And remember to take some glucose tabs or fast acting carbos with you, just in case all that backpacking/hiking drives you too low. I've found myself out on 4 mile walks without any candy or glucose and by the time I got back was feeling pretty dizzy and shaky. Now I take some sort of fast acting carbo along and halfway through the walk will eat or suck on that and then I'm fine. Mark

I do not agree that lowcarb is "unsustainable." Otherwise eskimos and others could never have done the endurance things they did. I can hike the same mileage (15-20 mi/day) that I did when I was 25. The difference is, then I was taking diabinase, and had to stop every 45 minutes and eat dried fruit or orange juice or whatever. And like one to the posters here, would get weak and shaky. Now my diet is approx. 80 % fat, 15% protein, 5% carb...both at home and on the trail. And I can walk 4 or 5 hours if necessary...get hungry, but not hypo or shaky, if you see the dif. I pass the same spots where I used to "eat the shakes away." David's Response: I should not have written that a low carb diet was unsustainable, Old Bill. You are right. Indeed, you and some others, most particularly Dr. Richard K. Bernstein, can indeed stay on a low carb diet. I should have written that a low carb diet is hard for most -- but not all -- people to stay on.

I've been backpacking & hiking long distances with Type-1 diabetes for years now, and have enjoyed reading others' perspectives on the trials & rewards of hiking for the Diabetic (including your article posted here). However, given the high demands of the treks I tend to undertake (multiple weeks at a time, solo through remote country in Alaska, British Columbia, Washington, Oregon & Colorado), I found that most the common tidbits of advice ("pack glucose tabs, check your blood sugar often") were useful, but wholly incomplete for the types of treks I undertook. For years, I found dealing with my condition a frustrating battle.

 

Over multiple years, through a lot of trial & error (as well as speaking with other diabetic hikers online), I've finally worked out a system of insulin doses & diet that have helped me kick the old demons of constant low blood sugars and unending snacks I found necessary under strenuous conditions. I'd enjoy hearing your feedback. Those who hope to venture far beyond the pavement to places where most don't go, I hope they'll give it a read. Some of my methods may seem a bit unorthodox, but it's what I've found necessary on extended rigorous treks where I might burn up to 4-6,000 calories a day (losing up to 12 pounds in a single trip).

 

My website is called RainForestTreks, with the Diabetes page located here:

 

http://www.rainforesttreks.com/diabetes.asp

 

Don't be afraid to contact me if you have suggestions, additions or gripes about the advice I offer (I wholly hope you do, actually). My e-mail address is on the website (under "Contact Me"). I wish you the best, and I hope to keep fighting the good fight... trying to prove there's nothing out there that a Diabetic can't do with a bit of planning & a healthy dose of willpower. It's one of the things I feel most passionately about.

 

Best to you,

 

- Mike

www.RainforestTreks.com