them, just stay focused on being able to KEEP AFTER THEM for as many days as you have to hunt.
And yeah.... Hydration is really important; alcohol is not your friend - the USN tells the helo pilots that at 10k, you've already had your first drink - and you'll need as much sleep as you can get. The other odd thing about altitude is that you don't feel hungry enough to replace all the calories that you're burning; losing a little weight on a hunt is probably thought of as a bonus for a lot of people.... but if your energy stores are depleted, those wily Wapiti are going to kick your arse!
Fuzzy haha... to many zeros....
Diamox has helped me for the first few days of acclimation. After that I stop taking it because the side effect of tingling fingers and toes is annoying.
This plus lots of water and pre hunt conditioning and I have not had any issues camping at 10k and hunting up to 12k.
Don't drink anything carbonated including beer on Diamox it all tastes like crap.
ok i dont plan on drinking any pop or beer mainly water or gatorade stuff to stay hydtrated.
Why would you keep your mouth shut? All that is going to do is limit your physical output. You should be trying to maximize your physical output so you get the most benefit in terms of cardio and strength.
Go ask how many guys from the Leadville 100 train with their mouth shut. You won't find many, and many of them live and train at low altitude.
As has been stated several times, altitude can affect a person that is in excellent shape and may not affect one that isn't in the best of shape. I hunt in Wyoming every year at about 6500-7000' and can hunt all day every day with no problem and I'm 68 and in very good shape for my age (5'10", 160#, and a 34" waist). However, two years ago I tried to help a guy at 8500' on an elk hunt and had to go lower after the first day because I just couldn't hack it. Last year I went to the same area to help another guy on his elk hunt and it took me 4 days before I felt like doing much of anything. After that I was fine there and then again at over 9000' on a deer hunt of my own. The guy I was with was from Ohio and wasn't in the best of shape, but went all over with no problem whatsoever from the minute we got there for the entire two week hunt.
I been doing some workouts walking hiking running.
6-7 years ago I did get Altitude sickness & it wasn't any fun! Thought I was going to die at 11,000' -- I'd never had it in the past & I live at 5100' -- You never know. Went up again a few years ago but this time took an Altitude Tablet from Wilderness Athlete a few days prior & a few days after, it worked great & had no issues!
I drew WY this year so will be taking it again. I'm stubborn though, I will still have a beer or two in the evenings! (grin)
Be prepared but focus on your elk hunt & don't be overly concerned about getting sick or it can rob much of the enjoyment & challenges that will come your way during your elk hunt! Good luck to you!
ElkNut1
i herd that the wilderness athlete stuff was pretty good. how does it compare to taking the diamox from a dr.?
I've not used Diamox myself. You need a prescription for it with Wilderness Athlete you do not! Sounds to me like they both work, I'll stay with the Wilderness one personally! Not everyone gets sick, odds are you're young & you'll do fine with either or none. Best to be prepared though! Get out there & have fun!
ElkNut1
I would talk to your doc about the Diamox. As someone said above, there is a heck of a difference between 11k and 14k feet, and altitude sickness is no joke. A friend of mine gets it every we time we climb above 10k feet. I live at 2300ft, and don't have any issues with it at all. It's impossible to predict how your body will react.
OK, I have to ask, what is a doctor going to tell you? He cannot predict altitude sickness? He will most likely tell you not to take a chance on it. He will either prescribe you Diamox or a similar remedy to avoid altitude sickness. Sort of what's being mentioned here with no fees! (grin)
I agree, it's no joke but no need to be obsessed with it either, that in itself can do more harm than good, the brain is a powerful thing! Take the Altitude Prevention tablets as directed & your mind will be at ease, no doctor visit needed. Just my .02! (grin)
ElkNut1
thanks elknut1. i live in ohio the elevation here is 1300 ft. i went to the smokeys a few years ago at clingmans dome which is close to 6500 ft. i didnt get sick but had the trouble of digesting food a little bit.nothing that required dr. att. but just alittle uncomfortable.
