Drinking Water to Prepare for Altitude

“ive heard a good way to acclimate to altitude is to drink lots of water before you head up (i'm assuming because of the oxygen)

anyone know about how much per day and how long?”

“6 gals, 6 days”

“Professor H2O on deck!”

“meh. thats about what i figured. can i just get it intravenously?”

“As I first got to high altitude on our Rocky's trip, I had little appetite for water or food.
Force yourself to drink lots of water.”

“Now why in the hell would you trust anything said on here, 2 scoops?

Do some frackin` research on a real bping website for once.

You've been reduced down to concentrating your life based on what people have to say on this website.

Grow an independent pair for once, fer CRIPES SAKE!!”

“As I first got to high altitude on our Rocky's trip, I had little appetite for water or food

same here. especially food. and then i didnt have much energy cuz i didnt eat enough”

“I've never had trouble with altitude...

and I've been above 14,000 feet.
Water and food is very important, more so If you don't feel like drinking and eatting.”

“and I've been above 14,000 feet

where?”

“White mountain :) CA”

“crash, are you able to swim over to Mt. Fuji for practice?”

“White mountain :) CA¡±
Zombie Coyote

who was driving?”

“she gonna kick yo ass fo dat'un! LOL!”

“well, there is a road to the top”

“Crash is just jeolous that I've been higher then him!!!

He's prolly jeolous too that I'm in the mile high club and he aint!”

“yea, but at least i can spell "jealous"”

“the first will be remedied soon, the other I can't help him with. Perhaps yogisan...”

“Eat carbs and drink fluids containing electrolytes (EmergenC). Hike high during the day and descend to lower elevations to sleep. If you are sleeping really high, over 13K you can expect your breathing during sleep to become much deeper and you will lose more fluids than normal which complicates things.

Take food that you know you like, candy bars, pizza, etc. As you lose your appetite you will want something that you can tolerate. I guarantee you will get sicker faster if you do not eat. Food is just as important as water.”

“our highest camp for the trip will be around 11,000, or maybe 11,500. grays trailhead is about 11,000. capitol lake is around 11,500”

“camp the first night at a lower elevation, maybe 10'000 feet. Thats what I did before I hiked up White Mountain.”

“That is still pretty high....above treeline. Oh man...the sunset views at the lake are going to be spectacular!”

“That's not that high. Just drink lots of water (carry a bottle and sip non-stop), and you'll be fine. Use your normal preferred food. And take your ninja suit.”

“protein goo helps a lot, and if you start to feel headachy, take an asprin. It thins your blood.”

“i'm mainly looking for info for the days leading up to, the days before i go to elevation”

“Try low dose aspirin for altitude a couple days prior also. It helps me!”

“will do!”

“"Clear and copius" is the motto. Yer pee, that is.

You are a healthy, experienced guy, Crash. So the right amount of water is prolly what you normally drink. My experience is that people have the most trouble with altitude when they try to sustain a level of physical exertion they are not used to.

I once chugged a couple gallons of water my first day in CO cause I was planning to camp above treeline (which is 11,500' in CO). The wind and rain beat my tent all night long and I had to go out in it to pee a half dozen times. I don't think over-doing it helps. 1-1.5 gallons a day should do.

I've gone above treeline my first day in the Rockies more times than I can remember. I eat healthy and drink healthy, and when I hear my heart pounding in my ears I stop and catch my breath.”

“Take something to put into the water that tastes ok -- maybe that'll encourage you to drink more water.”

“i am not convinced drinking a lot of water in advance of a trip like this will be a lot of help. your body needs to acclimate to altitude and there are long-term changes and short-term changes.

you need to improve cardiac function (improve % of MHR used for moderately strenuous activity), increase your red blood cell count and qualify of function, and improve kidney function.

a good carbo-rich diet high in iron and low in salt would probably be a good idea. i don't believe in taking iron pills because men can't remove iron from their system like women can so it can be dangerous and easy to OD on. i would avoid drinking alcohol well before and certainly during the trip (yeah, i know... but there it is). of course you must stay hydrated during the climb and i think the 1-1.5 gal/day mentioned earlier is a good base. dehydration, which probably comes quickly in that dry air, will rob you of performance and easily make you sick.

for me i'll just do some general training (stair machine, running/cycling, climbing/chin ups/dips) and try to build up a VO2 Max base (which is already pretty good). when i climb i know i'll lose from my VO2 Max as i climb. so if my base is large enough (and i drink water) i should be fine.

at least that is my plan but i am not experienced at altitude and i am prolly full of crap.”

“yogisan is wise man....”