Question for Easterners who have Ventured West!!

[rgroves79]

I'm from northern VA and did my first trip this year. You can prepare your legs in KY but not your lungs. I never felt short of breath per se but you definitely notice the air is thinner. The lack of humidity is also a big change from the east but a welcome one in my opinion. My major mistake was not getting well hydrated before the trip and it cost me after the hike in. Bad cramps at night for 2 days. Everyone handles the altitude differently but you'll most likely be fine. It wasn't as bad as I imagined it would be but I'll definitely be in better shape next time. A word of caution though....once you go west and hear that first bugle you'll be hooked.

 

[LaHunter]

Get in the best physical condition that you can get in. Since you are already exercising 4-5 days/week, you probably have a good foundation. You need to do strength training of the lower body along with fairly high intensity cardio/endurance training. Heavy pack training (70ish lbs) 1 day / week starting in mid summer, along with my normal training, makes a huge difference for me. The better condition you are in will allow you to hunt harder and give you a better chance of getting into the animals and also just enjoying your hunt. I train hard and suffer during my training so I don't have to suffer too bad during my hunt and I can enjoy my time in the mountains more.
Pacing yourself early in your trip and finding your stride will prevent burning out and having a miserable time.
I swear by Wilderness Athlete Hydrate and Recover. It works for me. This along with Ibuprofen throughout the day, every day while at elevation, helps keep headaches and fatigue away. I also use the W.A. Altitude Advantage.
Pay attention to your fluid intake. I will drink 1.5-2.0 gallons / day while at elevation and pushing myself. Stay ahead of the hydration game. Hard to play catch up if you get behind.
No alcohol for me at elevation.
Go at your own pace and remember slow and steady will get you where you want to go.

 

[ramont]

Sorry Dr. Google. We had VERY minor altitude sickness which I wouldn't attribute to altitude. I attributed the headaches to physical fatigue, lack of sleep, and a muscle knot in my shoulder from packing 60 pounds of gear in 4 miles. I experienced the same symptoms in Iraq from humping all day with the same amount of gear. Was that altitude sickness as well? Doubtful at 700' above sea level.


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Seriously? How stupid can you possibly be? You even admit that you had altitude sickness and then say it wasn't altitude sickness???? I never said I was a Dr. but at least I'm smart enough to realize that having the same symptoms at low altitude doesn't prove that you didn't have altitude sickness at high altitude. I spent my time in the sandbox too and I had my share of headaches and sore muscles but I've never had symptoms of altitude sickness in the mountains and I've spent time at altitudes as high as 12,600 feet, it's pretty obvious that there is no relationship between the two places.

I think that the only difference in hiking conditions is that the altitude out west will reduce your oxygen levels (which makes your muscles less capable), you'll dehydrate quicker out west, and you'll get sunburned easier. In general the mountains back east have more vegetation compared to the Rocky Mountains, the western mountains have more bare rock. You don't really need muscle mass to hunt out west, you need stamina so endurance training is more important than any other kind of training. Fat reduction is good too since it will reduce the weight that you have to carry. I lost about 35 pounds this year before hunting season and it's made it far easier for me to climb the slopes.

 

[IdahoElk]

Sorry Dr. Google. We had VERY minor altitude sickness which I wouldn't attribute to altitude. I attributed the headaches to physical fatigue, lack of sleep, and a muscle knot in my shoulder from packing 60 pounds of gear in 4 miles. I experienced the same symptoms in Iraq from humping all day with the same amount of gear. Was that altitude sickness as well? Doubtful at 700' above sea level.


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Sounds like you were dehydrated/mineral deficient.

 

[William Hanson (live2hunt)]

Embrace the suck and get after it. I puked my way up the mountain for 2 days this year. Normally we'll sleep at the trailhead to acclimate overnight first, but this year we just headed in and my altitude sickness verified that was a bad idea. I was also in pretty scrappy shape this year. All in all still worth the misery.

