Struggles on Grizzly D

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two lunches
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Re: Struggles on Grizzly D

Post by two lunches »

dwoodward13 wrote: Sat May 01, 2021 5:20 pm Ya you answered your own question if you haven't been above 13k since last October. Also some days you are just "off" too. Poor sleep, nutrition, stress, ect can all exacerbate issues with fitness at altitude. Hiking at high elevation consistently is the best way to become fit at hiking at high elevation.
hear hear
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Jorts
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Re: Struggles on Grizzly D

Post by Jorts »

tadamsttu wrote: Sat May 01, 2021 4:37 pm I am in the best shape I have been in since I have lived here the past two years
Define "best shape". If you've been hiking/running/biing/skinning all winter should not have been a problem. Maybe you're sick.
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AnnaG22
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Re: Struggles on Grizzly D

Post by AnnaG22 »

tadamsttu wrote: Sat May 01, 2021 4:37 pm Did it have something to do with the elevation gains and losses that are on the route from Sniktau to Grizzly? I was really disappointed because as a 29 year old in good shape I felt like this route should be easy for me to bag my first peaks of the year. Any help I can get would be great, and I’ll gladly answer questions if you have any. Not sure if anyone else has ever had issues with this route before.
How was your fueling/hydration? I know some folks don't eat much at high elevation, but if you got dehydrated or hypoglycemic without noticing (which can happen), that would tank your energy/stamina real quick. I have seen folks get hyponutremic and high elevation and completely fall apart despite being super fit. Generally they revive after swallowing a packet of table salt (I always carry at least one of these when I have a backpack on, picked it up from a hiking partner ~5 years back). A friend had to force feed me summit house fries at the top of Pikes when that happened to me while we were roundtripping Barr trail.

Obviously the other points about acclimation are salient as well; I hate to say that in the past ~3 years (I'm 31), I've noticed that establishing and maintaining acclimation for my body is a bigger challenge than it was in my mid-20s, despite improved fitness.

Be patient with yourself, carry some salt, play around with different foods, and get out there often. Interval workouts at lower elevations help, but the best thing is to get high and get high often.
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Re: Struggles on Grizzly D

Post by DArcyS »

tadamsttu wrote: Sat May 01, 2021 4:37 pm I am in the best shape I have been in since I have lived here the past two years...
I was really disappointed because as a 29 year old in good shape...
Feeling like you were in such good shape, maybe you took off at an unreasonable pace. Start off too fast in any endurance sport, and you will pay later on.
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mtree
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Re: Struggles on Grizzly D

Post by mtree »

Who knows why?
I will say lots of people underestimate the Snitkau-Grizzly trek. For starters, you begin the hike at 12,000 ft. So you're spending the entire hike at "altitude". And there's lots of up and down. I see people start too fast all the time and run out of gas thinking its just a quick jaunt in the hills. I think its a tougher hike than several of the 14ers in the area. Or maybe you just weren't wearing your lucky Underoos.
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