I read this in my last copy of Bugle, a monthly magazine from the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. I’m not taking any credit for this. I just wanted to put this out on my blog for anyone heading for a high altitude hunt.
Don’t let altitude sickness destroy your next hunt.
Altitude sickness, a.k.a acute mountain sickness (AMS), afflicts those who try to do too much too fast at the higher elevation than they are accustomed to. When I read that nearly a quarter of Colorado ski area vacationers, two-thirds of climbers on Mount Rainier, and half the people who fly to the Khumbu region of Nepal develop altitude sickness, my back country hunting brothers were on my mind. Fact is most of us live at a much lower elevation than where we recreate. For many Bugle readers, “recreate” is synonymous with hardcore mountain elk hunting. This can put us at a disadvantage before we ever attempt our first stalk.
No one will dispute that being at high elevation is stressful to your body, and altitude sickness is most common in hunters coming out West for the first time. Understandably, you’re going to be excited and want to get up the mountain, but by gaining elevation too quickly your body is starved of oxygen. The percentage of oxygen in the blood is actually equal at both sea level and higher altitudes, but decreasing air pressure at higher elevations means you get significantly fewer oxygen molecules per breath once you go over about 8,000 feet. In response, a chain of automatic reactions begins in your body to compensate. Breathing and pulse rates increase, as does the heart’s pumping efficiency and the size and number of red blood cells, which are responsible for carrying oxygen. Until your body can adapt, however, this shortage of oxygen brings with it a number of unwanted consequences. Typical symptoms of AMS can include headache, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, fatigue, shortness of breath and trouble sleeping. It looks and feel like the flu, and most people experience symptoms in the first three days after arrival. The symptoms usually go away by the fourth day-usually halfway through your hunt! No one wants to waste precious days being sick, and you don’t have to.
COMBAT AMS
There are a few ways to fend off the altitude nasties. Before your trip, make an effort to hit the gym more often and lace up the running shoes as much as possible. Fitness at sea level doesn’t guarantee and easier when you’re at 10,000 feet, but being in good shape makes it more likely your lungs will be able to cope with the challenges of the high life. Being fit lowers your hear rate and increases your red blood cell count, similar to gaining elevation. Personally, I try to train at higher elevations as often as possible during the summer, prior to bow season. For example, each summer I head to Wyoming’s Bighorn Mountains and run an ultra marathon-a 100 mile race that takes runners on a course up to 9,000 feet. I think this really pays off for me on the hunt.
Drink water copiously and constantly, and avoid alcohol for the first few days.
Getting used to altitude, or acclimatization, helps the cells get along on a smaller oxygen budget. Given more time and a slower gain in altitude, your body will adjust and allow your to enjoy high-altitude hunting with few if any symptoms of AMS.
As a rule of thumb, experts recommend that at elevations above 5,000 feet, hunters should gain no more than 2,000 feet per day. You can climb higher as long as you descend to sleep at or below that 2,000 foot mark. In the past I’ve referred to the mountaineer’s rule, “Climb high, sleep low.” For elk hunters this can work quite well, as many times I find myself camping and sleeping lower, near water, while actually hunting elk higher on the mountain.
While ascending at a reasonable pace is always the best insurance against altitude sickness, a prescription of the drug acetazolamide (Diamox) can be helpful as a preventive treatment. But always, consult with your doctor.
Altitude Sickness Prevention Check List:
1.If traveling by air to a hunt above 8,000 feet, try to incorporate a layover of one to two days at an intermediate altitude.
2.Avoid physical exertion for the first 24 hours. This can be tough for an elk hunter after looking forward to the hunt all year. So while it might not be realistic, just be smart about it. Don’t go full bore right out the gate.
3.Drink plenty of fluids and avoid alcoholic beverages. Save the imbibing for after your successful hunt when you are off the mountain.
4.Consume a high-carbohydrate diet. Lots of granola bars, trail mix, etc.
5.When hitting the high country, ascend gradually once past 8,000 feet above sea level.
I hope you enjoyed this article and hope it might give you some good tips when planning a high altitude hunt. Thanks for reading.
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