Three Tips to Prepare for a High Altitude Hike

A reader asks Outside fitness answer man Chris Carmichael how to prepare for a high altitude hike, and Carmichael offers the flatlander three handy pieces of advice:
1. Boost Your Aerobic Fitness: Go for long hikes with a weighted pack. Hiking like that, Carmichael says, will increase the amount of oxygen your body can deliver to working
muscles—at any altitude—and that will help you hike at a steady and
comfortable pace in Colorado.
2. Stay Hydrated: Carmichael reminds us that dehydration is the number one reason that flatlanders suffer when they
go to the mountains. Thinner air is typically drier air, and you lose a
lot of fluid very quickly at higher elevations. Start increasing your total daily fluid
consumption to between 0.75 and one gallon a day in the weeks leading
up to your hike, and then continue drinking plenty of fluids throughout
your stay at high altitude.
3. Get Plenty of Sleep: People often have trouble sleeping at higher altitudes, and lack of
sleep for a few nights will make your hiking experience far less fun.  Get a good sleeping pad for
your tent and visit an outdoors store to make sure you have the right
weight sleeping bag for the conditions.