FAQ and threads for those just starting to hike the Colorado 14ers.
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KAMO wrote: ↑Wed Aug 28, 2019 8:49 am
I know it's a little off my original question, but i've been to colorado a few times a year and done 10k and 12k easier hikes- altitude never gave me a headache, but I also was never working as hard as this trip would push me. Any objections to ibuprofen if I get said headache from altitude?
objections? an endurance hiker friend calls it "vitamin i" ..... although it's poison to me.
I do cold brew on my trips from Iowa to Colorado to hike since I tend to camp at/near trailheads or leaving hotels before their breakfast hours.
Equipment needed:
2 empty Simply juice bottles (square base, lower center of gravity), or any
Funnel.
Coffee filters.
Coffee grounds.
Using one empty bottle, I measure out grounds and water in one ( I always end up googling for the ratio of grounds to water for cold brew). Screw on lid tight, place in trunk of car or cooler for travel.
Night before the hike I use the 2nd bottle, funnel, and filter to filter the brew.
Last edited by bramasoleiowa on Wed Aug 28, 2019 9:22 am, edited 1 time in total.
“I take all day to climb mountains and then spend about 10 minutes at the top admiring the view.”
–- Sebastian Thrun
I don't believe there's any real "science" pro or con to consuming caffeine prior to a hike or in regards to high altitude. Do what you do and don't worry about it. Ibuprofen is fine for headaches or soreness. Take as you wish. Most of all, enjoy your trip!
- I didn't say it was your fault. I said I was blaming you.
cottonmountaineering wrote: ↑Wed Aug 28, 2019 8:07 am
If you are a coffee drinker, it will be a benefit to keep drinking coffee. Just drink some water as well
I figured as much - I'll hunt around for a few lightweight, instant coffee packs or something to keep me going that doesnt taste horrible
Are you married to coffee? Caffeine comes in many forms that don't require brewing.
I use generic versions of Crystal Light packets in different flavors. Just add water and get 120mg per packet.
If you're going to use an NSAID (ibuprofen, meloxicam (rx only), etc) for headaches, please make sure you're well-hydrated. Your kidneys will thank you.
We are all greater artists than we realize -FWN A man is rich in proportion to the number of things he can afford to let alone. -HDT Peak List
the only downside to caffeine at altitude is that caffeine in general is a diuretic so it dehydrates you. i compensate by making weak-ish coffee to drink. what i do is take a couple of those starbucks via packets and dump them into a liter bottle of water - so i am getting plenty of water but still the caffeine. i drink a bottle of water on the way to the trailhead (to get water on board), and then my first trail bottle of the day is my coffee water. only disclaimer is that you have to be able to drink cold or ambient temp coffee. which i learned how to do in college haha.
also, ibuprofen is the best medicine for altitude headaches, for a bunch of reasons that are pretty boring, but aspirin is bad at altitude. so no harm in taking ibuprofen for any headache, in fact it helps specifically with altitude headache.
KAMO wrote: ↑Wed Aug 28, 2019 8:02 am
Someone also told me that it would help my blood at altitude retain more oxygen, but this is what I'm looking to get verified.
Everywhere I look people are saying coffee is a great energy boost and stimulant and performance enhancer for these hikes and climbs, and I dont disagree.
Not drinking coffee will not help you blood "retain more oxygen". Your body moves oxygen from your lungs to your muscles through binding it to hemoglobin which is in your red blood cells. Caffeine does not affect this, caffeine increases your heart rate and dilates your blood vessels which makes it easier for your heart to move blood through your body and thus deliver more oxygen and nutrients to your muscles.
It has been shown that caffeine can increase performance in endurance activities by up to 15% and in strength/power bases exercise by 20%. So load up on coffee if you want or don't it just depends on what you need.
Source to these claims is a masters in high altitude exercise physiology.
brichardsson wrote: ↑Wed Aug 28, 2019 11:12 am
the only downside to caffeine at altitude is that caffeine in general is a diuretic so it dehydrates you. i compensate by making weak-ish coffee to drink. what i do is take a couple of those starbucks via packets and dump them into a liter bottle of water - so i am getting plenty of water but still the caffeine. i drink a bottle of water on the way to the trailhead (to get water on board), and then my first trail bottle of the day is my coffee water. only disclaimer is that you have to be able to drink cold or ambient temp coffee. which i learned how to do in college haha.
also, ibuprofen is the best medicine for altitude headaches, for a bunch of reasons that are pretty boring, but aspirin is bad at altitude. so no harm in taking ibuprofen for any headache, in fact it helps specifically with altitude headache.
+1. I think maybe you were thinking that caffeine decreases the amount of water that you body can hold, not the amount of oxygen that your body can process. But I also think that is mostly true only for people who don't regularly consume caffeine. I try to decrease the amount of caffeine I consume the last 3-4 days before I go to altitude, but as I have gotten older I have tried less every year and it doesn't seem to hurt me.
I think if you are already consuming caffeine on a regular basis and you don't dramatically increase the amount, you will be fine as long as you are drinking plenty of water.
Sean Nunn
"Thy righteousness is like the great mountains." --Psalms 36:6
on the other hand, coffee and caffeine stress the adrenals. so if your body is already stressed by intense physical requirements as well as altitude, adding another stress element doesn't help.
Don't worry about drinking coffee. Although caffeine is a mild diuretic, the water in coffee far outpaces any dehydration effects. So drink up!
Ignore the rest of the pseudo science advice. Its based on nothing that will impact your climb. As far as helping with altitude, it'll perk you up. And being perky will make you happy and get you moving. Moving definitely helps with altitude. It makes you breath more. And breathing is a good thing.
- I didn't say it was your fault. I said I was blaming you.
