Controlled N=1 field comparison on Mount Baldy via Register Ridge. ATH Lytes session: 10.2 miles, 4,122 ft gain, 5:15 total, 2 L water, fasted. Direct observations included an earlier subjective decline in focus, greater use of the available electrolyte mix, and a finish about 15 minutes slower than the companion LMNT effort. These observations support a personal session-fit preference; they do not isolate sodium, prove glycogen sparing, or establish universal brand superiority.
This hike mattered because it created a reusable field comparison rather than a product endorsement.
Using a familiar Mount Baldy route made the ATH Lytes effort more comparable with the prior LMNT session. The useful result was not a claim that one formula caused a specific physiological mechanism. The useful result was narrower: on the observed days, Mike experienced steadier subjective rhythm and a faster finish with LMNT, while the ATH session required more of the available mix and felt less consistent.
That evidence changed a personal decision: LMNT became the preferred option for Mike’s harder summit days. The experiment also established a TrailGenic rule that now governs product reviews: record the field observation, separate it from inference, state the limits, and repeat before turning a result into a pattern.