Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Altitude problems?

Since I am not a doctor, I am hesitant about calling it altitude sickness. I am 67 years old and go to the gym 3 times a week for general fitness training. I started with 12 lessons from a PhD. in conditioning. He also is the trainer from a local college team. Anyway, I head up to the Sierras every year for a little fishing and hiking at about 8000 feet. This year I had signs of weakness, insomnia and shortness of breath while in bed, of all places. What say you? Thanks...

I have a friend who has some of the same issues.

Lives close to Sea level and has issues when going up in altitude.

At 74 He has developed heart rate - blood pressure and pulse issues. He says he has little issues while at sea level.

It appears that you live at about 200'. No amount of conditioning at low elevation can get you ready for the high country. Nothing will do that other than being in the high country. There are ways to mitigate the symptoms, but you can't stop it completely.

My partners and I all live at about 4k and we hunt at 7 to 8k. I'm the youngest of the bunch at 65. That's not nearly as much difference in elevation as you have, but even at that I can get to sucking air while hunting. Usually after my 1st hard day, I'm pretty well whacked for a day or two until I start to get acclimated.

I grew up in altitude, about 6000 feet. Been a flat lander now for 40 years. About 10 years ago i started to get altitude sickness. Doctor said hydrate very well three days prior to trip, no booze, and spend one day at 5000 feet to help get acclimated. Your symptoms were the same as mine. He gave me meds, but I stopped them after the first day as they made me dizzy. Good luck!

Sounds like it - especially the insomnia combined with the other two. I live at 8,500 feet and I've seen family members get it just coming a for a visit, with no physical exertion like you were doing. I'd recommend making sure you are fully hydrated before leaving next time and try to go up a day or two early and do little physical exercise just to let your body acclimate before you go hit the trails.

Also -- NOLS recommending a massive doses of vitamin C 500-1,000 mg a day(like Emergen-C) when you feel the onset of symptoms.

To answer your question what you're describing is altitude sickness. I've experienced the same symptoms, in varying degrees, at different times in my life.

I used to have the same problem when I lived at sea level and went hunting in Utah at 7000' or 8000' feet. The worst of the symptoms would go away after a day or two once the body acclimates.

Yup. Sounds familiar. I live at 4000. Work at sea level every four out of eight days. And often go up to 9000 ft to play. Sometimes I have issues.

You can try staying at 4 or 5000 ft elevation the day before, but I've been told it takes 3 to 5 days to aclimate.

How long do you stay up there? Symptoms ever start subsiding if you stay a while?

There's not too much you can do about it except stay for a week at half the elevation and plan a long trip. Part of the problem is the Sierras western slope. Fairly steep in most places. You go up in elevation rather quickly. Seems to make a bit of difference to me.

One thing I can tell you is symptoms completely disappear when I go back down. Immediately. So if yours don't, it might not be related to elevation

Yes; my symptoms completely disappeared when I came home. What a relief...

Your sea level blood needs fewer red blood cells to carry oxygen. When you go higher, there simply aren't enough of them to do the job. The effect is a lot like giving blood - you feel weak, dizzy, and tire easily.

It takes two weeks or more for your bone marrow to build more red blood cells when you give blood, and it is much the same when you travel to high altitudes. Time and lots of fluids are the cure - but arriving a couple of weeks before a hunt isn't very practical.

Sounds like it to me.

No amount of training/fitness can replace time at altitude. I did a 104 mile mountain bike race up near Flagstaff, AZ last year after tons of training in Minnesota over the winter. Training at basically sea-level, racing at 8500-9700 feet.

I am in my early 40's, in great shape, and the heat and altitude combined simply kicked my ass despite getting there a few days early.

Spot on.

When I used to fly between Anchorage and Colorado for extended stays it would take two or three weeks to fully acclimate. However, the minor issues with sleeping and feeling light headed when doing almost nothing would go away within a couple of days.