Looking for advice and hiking partner(s) with Type 2 diabetes.

[Logdad]

7/16/13 Really miss being out in the woods and I am trying to get back on the trails. Need advice on planning, exercise, and proper food choices to be safe & healthy. Would like to find people in the Staunton, Harrisonburg, Waynesboro area who can handle doing some low miles at first, then building up. - Logdad

[Siestita]

Logdad--You may simply need a slow, low miles hiking partner, someone who does not necessarily have diabetes, or perhaps you could develop the confidence needed to go out solo. Obviously, each person's diabetes (and other health conditions) can differ greatly from those of others. Advise from me and other posters should not substitute for conversations that you have with your doctor. But, for what its worth, here's what my personal experiences with diabetes and backpacking have been.

Fourteen years ago, at about the ago that you are now, I was diagnosed with type II diabetes, the "gradual onset" version of the disease. It was detected early, jolting me to make some day-to-day dietary changes in response to the diagnosis. For me, losing (or at least not gaining) weight, staying active, and taking several oral medications have succeeded, most of the time, in keeping my blood sugar under reasonably good control.

Last week my doctor and I were both pleased when my H1C was just 6.6. Last winter, after a period of less activity and less conscious eating, it had unfortunately risen to 7.6. My fasting glucose readings, taken at home on recent mornings have also been good. Increased exercise, including a week of solo backpacking in Virginia's Grayson Highlands in early July's rain, has helped me lower somewhat both my weight and my H1C.

For me, neither my diabetes nor the three medications that I currently take to control it (Actos, Metformin, Trajenta) have ever (as best I can tell) caused me to have hypoglycemia--problematically low blood sugar. So, my concern is simply to keep average blood sugar levels from rising and thus damaging, over the course of months and years, my blood vessels, heart, nerves, kidneys, eyes, and immune system.

Having diabetes has not prevented me from taking any backpacking trips, nor has it affected how I conduct those adventures. There may not be any relationship between diabetes and hiking speed. By temperament, and perhaps as the result of having had polio as a child, I have always hiked more slowly than have most other people my own age. So, about one mile per hour is typically my trail pace these days. Very low mileage days don't win me any speed contests, but they nonetheless provide me with much more exercise than I would getting sitting here at home.

Life consists of trade-offs. I usually backpack solo, fully aware that if by chance I suddenly have a heart attack or stroke out in the woods (or driving on the Interstate alone, going to a trail head or elsewhere) my odds of recovering would not be as good as would be the case if I were somewhere in the company of others at a place possessing convenient hospital or EMS availability. I accept that risk for two reasons: (1) I really like backpacking; and (2) I believe the benefits that I receive from backpacking help sustain my health, potentially extending my life. Also, when going solo I typically take some precautions, leaving an itinerary at home (my wife insists on that), and generally venturing along paths that others also use, at least occasionally.

My trail diet has not changed in response to having diabetes. Just as I did previously, I continue to eat snacks regularly while hiking throughout the day, instead of stopping for a large lunch. I eat considerably more calories at breakfast on the trail, compared to back at home, knowing that I'll be burning them up all day long. My trail dinner is typically 800 to 1200 calories, often consisting of one Liptons/Knorrs pasta or rice packet made with olive oil, a foil packet of tuna, salmon, or chicken, and separately a hot drink. There is much more carbohydrate in that dinner than what I usually eat at a single meal at home these days. But, without all those dinner calories I'd probably be hungry over night and insufficiently powered the following day. I've not yet tested my blood sugar after consuming one of my back country dinners. I imagine the sugar level spikes and but then comes down as fuel reserves that were used to keep me moving earlier in the day are partially replenished. At the end of each trip of a week or more I always weigh several pounds less than had been the case before hand.

Both us diabetics, and everyone else who needs to control his or her weight, potentially faces a challenge immediately after a trip--abruptly switching from eating large quantities of high fat, high sugar delights to resuming healthier "back home" eating habits. Lately I've been getting better at making that transition quickly.

[speedbump]

Very strange, I was just about to post a diabetic question also. What to eat !!? Anyone ever thru with diet controlled diabetes ? What did you eat/bring ?

[Logdad]

Logdad--You may simply need a slow, low miles hiking partner, someone who does not necessarily have diabetes, or perhaps you could develop the confidence needed to go out solo. Obviously, each person's diabetes (and other health conditions) can differ greatly from those of others. Advise from me and other posters should not substitute for conversations that you have with your doctor. But, for what its worth, here's what my personal experiences with diabetes and backpacking have been.

Fourteen years ago, at about the ago that you are now, I was diagnosed with type II diabetes, the "gradual onset" version of the disease. It was detected early, jolting me to make some day-to-day dietary changes in response to the diagnosis. For me, losing (or at least not gaining) weight, staying active, and taking several oral medications have succeeded, most of the time, in keeping my blood sugar under reasonably good control.

Last week my doctor and I were both pleased when my H1C was just 6.6. Last winter, after a period of less activity and less conscious eating, it had unfortunately risen to 7.6. My fasting glucose readings, taken at home on recent mornings have also been good. Increased exercise, including a week of solo backpacking in Virginia's Grayson Highlands in early July's rain, has helped me lower somewhat both my weight and my H1C.

For me, neither my diabetes nor the three medications that I currently take to control it (Actos, Metformin, Trajenta) has ever (as best I can tell) caused me to have hypoglycemia--problematically low blood sugar. So, my concern is simply to keep average blood sugar levels from rising and thus damaging, over the course of months and years, my blood vessels, heart, nerves, kidneys, eyes, and immune system.