Problem for myself (and many others) is a very limited number of days per year off work for elk/deer/hog hunting, not to mention family time, and 28 hours on each end riding down the highway in a truck to/from the rockies makes the acclimation COA problematic. I long for the day when that is no longer true. My middle daughter is in Ft Collins, so a couple days visiting her would be nice, but that makes a 5 day hunt a 2 day hunt.
A friend of mine that lived in Ft. Colins told me to walk hard and run. Drink lots of water and take asprin about 24-48 hrs before you get into the mountains. An like many have said, take it slow for the first day or so. A headache at that height can be a pain in the butt. Another thing, is get there around noon time. Take your time setting up your camp. The moving around you do will help adjust your body to the altitude. Then get a good night sleep. Then take it easy for the first few days.
Best advice I've come across, get it in your mind right now to make it happen. Keep it in your mind to make it happen! Start now on the work outs!! At the same time train to push yourself through the hard stuff. Mental toughness and a good physical foundation will carry you far. No excuses!!
Taking Diamox is not the same as taking Wilderness Athlete Altitude Advantage.
Diamox is Acetazolamide which is a proven AMS prevention.
The Wilderness Athlete stuff is a bunch of root and fruit extracts.
If you were having trouble digesting food at 7k feet I would get the Diamox.
It's not a linear difference between 7k and 14k feet. There is no reason to chance it and then wish later you had taken more precautions.
YMMV.
JLS. yea i know. i prolly will get some diamox to be safe but breathing was no problem. plus it prolly didnt help i was eating all the wrong stuff while i was there and not much water intake. im pretty excited though for me its a hunt of a lifetime. not many chances to go elk hunting when you live 27 hours away from where you are going hunting for 9 days plus with a family and a job i have 9 days to get it done.
boris- we are staying in a cabin so not much setting up to do but we thought first day we are there we will try to get acclimated and maybe just drive up and glass for the day nothing to ruff just take it easy so so dont ware ourselves out or over do it and the first few hunting days just kinda find good spots and work them but try not to get in to tuff terrain so we dont kill over...lol.
Altitude sickness doesn't always manifest itself simply through shortness of breath. Loss of appetite, nausea, dizziness, headache, fatigue are some typical signs.
Elknut,
You're going to have a pretty hard time getting an RX for Diamox without talking to the doc, no? I doubt he'll get the RX off of Bowsite.
JLS, LOL! You got me there! (grin) It's interesting the things you mentioned about issues that one can have with altitude sickness, my issues were none of those. No doubt we can vary with the sickness. What I do know is the Wilderness Athlete really helped a bunch on my next trip out.
Buckeyebuck01, can you be more specific as to what you mean by not being able to digest food? Were you throwing up? How many days did it happen? Thanks!
ElkNut1
i know it has alot of different things that can affect you related to ams. i just know the headache with the shortness of breath is the most common of them that people experience.
I get a prescription for Diamox anytime I am hunting over 10K. My personal decision. For the cost of $20 office visit and $4 for generic Diamox, it is cheap insurance for me.
Like Jason said, Diamox won't help breathing. Also Diamox is a preventative measure. You need to start taking it 2 days before you reach altitude. If you reach altitude and have issues, Diamox isn't the fix. Dropping in altitude is the fix. (my hunting time is too valuable to vacation/recover at lower elevation)
Back on original comment. I cannot add more than others have stated. Get yourself in the best shape possible. Control the things you can, prepare to deal with the things you cannot control. No one has ever been in too good of shape to elk hunt. But plenty have not been in good enough shape to enjoy their hunt.
A study done by researchers at Stanford found that taking 600 mg of ibuprofen three times a day, beginning before you start gaining elevation, had a significant effect on AMS prevention, compared to the placebo group. Researchers believe AMS causes brain swelling, which the NSAID reduces. It has none of the possible side effects of Diamox.
Google "altitude sickness ibuprophin" to read more about it.
Something that helped me last year was walking lunges. My doc, a sports med guy, recommended it. It really helped when hiking downhill. My knees aren't that great any more and this exercise helps strengthen the muscles that stabilize the knees, in addition to the quads. Tons of great advice on this thread, but I didn't see the walking lunges mentioned. So I just wanted to share because they really helped me.
