Not Storing Glucose in Your Tent in Bear Country
You know the best time to visit Yosemite National Park? Most people, and the internet, would say late spring and early fall. But for my friend and I, we would say the wintertime! It takes me preparation and planning, but it’s nice and cold and snowy, and hopefully with less bears. And of course, less people, which I am always a fan of when camping and being outside.
Welcome to Yosemite
When we arrived, we went to find a campsite. Because it was winter and not many people camp in the winter, we didn’t reserve a campground beforehand. There were plenty of campsites available. We chose one and set up our tents and started to store some of our food in the bear box.
Shortly after setting up camp, we found a park ranger. They shared important camp information, safety information, area and road closures, bear management, and more. One of the most valuable pieces of information was food storage rules regarding bears, and how to safely camp in bear country.
Even if the bears should be hibernating in the winter, when we were there, they still want you to make sure all food, sunscreen, and anything scented is stored in the bear box. Nothing should be kept or stored in the tent with you.
Prepping Camp for Bears
This is when I had a mini freak out. I always sleep with glucose tablets and/or capris suns just in case my blood sugar number goes low. Because of the bear potential I couldn’t do this, and I didn’t like it. Because as you know from my Travel Tips and Packing List post, I always pack plenty of glucose when traveling.
I talked with my friend about it. He was very insistent that I don’t have anything in my tent, not even chapstick. Not going to lie, it took me awhile to calm down and be okay with this. It was only when my friend agreed to get up in the middle of the night and/or in the morning to get glucose if needed.
Bear Fun Fact: you can’t leave anything in your car either. Everything must be kept in the bear box. Bears can and do break into locked cars to get something inside. The rangers had multiple pictures of a car after a bear had ripped into it.
How do I Safely Camp in Bear Country?
Learning this has made me not want to go camping in bear country when bears are more active. I would love to camp and backpack in bear country because it’s so beautiful in those areas. But I’m worried about having to hang all the food up and not having easy access to glucose at night.
I know there are ways I can safely go camping in bear country in areas that don’t have bear boxes. I just need to find some friends who have plenty of experience camping in bear country, and go with them. They’ll know all the tips and tricks for storing food safely and help get me glucose if needed.
Time to Hit the Slopes
On the first full day in Yosemite, we went to the small ski slopes for the day. I hadn’t been skiing for a few years, so it was nice to start back on a small slope. Most of the trails were relatively easy. It was something that I liked, but I think my friend wished there were a few more difficult trails.
As much fun as skiing is, it’s also a lot of physical activity. And physical activity is something that can make my blood sugar number drop. At the time I wasn’t wearing a continuous glucose monitor, so I would have to stop and pull out my glucose meter to check my number. It’s annoying but it must be done. And if you don’t have large enough coat pockets you have to leave it at the ski lodge and come back every hour or so to check.
Luckily for me the ski slope was small, so it was easy to come back to the lodge and check. I don’t remember if I went low during skiing, but I do remember there weren’t any emergencies. Phew!
Crash and Burn
The only terrible thing that happened on the slopes was when I got too confident and tried the bottom half of a black diamond slope. (Their black diamond slopes are not comparable to other slopes black diamonds. This one was easier, but still difficult for me.) I made it most of the way down and then crashed and burned. My friend was at the bottom and watched the whole thing. I managed to get myself back up and very cautiously made my way down the rest of the slope. When I reached the bottom, I saw my friend laughing at me.
Let’s go Snowshoeing
The second day we went on a snowshoeing trek. I had never been snowshoeing before and was excited to try. My friend had gone multiple times and even owned his own pair of snowshoes. (It’s fine, I wasn’t jealous or anything.)
It was going to take a good portion of the day. An out and back trek with a lunch stop at the turn around point. This was another day full of physical activity. It was so much physical activity that even though the ground was covered in snow and it was freezing outside I got so hot I ended up taking off all my layers and snowshoed in a short sleeve shirt. It’s easier to stop and check my blood sugar number snowshoeing than it is while skiing. I would preemptively take glucose tablets if I noticed that my blood sugar number was trending low and/or was around 100.
Why You Should Always Pack a Ziplock Bag
As much fun as snowshoeing and camping are, sometimes it can be challenging when you’re on your period. I know this isn’t about diabetes, but it is something that women have to deal with. When you’re out in the snow without any bathroom or trash can, how do you change your tampon or pad? What do you do with the used one?
Well, that’s when a ziplock bag comes in handy. You can keep things clean in them or you can use them as a sealable trash bag. They can also be used to put your insulin and needles inside a cooler. They will stay clean and dry if any of the ice melts or you happen to drop it in the snow.
Another Successful Trip!
This winter camping trip to Yosemite was a success! No bears snooping around, no diabetic emergencies, beautiful scenery, and fun snow activities. I’ve tried to go back to do another winter camping trip, but the trip was cancelled due to snow closing all the roads in the park. I’ll just have to try again. And who knows, maybe I’ll go in the spring or summer when there’s a higher potential for bears.
