Elevation Acclimation for Flatlander

[lbasilon85]

Hi Guys - any recommendations for a hunter living at sea level coming up to hunt 8 days at 9,000 ft elevation? We're flying in the night before and sleeping 6 hours in Denver and then heading the morning to the mountain.

Anyone ever use Diamox?
How many days until acclimated?
Hydration is key but anything else?

 

[TFAvalanche]

Viagra

Altitude Illness | Travel & Health Guide, 2019 Online Book

Altitude Sickness includes the mental and lung disorders of climbers over 8000 feet. Descent is the most reliable treatment for any type of altitude illness

www.travmed.com

.

Dex

Dexamethasone as prophylaxis for acute mountain sickness. Effect of dose level - PubMed

Rapid exposure of unacclimatized persons to high altitude causes the syndrome acute mountain sickness (AMS). Prophylactic treatment with frequent high doses of dexamethasone has been shown to prevent AMS. To determine whether lower, less frequent doses were effective in preventing AMS, 28 men...

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

 

[zion zig zag]

Eat a

There is a 3 page thread about this a click away. Maybe you should start something about grizzly bears too?

 

[SlimWhitman]

There is a 3 page thread about this a click away. Maybe you should start something about grizzly bears too?

Easy killer, you’ve been a member for 18 days. There’s ways to add value to posts without being a prick. Or you could just not post. Life’s funny like that.


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[zion zig zag]

Easy killer, you’ve been a member for 18 days. There’s ways to add value to posts without being a prick. Or you could just not post. Life’s funny like that.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

My apologies, and an appropriate call-out. The last weeks events have me edgier than normal. Taking a break!

 

[FlyGuy]

Diamox is worth every penny


You can’t cheat the mountain

 

[Packin_packout]

Unfortunately have to do this all the time. There's no Surefire way. I get in as good a shape as I can carrying a pack doing stairs at home and then a few days before start making sure I stay really hydrated. I usually use some nuun tablets to make sure I don't get out of whack on electrolytes. When you get to high altitude and start hiking you are going to start getting some water loss. It will not seem like you're getting dehydrated but you can have that happen very quickly which will aggrevate the situation.

You are not going to get acclimated it is just going to suck. Bring some Tylenol or Advil for headaches.

I don't know if you're going guided or just as a group of friends but watch each other to make sure someone doesn't start behaving stupid. I have taken multiple friends up to do fourteeners and seen all sorts of different behaviors.

Hace and hape are real. I took a girl out to do the Collegiate Peaks a few years ago and she is in phenomenal shape and she was puking her guts out at the end of the hike. I took a buddy out for a western Colorado rifle hunt and he just started getting stupid. He was slurring his speech and not making any sense. I have only seen it those two times but it was not something I want to run into again.

REI does a Wilderness First Aid Course that covers recognition and treatment of symptoms if none of you have first aid training.

I have no experience of Diamox yet I have been lucky so far and not needed it. The unfortunate thing is that you can be good nine times out of 10 and then all the sudden it just hits you.

If I remember correctly Diamox is a diuretic so you're going to be pissing Non-Stop so make sure if you take it to talk to the doctor about water intake levels.

 

[4BarN]

Strongly suggest you try to get there a couple of days earlier to at least acclimate some.


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[Samson7x]

I went on a rifle hunt 2 seasons ago and had an amazing time. Having said that, I never really acclimated. I prepared by running 2-3 miles 5x per week for the better part of a year leading up to the hunt. I took Diamox and never got sick, just gassed out really quickly for the entire trip. We were camped at 10k and hunted from 10-12k. Definitely drink lots of water and prepare for a headache or two. Whatever physical conditioning you are doing...do more.

 

[Bl704]

Only had altitude sickness once (Rmnp) , never used diamox. Hunted CO last 4 years, no issue.

YMMV, so if concerned your doctor would be best source.

I do try to overhydrate 24hrs leading up to and while in the mountains. Have some simple carbs available to snack on, even if you're eating keto. Have ibuprofen just in case and get to lower elevation if you have problems (esp a very nasty headache).

