I am headed on another sheep hunt in late August. I am thinking about 3 days of hiking at 12,000 feet a few days before I leave.

Do any of you experts think this would be beneficial?

It would certainly help get your lungs aclimated for the altitude. My question is where are you going to find 12,000 ft in Florida?

Certainly not here! I think I live about about 50 feet above sea level. The highest place in Florida is less than 400 feet above sea level.

I am thinking Mt Charleston in Nevada.

It would, but 7 would be better. Try colorado.

Why would 7 be better?

I didn't think the dalls in NWT would be hanging out at 12,000 feet. I would say , just keep your cardio training up, this is not your first go round, you should know what's expected.

I don't have any experience hiking that high. I do have experience flying that high. Even flying around at 8000 feet cabin altitude, I find no ill effect. Above 10,000 feet cabin pressure, I begin to see hypoxic symptoms (which is why oxygen is required in unpressurized cockpits above 10K.

If you could hike in middle altitudes 5-8K for a week or so, I think you'd see some benefit. That's what I did prior to hunting in New Mexico years ago - it helped a great deal because the hunting was 8K and above.

If you're coming back to Alaska, I think you'd be just fine being in good shape cardio-wise. What altitudes will you be hunting this year?

Gentlemen:

Thanks for your responses. I did a horrible job of wording the question. Let me pose the question another way.

If I were to do 3 days of high altitude training, how long thereafter would I see benefits?

We went to Ecuador for a wedding 2 years ago. We were at approximately 10,000 feet. We were there either 2 or 3 days. We ran every day. When we got back to sea level, I was shocked at how easy it was to run or do other cardio. I can't remember how long before the effects wore off.

I am going the the NWT. The average will probably around 4,000 feet. I figured 12,000 feet would make 4,000 feet seem simple.

Thanks!

You wouldn't. The benefit of high altitude training is that people who LIVE at high altitude or stay there for at least a week I believe build more erythrocytes (red blood cells). 3 days won't be enough time the build red blood cell number. Also the mountains you will hunt will not be high enough for it to matter even if you did. Just concentrate on your cardio training, relax, and have fun.

Brett

I think you would be wasting your time. My wife and I moved to Colorado this past April and it took us 8 weeks to be fully acclimated to our new 7,000 elevation.

As Brett AK said. Your body responds to hypoxia (lack of oxygen) with a variety of responses, chief among which is the production of new oxygen carrying red cells. This process takes at least a week, and for optimal response, a lot longer
In recent years, high altitude climbers have attempted to short circuit this process in 2 ways: by getting an injection of erythropoetin (ILLEGAL) a hormone that stimulates red cell production; and by sleeping in an oxygen deprived "tent' (LEGAL) which also stimulates the physiological adaptation to high altitudes.

For us hunters, the simplest option is to go to a high altitude area for at least a week, and if we can, 3-4 weeks. or use a hypoxic tent.

Years ago I faced the same dilemma when I was living at 300 feet and was planning to run the Pike's Peak marathon (starts at 5000', half way point is at 14,100, and ends around 5800'). I was in good shape but out of breath just walking through the Denver airport on arrival.

I got there early and camped and climbed between 12 and 14k for 7 days. It kicked my butt and I just stayed in camp some days as my buddies climbed but really paid off. I ran a little over 5 hours mostly due to the trail conditions and the altitude wasn't an issue. If I had the time I'd do it exactly the same again.

Bob

Again you can get tents and spend weeks in the higher elevations, but that's just silly as you're hunt will be at bellow 7,000 feet making this type of preparation a waste of time, money, and effort. Stick to the cardio, relax, and have fun.

Brett