About VitaminHill
We make electrolyte stick packs for hikers and trail runners, and we count them from the hike you are about to do. The company is a small one, at 1050 Walnut St, Boulder, CO 80302.
Why the count exists
Most bad hikes go wrong in the last third. The climb is done, the legs are tired, the sun is on the ridge, and the bottle you mixed at the car is empty or was never salty enough. Calves cramp on the descent, or on the drive home.
The usual fix is a tub of powder or a tube of tablets, and a guess. How many scoops for 12 miles? Does 3,000 ft of gain change it? What about 85 F? The label gives a serving. It doesn't give a plan, so people carry too little, or haul a heavy bag of extra.
We wanted the guess settled before the trailhead. The pack builder asks for three things you already know: the distance, the climb and the forecast high, plus the high point if it's a tall one. It turns them into a stick count and an order to take them in.
The rule, in numbers
This is the whole count.
- 1,000 ft
of gain counts as 2.5 extra trail miles.
- 6 mi
One stick for every 6 trail miles, rounded.
- 75 F / 85 F
Over 75 F a Ridge Salt is added. Over 85 F, one more.
- 9,000 ft
A high point above 9,000 ft adds one more.
Example route: 12.4 miles with 3,200 ft of gain at 78 F comes to four sticks, one of them for the heat. The order summary always says which stick was added and why.
Counted and packed in Boulder
The four formulas are ours, and each has one job. Ridge Salt is the heavy-sweat stick at 500 mg sodium. Switchback Citrus is for the climb. Summit Recovery, with magnesium and B vitamins, is for the finish. Base Camp is unflavored, for a hydration bladder. The flavored sticks carry 2 g sugar and 15 kcal; Base Camp carries none.
Orders are counted, sleeved and boxed on Walnut St. The sticks go into a printed trail sleeve in the order you take them, with the route and the mileage on the front, so the plan rides in a hip pocket instead of in your head. Trailhead Packs usually ship within 2 business days.
What a stick can't do
We would rather you trust the count than buy extra.
Water does most of the work. A stick helps replace the sodium and potassium you sweat out. It doesn't replace drinking.
A short, cool walk needs no stick. Under 3 trail miles with a high of 75 F or less, the count flags that water is probably enough.
The count starts from your numbers, not your body. If you sweat hard or salty, add a Ridge Salt. If you are on a sodium-restricted diet or have a kidney or heart condition, ask your physician first.
This is general hydration information, not medical advice.
The Boulder desk
1050 Walnut St, Boulder, CO 80302. Every pack ships from this one address, between 10th and 11th St. Touch the pin for the shipping note.
- Phone
- (888) 338-9216
1050 Walnut St, Boulder, CO 80302
Every pack is counted, sleeved and shipped from here. Trailhead Packs usually leave within 2 business days; boxes ship free.