Live2hunt custom shelters

 

[pods8 (Rugged Stitching)]

My personal experience for this year versus the last few is I trained specifically for hunting mountains rather than just running some, packing once a week and lifting some weights like in the past. It made a notable difference for me. I was more comfortable (and thus in a better mood more of the time), I could go longer/stronger/harder, I recovered quicker, etc. My pulse hammers up there as well, living at 5k alone doesn't do much if your system isn't used to being loaded and your muscles aren't trained for what you are asking (be it heavy packs, hammering pulse and/or steep ascending/descending). During elk 3 of us were out, 2 of us did the training and 1 did not, all live at 5k. The 2 of us trained specifically could perform at 2-3x the other guy and I'm not exaggerating. If it was flatter terrain the differences wouldn't have been as noticeable but in the steep stuff the specific training for that terrain made a world of difference.

 

[nc358007]

Pods8, could you elaborate on what you changed in your training that made the difference?

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[Murdy]

Many thousands of people do it every year, and not every one is an NFL athlete or Navy Seal

 

[pods8 (Rugged Stitching)]

Pods8, could you elaborate on what you changed in your training that made the difference?

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I mentioned it back on page 1, I did the MTI big game prep program (mountain tactical institute). Its very intensive 8 weeks, I did the first 4 almost entirely and then life got where I was getting 3-5days out of 6 in the last few weeks. But even if not tackling the full program the exercises in there would still make an impact I think. You can read week 1 of the program in the description of it I believe. A major component is 16" box steps with a 40lb pack on, lots and lots of them. For pack hikes its 75lb (and that felt comfortable as the program progressed). Hitting the mountains with a 30lb daypack felt like nothing. There is also core work, quad work, some cardio all mixed in. I sweat a lot during the course of it!

 

[pods8 (Rugged Stitching)]

Many thousands of people do it every year, and not every one is an NFL athlete or Navy Seal

What are their success rates? Half joking/half serious, I've heard a few things more than once from other hunters. One of which is some folks end up over exerting themselves day 1 at altitude and then find themselves sick in camp for a couple days. Secondly I've heard numerous times about elk folks saw but didn't pursue because it would have been a lot of hard work to do so and they didn't think they could or want to handle it. By no means let sub-optimal conditioning keep you out of the mountains but also realize it will make it so you can perform better/more easily and that can factor into enjoyment and also success potential. Not a magic bullet, just another tool at ones disposal, esp. if mountain hunting is the goal versus atv/trailhead hunting.

 

[mvmnts]

You're going to be carrying a lot of weight and operating at a roughly 20% oxygen deficit. The bottom line is that no amount of shape is going to be enough. Just be aggressive, but smart in your training regime and know that you'll never be able to do enough so do as much as you can, and the more you do, the better time you'll have in the field. Sure, lots of guys hunt every year on less, and that's fine, but a lot of guys also drive their trucks and ATVs into the woods or go in on horseback. Conversely, don't let any of these notions keep you from going either. Do your best and go, and you'll know better after what is required. If you are dreaming of a backpack hunt like a lot of guys on this site seem to like, you can't afford not to be training year round. This is my personal experience being from Florida and moving out to CO this year and doing my first elk hunt.

 

[AdamW]

Depends completely on where you hunt. Bottom line is you can do it. Get after it!

 

[freshta]

Like pods8 stated, the MTI Backcountry Hunter program is a great workout program to prepare for the hunt. There is an added bonus...it's monotonous as hell and so it prepares you mentally also.

 

[pods8 (Rugged Stitching)]

Like pods8 stated, the MTI Backcountry Hunter program is a great workout program to prepare for the hunt. There is an added bonus...it's monotonous as hell and so it prepares you mentally also.

I listened to alot of audiobooks.

