Those of you starting in Denver who aren't from Denver

[heavyfoot]

Are you making plans to stay in Denver or somewhere at the start of the trail for a few nights in order to acclimate? I live at 2600 feet and hike regularly at 8000 feet without any problems. Do I need to stay in town for a few days before starting my thru?

[brian039]

I didn't acclimate and was fine. Then there were people younger and in better shape than me who weren't fine. It's one of those things where you just don't know until you try. A day or two in Denver to acclimate, starting out slow, and drinking lots of water would be ideal.

[gravityman]

It takes a while before you go over 10k feet, the point where most people will have issues. Maybe a week? Just start, and slow down if you aren't feeling well.

Gravity

[RodentWhisperer]

Start slow and you ought to be OK. You'll slowly gain altitude over the first few segments.

[Cookerhiker]

All of our bodies are different. For me, it was more a matter of time than elevation. I was sluggish on a short Day 1 and hit a wall pretty severely on Day 3 when I was breathing heavily and dragging very slowly. When we stopped for the night on Day 3 at Tramway Creek, we had hiked about 30 miles, all of it under 8,000'. I was wiped.

So Day 4 dawns with plans to ascend a gross of >3,000' and hit 10,000' for the first time at about the 45 mile mark. And I was fine! It's like I acclimated overnight. The 24 hours from Day 3 to Day 4 made a tremendous difference. No acclimation problems the rest of the hike.

[rastayogi]

Drinking tons and tons of water is key. It is the only way to really prevent the altitude sickness. I have lots of friends come from WI out here, and as long as they stay hydrated as is well.