Having diabetes has not prevented me from taking any backpacking trips, nor has it affected how I conduct those adventures. There may not be any relationship between diabetes and hiking speed. By temperament, and perhaps as the result of having had polio as a child, I have always hiked more slowly than have most other people my own age. So, about one mile per hour is typically my trail pace these days. Very low mileage days don't win me any speed contests, but they nonetheless provide me with much more exercise than I would getting sitting here at home.

Life consists of trade-offs. I usually backpack solo, fully aware that if by chance I suddenly have a heart attack or stroke out in the woods (or driving on the Interstate alone, going to a trail head or elsewhere) my odds of recovering would not be as good as would be the case if I were somewhere in the company of others at a place possessing convenient hospital or EMS availability. I accept that risk for two reasons: (1) I really like backpacking; and (2) I believe the benefits that I receive from backpacking help sustain my health, potentially extending my life. Also, when going solo I typically take some precautions, leaving an itinerary at home (my wife insists on that), and generally venturing along paths that others also use, at least occasionally.

My trail diet has not changed in response to having diabetes. Just as I did previously, I continue to eat snacks regularly while hiking throughout the day, instead of stopping for a large lunch. I eat considerably more calories at breakfast on the trail, compared to back at home, knowing that I'll be burning them up all day long. My trail dinner is typically 800 to 1200 calories, often consisting of one Liptons/Knorrs pasta or rice packet made with olive oil, a foil packet of tuna, salmon, or chicken, and separately a hot drink. There is much more carbohydrate in that dinner than what I usually eat at a single meal at home these days. But, without all those dinner calories I'd probably be hungry over night and insufficiently powered the following day. I've not yet tested my blood sugar after consuming one of my back country dinners. I imagine the sugar level spikes and but then comes down as fuel reserves that were used to keep me moving earlier in the day are partially replenished. At the end of each trip of a week or more I always weigh several pounds less than had been the case before hand.

Both us diabetics, and everyone else who needs to control his or her weight, potentially faces a challenge immediately after a trip--abruptly switching from eating large quantities of high fat, high sugar delights to resuming healthier "back home" eating habits. Lately I've been getting better at making that transition quickly.


I know what you mean, I've always enjoyed going out on solo trips and just taking my time. The problem I have now is that my wife is scared that something may happen to me with now help readily available. Guess I should try some short weekend trips close by and see how things go. Live in the Shenandoah Valley, within 25 miles of Shenandoah National Park, so I can plan low risk short hikes to train and adapt agendas. Would be interested in what other food and menu choices you find work well,Thanks.

[Siestita]

Hopefully we'll get some helpful suggestions here from white blazers who in their off trail lives provide treatment to diabetics. I can only relate my own experiences as a patient, contrasting them with those of an immediate family member whose disease is already considerably more advanced than mine is.

I suspect that for us diabetic backpackers, the key distinction is between two groups: (A) those who are instructed to adjust the quantities of medication that they take (insulin and/or other substances) several times a day in response to changing blood sugar levels; and (B) people who are able to control their diabetes entirely with diet and exercise, or to do so by additionally consuming oral medications that produce relatively predictable effects. So far I am part of category "B", so I have not yet had to worry about my diabetes medications causing me to experience excessively low blood sugar/hypoglycemia. Therefore, my experiences may not necessarily be pertinent to hikers in category "A", for whom managing blood sugar levels is more challenging.

I think we diabetics face two nutritional challenges that all other backpackers also confront:

Challenge #1 -- Getting enough calories to stay energized while being much more active than we would be at home. For long distance walkers, including thru hikers, staying energized and avoiding excessive weight loss, can be problematical.

Challenge #2 -- Spreading out our food consumption over time, to stay energized all day long.

Perhaps "Challenge #2" matters even more to those of us who are diabetic than it does to others. A typical backpacker diet consists of a large breakfast, steady snacking throughout the day, and then a HUGE calorie intensive evening meal (for example, a box of Mac and Cheese,or an entire Knorrs/Lipton rice or pasta side). In some respects, this pattern makes sense. Periods of inactivity or sleep are good times for the body to digest large meals. Also, when a hiker's body is functioning properly, in healthy non-diabetic fashion, the carbohydrates from that large evening meal are removed from the blood stream fairly quickly, replenishing energy reserves that were used up earlier that day.

Those of us who are diabetic are, however, counseled by physicians and nutritionists to avoid consuming large quantities of calories/carbs at any one meal. So, perhaps I should try to consume even more complex carbs and sugars as I hike throughout the day, before eating a bit less supper. One way that I could easily get more "all day long" carbs" would be to drink some sugary beverages from my water bottle. I've used both powdered Gatoraid and also a delicious powdered mango drink (Hispanic section of supermarkets) for this purpose. Interestingly, I first tried consuming those high sugar drinks while hiking up at around 10,000 feet in California's Sierras. Altitude can suppress hikers' appetites, making consumption of sufficient calories challenging.

My personal bottom line: I may try drinking a liter of sugary water (Gatoraid or mango) as part of each day's hike during my next trip, to compensate for consuming slightly less gargantuan suppers. I may also, for the very first time, carry along my glucose meter. Lately I've been checking my "fasting" early morning sugar level about twice a week at home. Doing that occasionally on the trail might be also be enlightening.

[Siestita]

For sedentary off-trail life, healthy eating for me means consuming substantial quantities of tasty, fresh, fiber rich vegetables and fruits. If I ate that way on the trail my pack would be much heavier than it has recently been. So, on trips I consume mostly calorie intense complex carbohydrates, sugars, and fats. I also get a bit of fiber (for digestive health) by including as part of my breakfast a fist full of dried fruit that I've re-hydrated in water bottle over night. And, I eat a few fiber laden raisins, in GORP/trail mix. Generally though, while I'm on the trail I don't try to satiate my appetite by eating filling but low calorie stuff. My trail diet differs greatly from what I consume at home.