Ok thanks i will check that out.
No doubt exercising will do wonders for ones elk hunt, I'm all in on those thoughts! (grin) Only thing I'd say is exercising does little for having Altitude Sickness, at least for me anyway. I've been a workout guy most of my life & the issue I had was something exercising would not have helped. Acclimation is key here whether through days ahead of time getting used to the areas elevation or meds or whatever to combat the issue.
I looked into the Ibuprofen study, it had a 26% success rate for individuals, this means 74% still had issues, not very good odds there! I had no issues with the Wilderness Athlete tablets & I know of quite a few other hunters who've used them as well with good success. Is there any out there who tried it without success?
ElkNut1
100% of the flatlanders I've guided, hunted with, fished and backpacked with who didnt have any problems with AMS also didn't take the WA supplements.
I will add that I have nothing against WA or their products and have used them before I figured out I could buy the same stuff at the grocery. They are very good at packaging and niche-marketing off-the-shelf products, drink mixes and supplement mixes and marking them up 2-3X. Good for them.
Altitude Advantage may work, may not, at $32 a bottle. The only evidence is anecdotal. Diamox does work, proven, and it's $4 as Z pointed out.
Lou, my only point is it had a very low success rate in the article you recommended to check out. Not saying not to take Diamox or Ibuprofen, a hunter should use what he feels most confidence in. Price is irrelevant if it works! For those of us that have had altitude sickness we not debate that for a second!
ElkNut1
Hmmm, what is the success rate of the WA product in a controlled, blind placebo study of people immediately taken from low to high altitude with no acclimation?
If you believe something works, by all means use it. Belief in an outcome is a powerful placebo. Leeches might work, too, if somebody marketed them for that purpose. Extreme Hunter Altitude Leeches.
Very true, as I said earlier the brain is a powerful thing, if you believe it can happen but the opposite is true! Let's say the WA & the Ibuprofen combined! I would honestly say I would do both this year! Anything but Diamox & its after effects that differ per individual (grin.
ElkNut1
I was at a medical conference 3 years ago and one of the topics was HASE/HAPE. The doctor presenting had ran the Leadville 100 recently and had been part of their medical team on other occasions. They have found that there is no statisticAL value for acclimatization. It appears that people are prone to some sort of AMS or they're not and spending time at near altitude doesn't change that.
Also, they've found that you can drink too much water and that over hydration can cause serious issues of its own at altitude. Best thing is to keep water with you at all times and to drink it when you are starting to get thirsty.
I would recommend you do cardio exercise though. That will improve your body's oxygen efficiency and that will make your time here easier to endure.
I will take the minor side affects of Diamox as a proven prevention over WA which is a $30 placebo IMO. Kinda like the difference between Viagra and Horny Goat Weed.
I get a physical every year as part of my wellness program and the doc writes me a script. One bottle lasts me 3 years. I start taking it 2 days before heading west and for 3 days after I get there. I don't even get headaches any more and I've gone from Iowa to camp at over 11K in less than 24 hrs.
One other thing to consider in CO is allergies. You may not have them at home but we have some mountain plants that pollinate in September than can drive people nuts.
Lots of folks from elsewhere get "colds" during their hunts here. I see it all the time. Some fall pollinators like sage, which grows up past 9K in some places, can produce headaches, loss of energy, disorientation, almost flu-like symptoms. Sage pollen travels a looong way in the wind. An inexpensive bottle of generic Loratidine or similar can turn a whole hunt around if you are stricken. Learned that lesson many years ago.
one good thing is that i dont have allergies at all.
About 10 years ago I suffered a hockey injury [concussion]. Now after that amount of time I realized that my right sinus cavity was damaged at that time.
I have been using a Breathe-Rite strip with great results. Thats been helping until I see an ENT on the 20th of this month to see whats really going on.
I know I will be using a Breathe-rite strip this fall when elk hunting for sure. Gotta get all the air you can!
Plus you can smell the elk better
Lou, I don't have any allergies at all...when I'm home. I don't know what it is I'm allergic to at the higher altitudes, but I will be stuffed up, sneezing, and watery eyes like crazy. I thought maybe it was the sage but I have no problems when hunting pronghorn in the sage. Thought maybe it was something to do with the pines?
