Going out West Hunting ?

[gtk]

Just some FYI for folks traveling from the East to the West to hunt or otherwise enjoy the mountains, be it CO, WY, MT, etc.

Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate, BEFORE you head out west and during your entire stay.

You never know how the altitude will effect you. I live at 7800 ft elevation, and went camping this weekend right at 11,000 ft elevation, and got altitude sickness. I got a little dehydrated, and ruined the better part of a day with a splitting headache and puking.

I've spent long lengths of time before > 10,000 ft and didn't have any issues, but this time it hit me hard.

 

[AT Hiker]

It hit my wife for the first time this summer too.
I think most of her problems were lack of sleep, lack of food and of course lack of water.
A good electrolyte seems to allow me handle it well. Low humidity and high elevation just sucks it out of me.

 

[Hduke86]

That is true, I'm fortunate that I've never had a problem being in high altitude but my wife and kids struggle with it the first couple of days. They want to hit the ground running and exploring which I'm fine with but it's just a matter of time before I turn around and they are all miserable from altitude sickness.

 

[clwg97]

Going to Wyoming in a few weeks for mule deer. I will keep this in mind. I already plan on slamming some of the emergence C powders in the week leading up to it.

 

[bobbuck]

Never has bothered me. I have been up to 14000 a few times. Last time in CO I drank a lot of beer and gin. Felt good I guess I'm just lucky.

 

[gtk]

Never has bothered me. I have been up to 14000 a few times. Last time in CO I drank a lot of beer and gin. Felt good I guess I'm just lucky.

Get dehydrated, and chances are it will bother you . I head up in the mountains almost every weekend hiking/fishing, often 10k+ plus, and while I sometimes notice the lack of O2 if I'm hiking, its never bothered me before. I've been living out here several years, and thought I was accustomed to it.

 

[Boll Weevil]

I was in Utah the last several days and one of the highlights (for me) when visiting any destination is running in different scenery. My lungs can now attest to the perceived effort and impact to aerobic exercise that rarified air can impart! Trail running above 7000ft was quite an experience...loved it. Day 1 though yeah...very mild altitude sickness symptoms and recognized it early so took it easy.

 

[Specializedjon]

Never has bothered me. I have been up to 14000 a few times. Last time in CO I drank a lot of beer and gin. Felt good I guess I'm just lucky.

There's water in beer...that's why I'm so damn fit.

Beer & gin...ouch.

 

[UPSman]

Drink water if even if you're not thirsty. I hate water normally but when I'm west of Kansas I go through it. A couple of friends have had altitude sickness before and it wiped them out for a couple of days. Luckily I have avoided it being as physically fit as I am

 

[Boll Weevil]

Air quality from the fires and smoke is also an issue right now. Looking west the sky was a dingy brown and when everything settles at night in the big valleys your lungs can tell. For sure.

if you're hacking up gunk after a run, hike, or hunt, that might be why.

 

[megalomaniac]

Dexamethasone, celebrex, and nexium (so you don't eat a hole in your gut from the other 2) turned my first trip out west at 13000 ft of misery into feeling like superman all my other trips at elevation. I don't even take a Tylenol the rest of the year, but I love pharmaceuticals when I hunt at elevation!

 

[turk870]

Dexamethasone, celebrex, and nexium (so you don't eat a hole in your gut from the other 2) turned my first trip out west at 13000 ft of misery into feeling like superman all my other trips at elevation. I don't even take a Tylenol the rest of the year, but I love pharmaceuticals when I hunt at elevation!

I've heard of people taking diomox and also Viagra.

In 2019 we camped at 10k, first day only had loss of appetite, next day was warming up in truck before going on for the last load of elk, and felt really off took my blood pressure and it was really high, took my medication and 45 min later felt fine and blood pressure was back down. Then went in and got the last load and had no issues