Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Hydration, Conditioning, & Altitude

Of the three times I have hiked Whitney in a day, this is the first time I did not enjoy the entire hike. I had a general ill feeling develop somewhere after trail crest. The feeling did not lift until I was back down to Lone Pine Lake. I have determined that there are several reasons for this. One was trying to keep up with teenage athletes. I did not keep up with them but I did make it to the top in less than 7 hours.

I also realized dehydration was going on. I remember thinking that I had not gone pee in a couple hours and my mouth was dry. However instead of drinking everything I could, I just sipped here and there because a stomachache had developed. On previous trips I was a nut about making myself drink every thirty minutes whether I felt thirsty or not and of course I was looking for a place to pee about every hour.

Pushing myself and not drinking enough made it hard for me to deal with the higher altitude.

Next time I will force myself to drink more regularly through the hike and I will walk at my own pace.

"A happy mountaineer always pees clear."

I thought it was either:
"Clearly, a happy mountaineer always pees"
or
"Clearly a happy mountaineer always pees."

"No beer 'til it's clear"

Beer is dear...
Wine is fine...
Liquor is quicker...

Disclaimer: Don't follow this advice.

As we say in Scouts "Clear and Copious" is best

+@ti2d - I'm laughing so hard!!!! Thanks, I needed that!

Or, where water conservation is important:

"If its yellow let it mellow,
if its brown flush it down" (Unfortunately, not an option at Trail Camp)

Keep in mind that what/how much you drink the DAYS PRIOR to your hike will also have a huge factor on your overall hydration. Many experts agree that by the time you realize youre even thirsty, you could be alreaday dehydrated.

Regarding your pee, you should also analyze the color of it when you do go. Generally, it should be a pale yellow in color. Too clear, too much fluids. Too dark, and not enough.

You may also want to supplement your (pre and during) hydration plan with some electrolytes and sports drinks. As runners, we'll starty "carbo loading" 3-5 days in advance, which also includes "hydro loading" (which is nothing more than just keeping your hydration intake a bit higher than normal, and suplementing w/ extras)

I'm a runnner and have coached long distance runners for years (http://www.vavirunningclub.com/about-us.htm) and we practice this stuff all the time.

http://www.livestrong.com/article/5522-need-marathon-hydration/
http://www.finish-first-marathon.com/marathon-hydration-plan.html