I grew up above 10,000 ft. and still get up there quite often. I typically hunt between 11,000 and 12,000 ft. Sometimes after goats and sheep we can push towards 14K, but not too often. I've seen altitude sickness happen to people and seen them almost die. It is very serious, especially when guys are there to hunt and you're trying to convince them that they need to leave camp NOW and not just wait it out, which most of us would typically do. Once you feel like you just don't want to do anything, have a pounding headache, and still feel like you can't breathe, it is time to get to lower elevation. That is the only way to reduce the symptoms and stop the effects. And sometimes it is too late to reverse and you're going to need to go to the hospital. No one wants that to happen.
Good hydration, Diamox, no alcohol, and not pushing yourself physically until you are fully acclimated are all good things to do to lessen the effects. Acclimating slowly over 2-4 days where you overnight at increasingly higher elevations is probably the best way to avoid it all together.
Driving from Colo. Springs to the summit of Pikes Peak is a surefire way to experience altitude sickness. The good thing about it is that you don't need to spend a lot of time at the summit and that you can quickly descend just by hopping in your car. This typically doesn't work in elk camp.
