Kathwacckkk

As fall progresses and more and more of us go into the woods, please give your friends and family one more hug. I cannot imagine finally getting to go on a dream hunt and have this happen.

http://www.mlive.com/news/jackson/in..._albion_f.html

Remember, being prepared is not just about gear, food and location. Health and having your affairs in order should also be on people's check lists. Good luck to all and stay safe.

Champlain Islander

Tragic that it happened. As someone who has had altitude sickness I can sympathize. It is like a severe flu and unless you go down in altitude can get worse leading to death.I normally live at 118' above sea level so high altitude is something I am not used to. On this years hunt we were almost always hunting above 11K and often just below 12K. Our cabin was at around 8800 feet. Since that case years ago I now take the drug Diamox for a couple of days before getting to altitude and a couple of days after. It helps to condition your blood to run on less oxygen. You need a Doctor's prescription to get it and is commonly used by the military for high altitude combat operations..

Oldtimr

That is terrible. You hear about it every so often happening to people who clime places like Everest and K2 but not so much happening to hunters. I suspect it is something most hunters do give much considerations.

Rob in VT

My head hurt so bad I wished I was dead. Fortunately descending for a few hours and hydrating did the trick to cure it. Diamox from now on when I do altitude.

Topgun 3006

Most people that live in the eastern half of the country have no idea how the altitude can get to you and what the symptoms are. I was out there hunting mostly in the BigHorns south of where this young guy died for two months and just got back Monday night. Granted that I just turned 68 in August, but I'm in great shape and went on an exercise program for 6 months before my trip this year to be sure I was ready to have fun and stay healthy. Even at that it took me 4 days out there camped at 9180' to acclimate to the lack of oxygen before I could do much of anything. Car, my buddy from this website who had the archery elk tag for unit 45, lives in southern Ohio and is about 10 years younger than I am. The altitude didn't seem to bother him at all and he was on the go the whole time as soon as we got camp set up. Staying hydrated is a big part of avoiding problems and that means drinking plenty of water regularly and not just when you feel thirsty. It appears that the guy and his party didn't know the seriousness of the symptoms he was experiencing until it was too late in this particular situation and now his kids will grow up without their Dad. What a shame!

Mickey Finn

What a shame. I get pretty short of breath at 10k or so.

Czech

excellent posts ^ above . thanks and cheers .

lets hunt safely and live long

RockyMtnGobblers

I was born and raised at 6500 ft. years ago I drove up to pikes peak 14,000 ft. and had terrible pain in my head, a friend suggested fudge, I thought that was crazy but in a few min. the pain was gone !