Going elk hunting. Never had much problem with altitude sickness... Maybe a little when we camped at almost 11,000 feet. What is best to load up yourself to get super hydydrated? Gatorade or powerade...or something else
?

Water... hydrate beforehand.

Good Luck

If you feel the need to drink something other than water, I would look at the ingredients first.... Iam not exactly sure what it was called but Jim Shockley promotes some drink " Squincher" or something. Check the ingredients...

Lots of water before and during in my experience. Some of the powdered single use additives in water like Mountain Ops, Wilderness Athlete, Gatorade and others seem to help me late into a long day of hot hiking.

Find something you like...lot of these have a nasty after taste that kind of builds up after a while. Not something you want to have, you want to have to want to drink something and not have to force yourself (good way to not drink until it starts to get too late).

They advertise a good mix it yourself drink on Western hunter
Wilderness something?

Start a few days before the hunt and drink lots of water.
Keep it up the whole time you are hunting.
When you think you have had enough drink some more.

Electrolytes are essential! Just water alone will make you feel WORSE, and take LONGER to get you feeling normal.

Salt, potassium, calcium and magnesium... in that order.

Vinegar helps with cramps. Many sources, especially yellow mustard or apple cider vinegar.

Dill pickle juice has lots of salt and vinegar, as well as some potassium. Dairy products have calcium and magnesium. Many stores sell little packets of dry electrolyte mixes. Doesn't hurt to water any of the above down to taste.

When electrolytes taste good... you are already dehydrated. Take immediate corrective action! When they taste blah, you are probably ok.

(I learned all this the hard way. Hopefully you won't have to.)

You should read up on altitude sickness. Conditioning doesn't matter, what has happened to you in the past at altitude doesn't matter. It's obvious the medical community is in the dark about what triggers it one time and not another. One thing they do know is that time to acclimate is the key. There is also a drug that helps if you get symptoms(Diamox I think).

When first exposed to altitude your body does two things to cope. It starts the long term solution which is to produce more oxygen carrying red blood cells to increase their concentration in the blood stream. It also starts the short term solution which is to remove water from your blood stream to increase the relative concentration of red blood cells. Other responses of your body to this strategy is apparently what causes problems. Drinking lots of extra water counters the body's attempt to thicken the blood and helps avoid problems, but you will be peeing a lot!

On an elk hunt a couple of years ago we went out a day early, had some very mild symptoms the first day in Pinedale but got over it, and then had some symptoms again after going up to elk camp. We drank a lot for a day or two in elk camp and were then able to go back to normal hydration and not be up every hour to pee during the night.

This?
Wilderness Athlete's Energy & Focus drink packets:
https://westernhunter.net/products/energy-focus-packets

My doctor says that the best strategy to stay hydrated is 2 portions of water to 1 portion of sports drink. So if you drink a 20 oz. bottle of water drink about 10 oz. of electrolyte sports drink behind it. Works well for me.

A lot of people around here are drinking a drink called Body Armor and they like it. I've done some reading and it looks like it will be helpful. I'm going to pick some up.

Busch Lite works well for me. It's 94% water by volume!

I just got done with a case of altitude sickness this past spring. It was awful. Four days in the trailer before I could drive hour and half to urgent care. Didn't know what was wrong with me.

Do everything you can to avoid it because the only way to fix it when you get it is to go back down low. Drink plenty plenty of liquids. Store shelf's are full of smart water and stuff. Stay away from sugar drinks.

Most importantly is to ascend slowly and rest when you get to camp. Just drive around and glass from the truck for two days. Small hikes maybe. Early exertion plus dehydration equals a ruined trip.

ML

Electrolytes are needed for extreme perspiration. Hunting does not require extra electrolytes. A marathon, football 2 a days, balin hay all day maybe. If you can’t tell I don’t buy in to the vitamins and supplements ad campaign. Lewis and Clark made it back just fine with water. If you just eat rice and potatoes you might take some vitamins. If you have a healthy diet Mother Earth gives you all you need...and evidenced by the overweight population, and more. PS the closer water is to your body temperature the quicker you absorb it. Grandpa didn’t stand no ice in your water jug on the baler.

Having said that, on a pack in elk hunt a member of our party somehow got a 12 pack of Mountain Dew in camp. He could of sold a can for $10 at the end of the week.

Hey thanks guys..... seems like all good comments , except for my fellow Nebraskan from the sandhills. I think that after not having any booze , beer or alcohol for the last 20 or 25 years, some Busch Lite would probably do me in. LOL!!!!! There was a good article in one of the Bugle Magazines I get from RMEF awhile ago. EdP commented almost as if he was reading the article. I am going to drink about 3 or 4 bottles each day of the 32 oz PowerAde for the next week or so. And when I get a case or two of bottled water to put in my day pack, I'll pick up a case of powerade for camp and hunting. Like I said I have went from around our altitude ( 1'700 feet or so) to over 10,500 to almost 11,000 feet. I had a nice headache and slight dizziness but that was it. You can have that and vomiting, fatigue, trouble sleeping, lack of sweat fairly easy. The really bad cases can cause a build up of fluid in the lungs (high altitude pulmonary edema or HAPE) or a build up of fluid in the brain (high altitude cerebral edema or HACE). If sickness gets that bad both conditions can kill in only a few hours!! Best is to know the signs and BE CAREFUL!! No cure except to drop down to a lower altitude. A good acronym for hunting at elevation is pretty good advice in general.... READ...Rest in Camp! Exercise at home! Acclimatize to the elevation. Drink plenty of water. I do all I can and still may have some symptoms.... but I'll be careful. Thanks for all the comments!!

Tomahawker, I always took a case of Dew in and had 1 can every morning to help combat the caffine withdrawal I kinda thought I might of had. LOL!!!I didn't kill me.......... yet!! Hope it won't ever.

Proper diet and water should keep you hydrated. Extreme exercise in extreme heat or humidity and you will want an electrolyte supplement.

For energy you can put maple syrup in your water.

The only problem with Gatorade or Powerade is the high sugar content.

Good luck on your hunt. Where is it? They do sell training masks that simulate high altitudes. You guys going from low level to elk country might want to look into those.