suggestions for altitude training

[ibchez]

I started training about a year ago for a backpack hunt I will be taking this October, but I would like to try and train for the difference in altitude. I hike and hunt often in the Mark Twain national forest, moving between 300 and 1000 ft above sea level , but I have heard that backpacking at higher altitudes can be tricky. Any suggestions possible training methods to help adjust?

 

[4ester]

All you can do is get in the best possible shape and roll with it. Id try and concentrate on lungs and circulation, and do HIIT exercises quite a bit. Hiking with a weighted pack will help.

Not sure what altitude you will be hunting, but arriving early and letting your body acclimate with also help.

 

[ibchez]

Thanks for the response 4ester. From my scouting I think I will be somewhere between 8600 and 10600. I figured the weighted pack thing so about a year ago I started hiking with a pack even when taking day hikes.

 

[Tiredofthebickering]

Thanks for the response 4ester. From my scouting I think I will be somewhere between 8600 and 10600. I figured the weighted pack thing so about a year ago I started hiking with a pack even when taking day hikes.

Like Steven Rinella said on a recent podcast, "legs and lungs". Focus on cardio to increase your overall fitness capacity and do as much trail time and/or lifting/cycling/etc. as you can.

 

[4ester]

Altitude sickness is a real thing, and it effects are different on each person. There are pills out there that are said to really help. Cheap insurance vs a ruined hunt.

Dont go too high too fast. Lingering a day a 8K, one at 9K, and one at 10K will help you a lot.

 

[Deleted member 16014]

I wouldn't think about it too hard, just listen to your body when you get out there. You'll probably feel like crap for a while.

 

[Tiredofthebickering]

Altitude sickness is a real thing, and it effects are different on each person. There are pills out there that are said to really help. Cheap insurance vs a ruined hunt.

Dont go too high too fast. Lingering a day a 8K, one at 9K, and one at 10K will help you a lot.

I always struggle with this kind of advice. That's talking about adding +/- 3 days to a trip which many of us simply don't have. In reality, if you're driving to the area you'll adjust a bit on the way. Just don't hike like crazy the first day or so and most people will probably be ok.

 

[Irrelevant]

Weighted lunged while breathing through a straw.

 

[schmalts]

Just work on legs and cardio. You won't know if altitude will kick your ass until you're out there. I am no spring chicken, live at 900 feet, but did ok last year at 12000 feet. I hunted lower for a couple days and do lots of biking on hills. Works for me.

 

[devon deer]

You won't know if altitude will kick your ass until you're out there.

Never a truer word spoken, top athletes can get a wakeup call when they meet altitude (over 7,500') for the first time.
I am a flat lander, I just got myself as fit as I could for an old fart, first day was tough, but after that I was fine.
Good luck on your hunt
Cheers
Richard

 

[Oregon_Ryan]

I'll echo the other points- focus on cardio and legs. If you can get your cardio-vascular system into a well conditioned state, you should be able to acclimatize relatively quickly, but you will probably still experience mild altitude sickness if you push too high, too fast. I used to live at 5K, and I ran and hiked a lot. Even then, If I did a hike that went from 5K to 10K in a day, I'd get a mild headache until I dropped below about 8K. That being said, everyone is affected differently, so you may have a different experience than me. Dehydration can make altitude sickness worse, or hasten its onset. Stay well hydrated (pissing clear every hour or so) to help manage it as well.

If you're on your hunt, and you're feeling altitude sickness, the fastest fix is to drop in elevation. If I had a ripper of a headache while glassing, I'd probably drop down in elevation to make camp for the night, get some rest, and see how the next day went back at the higher elevation.

 

[Bigjay73]

I really like using one of these. Loaded with 8 plates, it will work your legs,shoulders, and lungs very well. If you can find a gym that has 1, 20-30 mins of pushing/pulling this thing at the end of your workout will give you the closest feeling to humping weight that I've found other than actually hitting the mountains.

 

[ibchez]

Thank you for all the thoughts. I am not too "worried" just trying to get out ahead of it a bit.