 

[timekiller13]

Multiple variables come into play on how you will handle the altitude. Level of fitness, cardiovascular fitness are part of it. But medical history/issues play in as well. My dad is a diabetic. The first couple days at high altitude really mess with him. He's in pretty dang good shape for a 58 yr old, but the elevation change decreases his appetite and gives him a headache, which makes him eat less, which screws up his blood sugar. So far, I have not had any issues, but I am 33 and train hard and have no medical problems. A big factor is to hydrate well before and during the hunt. Since its less humid, I find myself not drinking as much water, that can catch up to you. Day 1 of our hunt this year, i was feeling pretty worn down by noon. I checked my water bladder and realized I had only consumed about 30oz of water over the past 7 hours. I forced myself to drink more and reminded myself to take a drag from the water bladder several times and hour. Keeping fluids in you, eating good high protein, high carb meals, being in good physical condition and knowing your limitations are very important.

 

[3forks]

I live at elevation and have been a bike racer/endurance athlete for nearly 30 years. I will say that if you don't incorporate some kind of strength component (and for what we're talking about, I mean specifically training with a heavy pack), into your traing program - youre going to be miserable.

I can ride my bike in mountainous terrain for 6+ hours and be fairly comfortable. If I just threw on my boots and a pack and started hiking without having acclimated myself to that - it's going to be uncomfortable.

I'd say to anyone who lives at a lower elevation, do what you can to be as fit cardiovascularly as possible, but also make sure that any strength training you do gets you comfortable with your pack.

Also, I'd try to figure out a way to ensure you don't just train in a way that makes you one dimensional or limits your abilities in just one kind of terrain. Packing a heavy load on trail (even if it's steep) will be a much different experience from having to pack a load on a side hill or over deadfall.

 

[3forks]

Like pods8 stated, the MTI Backcountry Hunter program is a great workout program to prepare for the hunt. There is an added bonus...it's monotonous as hell and so it prepares you mentally also.

I think this is an important point, too. When I was a younger bike racer, a coach I had came to the US from Eastern Europe. During winter we had to ride indoors on rollers/trainers for a couple of hours and he insisted we do it alone with no music or tv. The rationale was that it taught you to focus and ignore the monotony and discomfort. The coach I had said the kids from the former eastern bloc countries rode their trainers in damp basements facing a brick wall. He said those kids learned to just mentally become acclimated to the work and develop the focus it takes to complete a workout inspite of it being miserable.

 

[ThePecosBilly]

I live in a small Texas town where it's highest elevation point is 16ft above sea level. I've handled 9000ft+ in Idaho with very little issues, had problems at 11000ft+ in CO, and MT was cake at 3600ft+. I've learned to drink plenty of fluids, control breathing during my climbs, and just stay mentally tough. You can be in great shape and still get your ass kicked. At the higher elevations my marshrat lungs set me back on the first day but by the end of the trip the conditioning took over and kept me in the game.

It's good to have concern and fear. Use it when you start packing with weight at inclines. You want to push yourself to the point you are gasping for air and when you want to quit, remember that fear and push forward. It might sound retarded but practice dealing with misery and being uncomfortable. That away when those issues start rearing their ugly head during the hunt it doesn't take away from the experience.

 

[ahawk116]

I️m from South Carolina, I’ll echo what these guys have said about the elevation. The terrain is no more difficult, but the air is thinner. When I️ didn’t have time to get to the mountains to hike, I put my pack on and hit the stair climber in the gym. It sucks, but it will get your muscles ready. I️ find that living on flat land my hip flexors are a weak link in my hiking, so putting 50lbs in my pack and walking on the stair climbers straightens that out for me.

It certainly qualifies as monotonous as these guys have spoken of, as well as you will look like a fool in the gym, but it serves a purpose.


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[TauPhi111]

I regularly hunt the mountains of PA, which can have similar steepness and elevation change to the area of Colorado I hunted this year (7000-9000 feet, very steep). I'm in good shape and I didn't feel an ounce of altitude sickness. In my opinion the only thing that made traversing the terrain hard is doing it with a heavy pack. Granted, this was our first time, and we packed way too heavy as newbs often do, which probably made it much harder than it had to be. With just a day pack and a rifle, it would have been no harder than hunting mountainous areas of PA and similar in KY, but that pack made some climbs really suck. Trekking poles are a must with a heavy pack.