 

[Mosby]

Get there early. Diamox. Advil and lots of hyrdration starting days before you get to altitude.

Really no treatment for it but all of the above helps reduce chances of getting it. If you get it..don't wait. Leave. It won't get better until you go lower.

 

[njdoxie]

Use the search function, there's a thread from a few days ago covering all this.

 

[rayporter]

diamox screwed with me something serious.

i had to quit taking it

 

[standard_lengthy]

I came from Wisconsin, took diamox as recommended, and camped at 12000’ in Colorado. No problems. To be fair, I might have been fine without it. Be in good shape, lots of water and Tylenol pm. I remember waking up in the night and taking a big gasp of air for the first two nights. Better sleep makes the world of difference.


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[wytx]

I would sure change that flight to the day before and get an extra day in Denver to acclimate or take that extra day and go up a bit in elevation and stay the night.

Curious for you all that have experienced it, how long til you felt the altitude sickness symptoms when you got to the mountains ?

 

[WI in the west]

ive hunted at 9,000 the last two years going on three coming from Wisconsin (600ish ft). It wont be as bad as you think. id be aware of it and all the altitude sickness stuff but defiantly would not worried about it or think it will limit your hunt. keep working hard and stay motivated like you are and youll be just fine.

 

[Packin_packout]

I would sure change that flight to the day before and get an extra day in Denver to acclimate or take that extra day and go up a bit in elevation and stay the night.

Curious for you all that have experienced it, how long til you felt the altitude sickness symptoms when you got to the mountains ?

My wife typically gets it when skiing and usually starts the first night we get there and clears up within 24 hours. I took a friend up to do 14ers we spent the first night at 9 k then summited. She was good until 12K started getting headaches about three hours into the hike. She was puking by the time I got her down the mountain. Had her back in Denver later that day and she was feeling much better. Buddy I took out to Grand Junction was good for several days but then we went higher and he just start having problems that evening. I've never had anything worse than a headache and I've always pushed through it. I've taken Scout Troops of 40 or 50 kids up high and typically has less than 10% have a problem. With the dad's it seems to be 20%. It's just so variable. Only seen the two I talked about above getting really sick out of probably a hundred people from Texas that I taken out above tree line. Who gets it doesn't seem to make any sense. My wife's run over 90 half marathons and probably five or six fulls. The girl I hike with does long distance cycling pretty seriously.

 

[tdot]

Stay well hydrated and rested in the days leading up to going to elevation. Do not drink, even a single beer, it's crazy how much that can affect people.

If you get it, drop down in elevation, then slowly come back up. I've only suffered from moderate symptoms once, the folks at the lodge I was at suggested I go back to my van which was at 6000' and I stayed the night there. A couple other guys had symptoms but they didnt have the luxury of a place to stay at a lower elevation, I came back up and was active the next day and felt fine. They felt horrible for atleast another 24 hours after my symptoms passed

To be honest, all of the people I've seen get it the worst were all IronMen, triathletes, or other super fit people. This is not scientific, just something I've noticed and heard a few people mention as well.

 

[Dave0317]

Last year, I definitely got a bit of a headache above 10,000 feet. Did not give myself any time to acclimate on they way in.

I consider myself to be in decent shape and I definitely had to breathe a good bit harder to hike around the first few days.

I know your work/vacation time may not allow for it, but this year I’ll definitely have a night in CO Springs on the way in, and then about a day and a half (two nights) at hunting camp before season starts. So I’m hoping that helps.

I know there is not any scientific evidence that it actually helps, but I took the Solitude supplement because I got it on sale. I felt like it helped with the headache, though I’m sure any other supplement with some vitamins and electrolytes may have been just as helpful.

 

[njdoxie]

And here's the thread already covering all of this and more, and there's other threads that you can look up too

How do you prevent altitude sickness?

Being from MN, I never have had to deal with the mountains before. Ill be heading out west in Sept to hunt elk, and ill be pre-scouting some areas at the end of June. Any tips on how to get ready for the elevation difference? Any ways to fight it off

www.rokslide.com