Diabetic Camping

[Gold Winger]

I can't speak to about Type II but being a Type I diabetic is a game of balance. Activity/food/insulin.

 

I eat just about anything that I want but I've learned to adjust my insulin doses to compensate for food and activity.

 

At Philmont I just ate whatever was served but I did hoard my cookies to treat lows because I ran out of Life Savers. The key was frequent testing. I was testing six or seven times a day. Two units here, two units there. A couple cookies here, a couple cookies there. I was good.

 

Philmont recommends that you keep your rescue candy in your boot with a sock over it. Bears don't like the smell of socks and will leave you alone.

 

For just about everything but hiking, a low carb diet works best for me. I eat the chili but not the cornbread. I eat the burger but not the bun.

 

Climbing a 700 foot high hill with a 50 lb pack takes a lot of energy and carbs are needed.