Age and Elevation

[jt13]

I've hunted at 10k-12k before and never had any issues. This year, dehydration gave me altitude sickness at 8k-9k. Don't skimp on water

 

[elkfanatic]

I don't consider myself old yet, but here's what works for me . I live at 900 ft elevation. I start taking wilderness athlete altitude advantage two weeks before along with their hydrate and recover. On the trip out west I try to drink at least 1 liter of water between each fuel stop(roughly four hours). 24 hour drive straight thru. Take it easy the first day and make it a goal to drink at least two liters of water/ hydrate and recover per day. I've hunted up to 12000 ft by the second day without any elevation related effects. Only sickness I've experienced is being sick of having to pee.

 

[Bigjay73]

If you're looking for supplements scientifically guaranteed to assist with hydration, I've got 2 extremely inexpensive products for you. Number 1 is dihydrogen oxide, number 2 you would mix in SMALL amounts with number 1, it's called sodium chloride. These are pretty much the only 2 compounds that will actually hydrate, hell, it's called diHYDROgen oxide!!! Seriously do not waste your money on altitude sickness supplements, put it towards your hunt Google is your friend on this one.

 

[Hunter4Life78]

That’s when you really have to Keep Hammerin’…

I read the posts before I said it.

 

[SD_Prairie_Goat]

If you're looking for supplements scientifically guaranteed to assist with hydration, I've got 2 extremely inexpensive products for you. Number 1 is dihydrogen oxide, number 2 you would mix in SMALL amounts with number 1, it's called sodium chloride. These are pretty much the only 2 compounds that will actually hydrate, hell, it's called diHYDROgen oxide!!! Seriously do not waste your money on altitude sickness supplements, put it towards your hunt Google is your friend on this one.

Monoxide not oxide makes up the water molecule.

 

[Wildabeest]

I’ve never had issues, but my daughter does. Nausea and headaches. Dramamine seems to work best for her.

 

[hank4elk]

68, 90% lung capacity. Live at 7500'.
Lots of water and salt pills.
I just drove all day yesterday, and drank a gallon of water. Rio drank a quart.

 

[blueridge]

I get a Rx from my doc each hunt I go on above 8k. Acetazolamide 250mg. Take twice a day starting two days before you’ll be at altitude, then continue for another 3-4 days while your body acclimatizes. Google it and altitude sickness.

 

[Laelkhunter]

I get a Rx from my doc each hunt I go on above 8k. Acetazolamide 250mg. Take twice a day starting two days before you’ll be at altitude, then continue for another 3-4 days while your body acclimatizes. Google it and altitude sickness.

Lots of people have excellent results with it. One side effect is it tends to dehydrate you which is already a problem at altitude. It is even more important to drink plenty of water when taking it. If your urine is dark yellow, you are not drinking enough water.

 

[Rzrbck918]

So who do you call if the blue pill works for more than 4 hours? Limited options in most of the places I hunt.

I always have said that if I have an erection lasting longer than four hours then I am not going to be the one needing medical attention. However, my hunting buddies would probably not be appreciative.

 

[GrantK]

If you can't spend an extra day acclimatizing then Diamox is a good option, I suspect you could mimic the effect by overhydrating a bit the first couple of days at altitude. going high during the day and descending to sleep also helps.

 

[Huntnut60]

Diamox, and do not look back. I drive to 9600ft from Tx and backpack in to 11,600ft the same day. Before Diamox, always suffered from headaches and loss of appetite before Diamox. Have been on this trip 5 times on Diamox and have not had ANY problems. Why risk losing any of your valuable scouting/hunting time? If your physician says it is OK, take it.

 

[Huntnut60]

I have heard stories of hunters who have never experienced altitude sickness over 12,000ft and develop symptoms the next time at under 10,000 ft. You never know when it might be you. Take Diamox and stay hydrated.

 

[sagebrush]

At 72, I'm am a huge believer in Wilderness Athlete products. Altitude Advantage, start taking it a few days before you arrive at camp. Hydrate and Recover, my friends and I call it Hydrate and Pee Double. I also take Midnight Build to help with muscle recovery after a strenuous day of hunting. Were it not for these products, I would be stuck below 3,000 feet. Doing a solo archery elk hunt again this year.

 

[elevatorman]

Drinking water alone will not hydrate you. Your body has to have an adequate amount of sodium. NOT ionized or table salt. Real salt like celtic or himalayan. In other words if you want the water to not pass right through you but to instead hydrate your individual cells that need the water, you need to add a pinch of good salt to each glass of water or put some salt in your mouth. If there's not enough sodium in your cells the cells won't be able to pull the water in through osmosis. And headaches are caused by the membrane around the brain either stretching or compressing (dehydrated).

 

[elevatorman]

Barbara O'Neil and Gary Brecka are both great resources for knowledge of how the human body functions. I've learned alot from Barbara

 

[Mallardsx2]

Take mt ops solitude.