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nsherry61
12-24-2017, 11:12
Has anyone here, or does anyone know of anyone who has completed a major thru-hike with Type-1 diabetes?

I know we have some threads on WB talking about it, but, I am unaware of anyone that has actually followed through and completed a thru-hike with it.

My son is looking to take next year off as a gap year in school and is planning on hiking the PCT starting the end of May. He has type-1 diabetes and is on an insulin pump. I love the idea of this adventure for him and would love to touch base with anyone else that has completed such a feat.

We have done plenty of backpacking and have managed his diabetes effectively through most (but surely not all) of the issues that would likely come up while backpacking.

I can't imagine that my son would be the first person to complete the PCT with Type-1 diabetes (if he does), but, I don't know who has. And, it would be interesting and fun to find out who and how many people have tried and how many have succeeded.

Thanks, in advance, for any thoughts any of you have on this.

RockDoc
12-24-2017, 17:45
I know a very active type-1 person (not a thru hiker however) who favors a low carb diet. This may be a challenge since conventional hiker diets appear to be about 110% carbs, otherwise known as "diabetes starter kit".

kybaechtel
12-25-2017, 08:30
In 2014, I hiked the Wicklow Way, Part of the Dingle Way in Ireland, then on to Scotland. There I did the West Highland Way, and The Great Glen Way in the space of three months. I'm on a Medtronics Mini Med pump Type 1. Its really not that difficult and my Humalog usage was minimal due to the carb burning hike. I'd be glad to answer any questions anyone might have.
Rick

nsherry61
12-25-2017, 12:00
Mostly I'm interested in finding out what issues we might run across that I haven't thought about or tips/ideas on how to do things that make things easier.

- We've done lots of backpacking and camping since diagnosis 12 years ago.
- We've had pump failure (flooded pump canoeing) and had to switch to MDI for a few days which was fine and old hat by then.
- We've dealt with summer desert condition for a day or two where we had to keep insulin in a Frio wallet and may have wrapped a wet bandanna around his pump to keep the insulin in it cool, but I don't remember for certain how we dealt with the heat and any tips would be useful.
- We've spend time skiing and snowshoeing where we make sure his pump and pump tube are under his clothing to stay warm and any back-up insulin is also kept inside clothing. But again, any ideas on further problems to avoid or other techniques would be useful.

- We haven't figured out a way to reliably test blood sugar below about 40 degrees where, even if the meter, strips, and his fingers are warm, the meters (all the ones we've ever tried) all read dangerously low when he's not. All the meter companies suggest this shouldn't be a problem, but it consistently is. Several years ago we spent some time talking to a guy that was the first person to ever summit Mt Everest with Type-1. In the last days before reaching the summit, even though he figured out ways to manage his insulin, he was unable to reliably test his blood and so he just guessed for the last three days of his climb - damn scary. My son did figure out, just a few days ago, that if he pulled in arms and hands inside his coat, pulled his face down inside to see what he was doing, he got BG numbers that were at least reasonable, if not fully accurate. Being on a Minimed with a CGM should also help (we assume) in cold weather, although since really cold weather has hit, he hasn't been using his CGM sensors, damn kids!

- Probably more than anything else, we'd be interested in insights into issues that may arise, or tricks to avoid issues with insulin resupplies.

- I assume resupply would be best with expedited shipping after my son can verify his arrival date at any given location to within a day. Maybe an InReach satellite communicator to enable reliable communication for this?

- Any other issues to think about and address?

- Finally, if my son would be the first person to complete the PCT with Type-1, (again, I'd be surprised if that is the case) it would be fun to find out and might be worth some sponsorship to help him fund his hike.