 

[Eprevost_tec]

A friend and I did a hunt in Montana this past fall. We live a 500 feet and spent most of the hunt between 6000 to 8000. The hills were tough, but we took our time. Even a short 30 second break was enough to catch our breath and give the hill another go. Never felt sick at all.

The year of prep before included loosing some weight and hitting legs and cardio really hard. I think that is ultimately what helped reduce the recovery time during the small breaks up the hill. We also spent two days driving out, and I think that was also a major benefit.

One under rated item is also hydration. Being dehydrated can also have a significant effect on your altitude sickness, especially for those of us that live in more humid environments. Drink lots and often. This will help with both lactic acid buildup during your mountain hikes, as well and prevent the altitude effects.

 

[pre6422hornet]

Water, Water, Water....

I lived in St. Louis for a few years and successfully went about 11500 for 6 days straight with no issues ( 44 years old). I walked 3-5 miles a day with 60 pounds of chains in my pack through our hilly sub, cut our .5 acre yard using a walking mower with the same pack/chains on.

I did absolutely zero cardio unless you count the walking.

I just did the same thing this fall living in Chicago and hunted at 10,000 for 6 days. I drank a ton of water before we headed up and arrived 36 hours before we left for the hills. No alcohol for the week prior.

On both trips I made sure and drank some Wilderness Athlete Hydrate and recover every night while eating dinner. Helped the muscles and never had a headache.

Back in my twenties I didn't drink much water and lived on Advil to curb headaches. Wasn't smart and looking back I probably had mild altitude sickness.

 

[blueridge]

I got hit bad with it last year. Primary reasons were 1. going too high, too hard, too early, and 2. sleeping high. Do what you can control (cardio, hydrate, start slow, sleep below 9k), but nothing is guaranteed. If it hits, nothing you can do but drop elevation.

I am curious about people’s experiences with the pills. Are they otc? Brands? Take when there or pre-load?

 

[pre6422hornet]

I got hit bad with it last year. Primary reasons were 1. going too high, too hard, too early, and 2. sleeping high. Do what you can control (cardio, hydrate, start slow, sleep below 9k), but nothing is guaranteed. If it hits, nothing you can do but drop elevation.

I am curious about people’s experiences with the pills. Are they otc? Brands? Take when there or pre-load?

Blue Ridge after my first trip to CO in 1998 I had my doctor prescribe Diamox. He was a skier who used it when he flew in for weekend trips out west to ski. Diamox is taken a day before then every day while in elevation. Worked great. 99-2002 I had no issues.

 

[CUElk]

Water, Water, Water....

I lived in St. Louis for a few years and successfully went about 11500 for 6 days straight with no issues ( 44 years old). I walked 3-5 miles a day with 60 pounds of chains in my pack through our hilly sub, cut our .5 acre yard using a walking mower with the same pack/chains on.

I did absolutely zero cardio unless you count the walking.

I just did the same thing this fall living in Chicago and hunted at 10,000 for 6 days. I drank a ton of water before we headed up and arrived 36 hours before we left for the hills. No alcohol for the week prior.

On both trips I made sure and drank some Wilderness Athlete Hydrate and recover every night while eating dinner. Helped the muscles and never had a headache.

Back in my twenties I didn't drink much water and lived on Advil to curb headaches. Wasn't smart and looking back I probably had mild altitude sickness.

good post. I had the same routine except added a little jogging. We used to fly into our area then hunt. I had some mild altitude problems then, but since we started driving, no issues at all. We arrive about 1.5 days early to set up camp and do a little scouting, then off we go. You will do fine, just be aware of what your body is telling you.

 

[OutdoorsMan67530]

Since nobody else has suggested this, put some emphasis into your core. Specifically abs and lower back. More strength and endurance is determined by your core than people think.

Also look at downhill skiing exercises. Many skiing movement's can overlay with backpacking fitness, especially balance and endurance.

 

[ibchez]

Thanks for all the thoughts. To summarize: keep training as I have been doing (weight pack hikes, cardio, yoga...etc) and hydrate hydrate hydrate. Maybe look into the altitude medicine for insurance purposes. Once again thank you for your thoughts.