Acclimatinon guidance

[JPC]

Shoot for drinking 1 gallon of water a day (not all at once obviously), eat smaller but more frequent meals of relatively healthy food, avoid caffeine and alcohol and sleep low - hunt high. There are some supplements out there that I hear work pretty well. Altitude affects people differently. I would recommend reading up on the symptoms of AMS (acute mountain sickness), HAPE (high altitude pulmonary edema) and HACE (high altitude cerebral edema). The last two are more uncommon, but entirely possible. I live at 9000 ft and am surrounded by 13 and 14k ft peaks. I also work with a mtn search and rescue team. I have seen all three of these at altitudes lower than 11000 feet. Mild symptoms can usually be worked through, but it's important to know the symptoms and your limits. I definitely don't recommend coming from 500 feet and going into the backcountry to 11 or 12k solo without some extra days to acclimate. If your hunting with a partner or group, just look out for each other and make good decisions.

 

[Rentuh01]

I am not sure if the formulas by WA or MTN OPS take advantage of it but I highly recommend a tonic mushroom called cordyceps. I live in VA and have gone from a few hundred feet above sea level out to the Sierra Nevada's, down to death valley, and up to 14,000 feet plus (Mt. Langley) within a couple of days with much less altitude sickness than I would have expected. It could be that I don't suffer as many issues as most, but I have a high affinity for cordyceps.

The correct species of the mushroom, which can be found in Paul Stammet's Host Defense cordyceps product was found growing at high altitude in the Himalaya's and cultures there have used it for centuries to assist in their efforts at higher altitudes (of course they benefit from living above 8,000 ft. their entire lives).

Anyway, not a plug but just something I had success with and will be using on my drive out to CO in September from VA.

 

[Eagle]

As an altitude sickness sufferer, I can suggest the following.

Take diamox, but don't take it as directed. Start it a week out and continue to take it until you've been at elevation for at least two days. It's a diuretic, and as such, if you wait until right before you head out on your trip, you'll end up so dehydrated you may not be able to function well due to cramping, regardless of how well you hydrate (been there done that, just trust me).

If you can, take 24 hours to acclimate to your starting elevation before heading up to where you plan to hunt. Best way to do this is to arrive at the nearest town to your trailhead, and stay there for a day eating and hydrating and seeing how you feel. If possible, an "acclimation" hike where you take a few hours to hike up as high as you can, and then back down during the 24 hours can really help you out as well.

Altitude sickness sucks, and is miserable (headache, cramps, nausea, elevated heart rate) are all things I've dealt with. The diamox alleviates all of these symptoms so long as I take it early enough to allow the diuretic effect to wear off before I head up into the mountains.

 

[slvrslngr]

Camp low, hunt high. Listen to your body. If you feel shitty, head down hill. As said already, stay hydrated. Listen to your body!

 

[sodaksooner]

We usually stay in Denver/Salida/Gunnison the first night. Avoid alcohol for the first few days and take it easy.

I had a low grade headache the first year we hunted, but I left Tulsa in the am and was camping at 10K feet that night. Didn't do anything special. Didn't know any better at the time. We had O2 as well(brother works in hospital) Headache was gone pretty quickly after a shot of that. Our hunting buddies didn't fare so well, and felt pretty bad the first few days.

I take a supplement called altitude advantage and have for the last several years. Don't know if it really works or it's just the placebo effect. Take it for a few days before and the first day or two out there. Two packs of 3 are like $12 shipped. No issues at all the last 3 years I have hunted.

Hydrate a lot!!!