TX Aggie
12-26-2017, 10:19
Wish I could lend a little more insight into your planning, but for now I’ll simply wish your son the best of luck and hope he’s able to complete his thru. I think you’re in the right track with planning for this, it sounds like the physical part shouldn’t be an issue for him, but more the logistics of handling his insulin. The only recommendation I would have is to use an InReach, but it sounds like you’ve already got that covered.
If he hasn’t already, has he considered doing a VLOG of his hike? I know I will use be interested, and it I could see it being very motivating for others with Type I diabetes.

nsherry61
12-26-2017, 11:44
. . . If he hasn’t already, has he considered doing a VLOG of his hike? I know I will use be interested, and it I could see it being very motivating for others with Type I diabetes.
He is absolutely looking at maintaining a Blog. He even has a tentative name "Pok'n Along" or something along those lines. But for a VLOG, the whole video editing issue, to provide content that isn't just wondering monologue, but a focused and interesting use of the viewers' time, is a daunting concern and probably more than my son is interested in trying to manage while on the trail, and also more than anyone in our family is ready to take on. On the other hand, taking video is fairly easy, so I'm sure we will come up with at least some video content, but probably more focus on written and still photo content unless we come across an enthusiastic video editor.

kybaechtel
01-05-2018, 13:04
The key is getting his basal rate/rates correct.I found myself not even taking boluses, and having to frequently checking BS to keep from falling under 80 or so. Unless he is really loading up on carbs, his hiking will burn up what he eats. You can never check your BG too often. I carried a lot of test strips and checked mine 6-8 times a day. Also, I never had to refrigerate my Humalog. Temps over there never exceeded 60F or so. Have his Dr. set several basal rates, and throughly explain their differences. It really isn't rocket science. I only hit a low once in 3 months, and quickly gulped down some carbs.
Hope he has a great hike!
Rick

Knee Jerk
01-06-2018, 15:20
I'm T2. insulin-dependent and quite active (when it isn't minus 5 outside) and rely upon plenty of snacks and glucose tabs in an emergency to keep me going.

Some information here: http://www.rainforesttreks.com/diabetes.asp#carbohydrates

2NewKnees
01-11-2018, 21:58
I'd like to hear how it goes for your son. My son is T1 also. Diagnosed at age 7, he's 12 now. He uses the Omnipod and a CGM. But, going backpacking has been something he's not sure of yet.

nsherry61
01-11-2018, 23:55
I'd like to hear how it goes for your son. My son is T1 also. . . backpacking has been something he's not sure of yet.
Well, today we spend $500 for gear for my son and his girlfriend.
He is working to put together a blog to share his experiences. I will post more when there is more to share.

As for backpacking with T1, we've done quite a bit and had a lot of fun and very few problems. I would love to encourage you and your son as much as possible. It is important to be comfortable switching to multiple daily injections so that no matter what electronic failures you might have, you can be confident you can keep going without too much added stress. Of course, that also means carrying a vial of Lantus and injection devices and backup meters (of course). If you're not comfortable making the switch to MDI, I suggest planning a pump vacation in the near future when you have time and energy to work through making MDI work for you and your son probably including detailed log keeping if you aren't already. We always make sure we have basic supplies in two different backpacks so if something happens to one, we can get by with the other. . . other than river crossings, I'm not really sure how much risk there really for loosing a backpack.

Also, as noted above, insulin doses, both basal and bolus tend to drop by 50% to 75% so spending time hiking and learning what your son's response will be is helpful so you are not fighting lows all day every day of a longer trip. The CGM should help, but, as you know it will still take some experimentation - i.e. an excuse of more longer day hikes and shorter over night trips where you can be patient and feed lows, as needed, in comfort along the way, and maybe some back-yard camping to make sure you've worked out the details of set changes etc. in the outdoors.

Sounds like a great parent/child project to me.

2NewKnees
01-12-2018, 13:31
He's used to MDI when his pod fails. So, that's not too much of an issue anymore. Thanks for the advice and we will definitely do some more short overnight trips this spring and winter. Thinking about an easy trip to Uhwarrie or the Neusiok in Feb.

nsherry61
01-20-2018, 22:09
FYI: For anyone interested, my son just posted his first blog entry about hiking the PCT with type-1 diabetes (http://box5312.temp.domains/~pokinalo/home/).