Coming from someone that has humped a lot of weight for a lot of miles. Ditch the weighted vest. It’s nothing like a ruck.

For that matter, ruck no more than a couple times a week. Once a week is PLENTY. Carry no more then 35 or maybe 40 pounds for your training rucks, keep them under 6 miles.

Once in a while go ahead and knock out an 8 or 12 miler just so you know how it feels, and how to hydrate, and what a realistic pace might be. My first 12 miler i ran the first 7 miles in about an hour, locked up in cramps, and barely finished the 12.

I think of it this way- you do rucks to break your feet in to your boots and your body in to your ruck sack. When you start tacking on miles and weight they don’t build you up, they only break you down. The first time you carry a hundred pound load, you’ll never be the same again.

I have carried upwards of 150. 96 pounds just in 7.62 link, 28 pounds in my plate carrier, plus mags, rifle, helmet, 1st aid, and my ruck with everything i need to survive for a little bit in it. This was an excruciating load to carry. Maybe closer to 200? I don’t know i never weighed the whole load. For reference at one point I could run 5 miles in about 38 minutes at a body weight of 264 pounds, and my ruck pace inside 6 miles was not much slower than my run.

Just wearing that load for 5 or 10 minutes was painful. My body is pretty wore out.

So keep the training rucks to maybe once a week, sub 40 pounds, sub 6 miles. Do one or two long ones a year. That is pretty optimal.

The rest of your training should focus on strength and mobility, and conditioning.

Some people have problems at 6k feet. I’ve been as high as 12,000 and didn’t have any issues. My mom gets nosebleeds and gets nauseous at 4500’

Most people are gonna have notice issues around 13-14k feet.

It takes me about 2-3 days being up on the mountain to acclimate. One trip I was dragging [censored] bad, first day and going up hills sucked. I just moved slower and stopped more.

You’re not in a race. As Bobo said, it’s just one foot in front of the other

I took this pic from a Jeep on a trail over Telluride, maybe Black Bear Pass. I don't know the elevation of it. If you were in Telluride you would be looking about straight up. Not only did this have to be a bad azz construction crew, but just getting the materials up there had to be pretty dangerous.

Those dudes could probably build anything anywhere

I toss 40lbs in my pack and roll that way. Its time you invest in a pack. Exo, kifaru, Stone glacier is where I would start.

issue with weighted vest is all weight is on your shoulders, properly fitted pack transfers it to your hips. regardless any extra weight on your feet in training will help condition your feet. Train in you hunting boots

Being that you are in grizz country now, just a thought

https://gunfightersinc.com/kenai-chest-holster/

To your point Biggest thing, is know symptoms of Pulmonary edema and AMS. Doesnt matter your fitness level or where you live. Remember a few years back Frank w/Kifaru got Pulmonary edema. He lived west of Denver on the Mountain, and got it bowhunting mulies. Dude was super fit

I read a story that took place in the 70’s or early 80’s about a group of 4 guys hunting Taruca in Peru above 14k feet. One guy was having issues and after the hunt, went home to Houston and died a few days after getting back from a pulmonary edema.

What do you hunt at 14,000 feet?

You guys ever been up high enough to wish you could grab some O2 an stuff it down into your lungs?

No but i definitely went into AFIB for about three days straight. It got to a point I was pretty much worthless. I don’t know if it was the altitude, or sleep depravation, or dehydration, or supplements or a combination. But once the afib kicked in I pretty much felt completely wiped out 24/7. Day 3 i told the doc and eventually got casevaced on a bird, by the time I got back to JBAD i had no symptoms other than an elevated enzyme something to do with a heart injury.

They told me if this goes in my record I would get med boarded and gave me a choice. I went back to my dudes in the valley

Sheep, Elk, Mule deer, Mtn Goats and bears.

Thanks for all the information. I still need to decide on a gun before choosing a holster but they are on the list. 44 mag seems like the obvious choice but was also thinking I could control a 10mm better and like the idea of more rounds.

Floating the Arkansas River from Buena Vista to Salida, Co, theres a house way up kinda like that but not that severe.

two rounds of thought. 10mm for power/capacity, 9 for accuracy & capacity.


I carry p320 357 sig 180gr hardcast and anywhere else that is void of horribilus my EDC p365 and change mag to hardcast

dont think there is a right anwser

I'm 6'1" 208 lbs.

Im 42 years old and in probably the best shape Ive been in since my 20's. "Maxing" out is kinda dumb and you can hurt yourself doing it. I could do 3 reps of 290 years back, not sure what that equates to for a one rep max. Currently I lift 200 pounds 3 sets of 8 on bench.

Rather than maxing out, maybe a good measure of strength relative to "how big'a boy are you" would be the number of rep's you can do of your body weight. This also seems to be more of a measure "fitness" or practical strength.

I'm 61, 6'-0, 180 lbs. As best as I can recall at one time I was regularly getting 13 rep's of 175, when that was my weight at about 54 yoa. I think over all fitness/strength/endurance........best for me was 49 yoa when I trained for a caveman crawl.

A higher strength to weight ratio makes everything easier. But the strongest men in the world don’t worry about it. You have to make a decision based on your priorities, abilities, and goals. It is normal to change your priorities and goals, based on your abilities. It’s the only way to really make progress past a point.