Out of shape flatlander, solo help

[Takeem406]

My buddy here in Western Montana takes MTN Ops Ascend. He said it works great. I think Great Falls is at about 3500. We don't have the huge elevation like Colorado does. Usually hunting at 5500-7000'. I train pretty hard (crossfit) and I work on the railroad as a laborer. So I'm no Camron Hanes but Im doing pretty good. I've noticed the past few scouting trips still leave me winded at the higher elevation. What I've noticed however being in decent shape is the day after I'm less sore than I was when I was in less shape last year. So that's a huge benefit! But I think the elevation will effect a lot of people unless your living and training at that elevation year round.


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[8Crow]

I am from NC & hunt around 11,000 feet in CO. For the past 5 years I take ibuprofen & it's worked great for me so far. Found this article you might find interesting:
Ibuprofen decreases likelihood of altitude sickness, researchers find | News Center | Stanford Medicine

I've done this on my last two hunts, ranging from ~8k - 10.5k, coming from Missouri and had basically no altitude headaches or sickness, but recently I've been reading (NIH publications and more mainstream stuff) about just how hard NSAID's are on your gut and the good bacteria you need to keep there. Most folks know alcohol+ibuprofen = bad but this stuff goes way beyond that. So even a couple months ago I would have been a huge proponent of low-dose ibuprofen (I took 200 mg/day) to stave off the altitude sickness, but anymore I think I'd look for other options.

 

[jeffpg]

I live in Mississippi at the 300 foot elevation level and have hunted in the mountains for over 10 years now. I began using baby aspirin at first but I now use Wilderness Athlete's Altitude Advantage and Hydrate and Recover as well as some of their other products with good success. There's no shortage of such products out there to help in this situation. I also take Aleve before sleeping on mountain hunts and will use the Aleve PM this year I think.

The conditioning part has only become more of a challenge as I age, and this year is exceptionally tough due to a couple of unforeseen issues. I recently had a cyst removed from the top of my foot that is very slow to heal and makes breaking in and getting accustomed to my new Lowa Camino's hard to do. Much worse is the fact that a couple of weeks ago I took a fall on a offshore fishing boat that fractured my tailbone, making serious workouts pretty much impossible for a while. I am gradually beginning to get back in the groove, but it's a slow process. At the age of 55, I am a pretty fit and healthy clean eater and I'm getting even more serious with my diet and just doing as much as I can with conditioning.

I have a great bull elk tag in NW Wyoming and will go in early to mid September for archery with the plan to stay for October rifle if necessary. I have gathered some super good info for the hunt and I do have a hunting partner who's younger and in great shape so that's a plus. We have horses lined up and I can only hope that my tender rear end will be ready for that in a couple of months from now.

 

[Hike2hunt]

You have to acclimatize to your new area. From my mountaineer days here is a scenario I used in Colorado a few years back: Day 2, arrived in colorado at trailhead 7600feet, hiked up a 1000 feet or so, glassed until dark, came down, slept by truck, next morning good hydration, good food, took my spike camp with me, hiked up to 1000 or more, to the ridge I was camping at, dropped off my camp essentials, pushed up another 600 feet or so, to a higher ridge/basin glassed all day, at dusk/dark, came down to camp, slept at camp, did this again the next day to another basin which was higher. by day 4 (opening day) I was running the ridges with no problem.

Things to keep in mind:
- I build time into the front of my hunt to acclimatize.
- Need a good water source, so a good map study is a must.
- Good hydrations and good food fuel the machine.
- Working out is a matter of time management, I just get up a little earlier, and HIT cards (high intensity training) do well when you think you have no time. Example being a card that has push up, squats, planks, in place running, jumping jacks, can't hurt. Every little bit counts.