Pines typically pollenate in summer. Where I live everything turns yellow with collected pollen and when the wind blows its like yellow smoke blowing down the valley. There are some small composite flowers at high altitude that seem to affect me in September. I forgot the name but that's all I can figure.
Mold is also common at high elevations because the snow hasn't been melted very long. Could very likely be that. Mold allergy can produce symptoms similar to AMS.
Buckeye, you may not have allergies where you live, like midwest, but that doesn't mean you won't have allergies elsewhere to something you aren't resistant to. Also, allergies tend to run in 7 year cycles according to my ENT, which is why people "outgrow" allergies and may develop them at a later age.
I always take some Allegra, and also some children's chewable Benadryl for any acute reactions that need immediate attention.
Certainly wouldn't hurt to take some allergy meds, the sagebrush and rabbitbrush can be brutal in September.
Good on the Benadryl. I seem to always get stung by a yellowjacket or two when processing an elk. Little buggers think they own the carcass.
For what its worth (since this has become an altitude sickness debate), I hunt with some flatlanders most every year and all they do to prepare, aside from getting in shape, is drink a TON of water. We hit the woods the minute they get into camp and hunt as hard as anybody. No drugs or supplements necc
Buckeye, if you do all the prep things mentioned and you still get AMS, maybe God just doesn't want you to hike at that high an altitude. If you don't do the prep and you get hammered, you'll never know if it was you intrinsically or just one or more missing preparation elements. Remember the old saying, the harder I work and the better I prepare the luckier I get.
Oh, and thirst is not a good indicator of dehydration, particularly as we get older. Color of urine is the best I've found (as close to color-free as possible).
One thing I notice about your situation is that you could be changing elevation as much as 3500' a day. That hastens AMS. Making a change of more than 2000' or higher a day is risky. Going from 9000' to 12000' has as much or more affect as going from 0' to 9000'.
I understand that AMS happens when you hyperventilate too much too soon in your hunt at high elevation. Because there is less oxygen your body hyperventilates when you do simple tasks, even camp chores if done all day. This causes you to off gas CO2 at a more rapid rate than normal, and adds up to a cumulative effect, which in turn eventually changes the ph of your blood. Then your body tries to counter act that and poisons itself by producing harmful chemicals by your kidneys which harms the nervous system. Staying hydrated dilutes your blood and reduces this effect by flushing I guess. Many believe that the antacids helps by keeping the ph level good. Diamox is believed to prevent your kidneys from producing the bad chemicals even if the ph is off. This makes diamox good for when you know you will be active immediately, like snow skiing or elk hunting without time to acclimate. It works but I get numbness and buzzing in the ears. In silence it sounds like I can hear a gas powered leaf blower a half mile away, literally.
After a couple days you don't need anything.
I thought a tough mudder would be good preparation one year. I kept up fitness all summer with my hunting partner and completed the 10.5 miles in august.
As it turned out, every day on the mountain was tougher than the mud race... but it was fun... once.
Yea i ran in a 5k plan on doing a few more this summer to help with cardio and alot of walking.
Some good advice here from the veterans. My own experience is coming from 920 Ft elevation and hunting often from 8-11k feet. My recommendations: 1. Acclimate. Show up 3 days early at 7-8k feet and relax for a couple days driving around. Can't be overstated, the mountain climbers of the world do it for a reason. Hike high, sleep low. Anything over 8000 feet take a couple days for every 1500 ft in elevation. 2. Be in shape. This advice is debated by many, but it can't hurt. 3. Be reasonable in your alcohol and coffee consumption. I give this advice but don't always take it; ) 4. Enjoy your hunt. You will most likely be fine. In the event you have a pre-existing medical issue, especially asthma, emphesema, or any breathing issue, be cautious if you are not feeling well. Listen to your body. 5. See your doctor prior. If you are REALLY concerned, bring Diamox (never used it) it is supposed to work well. I'd personally avoid altitude related herbal medicines, but they may work great.
Drop 10 lbs if you've got that much extra weight.
