Not Injecting Insulin While Backpacking in New Zealand

Getting out in nature away from people always brings me peace and joy. When I have to carry 25 lbs. on my back while seeking this peace and joy, it makes it a bit more challenging to find. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely enjoy the trek, it’s just much more difficult than hiking with 2 lbs. on my back.

Where I Find my Peace and Joy

One of my favorite places to get out into nature is in New Zealand. The first time I was there in 2018, my brother and I did one of their Great Walks, which are multi day “premier tracks that pass through diverse and spectacular scenery.” We decided on one of the Great Walks on the South Island, the Routeburn Track. It’s a three-day, two-night backpacking trip, and it’s one of our Airbnb host’s favorite of the Great Walks.

Physical Activity Usually Makes my Number go Low

Walking and hiking are activities that make my blood sugar number drop. I was planning on not injecting for breakfast, just in case. Until I knew what would happen to my blood sugar number, I would try to make sure I wouldn’t go low. Just to be cautious, I would start the trip with a slightly high number. 

This was the first time I backpacked with a continuous glucose monitor, which would make monitoring my blood sugar a lot easier. It wouldn’t require me to stop and take off my backpack, pull out my glucose meter, and check my number. And I was very happy about this! I just had to take the receiver out of my pocket, press a button, and boom I knew my number.

Stop Injecting Insulin

In order to keep my blood sugar on the high side, I went through with my plan and didn’t inject for breakfast. I monitored my blood sugar number closely, just in case my number went too high and I needed to inject. But my number never went high. So, at lunch I didn’t inject any insulin either, and my number still didn’t go high. I found out that I didn’t need to inject my fast-acting insulin for breakfast or lunch while backpacking. Hiking around 8 miles a day with a 25 lb. backpack while taking my long-acting insulin, was enough to keep my sugar levels within range.

It was amazing! I did have to inject for dinner, but this was the least amount of insulin I’ve ever injected in a day. (I mean, I probably used less insulin as a child when I was first diagnosed. But I don’t remember anything about my insulin levels as a child.) In my normal non-vacation life, I can’t hike all day long to keep my number within range. When I was done backpacking, I would have to go back to injecting fast acting insulin for breakfast and lunch.

Please read my disclaimer and talk to your doctor before you do anything like this. Just because it worked for me, doesn’t mean it will work for you.

Beautiful Scenery and No Diabetes Issues

Other than this change in insulin during backpacking, there wasn’t anything else diabetes wise that occurred on this trek. Nature wise, it was absolutely beautiful! I can understand why our Airbnb host’s favorite Great Walk is this one. It had it all! Mountains, blue lakes, waterfalls, beautiful flower filled hillsides, trees, and birds.

One of the smart things my brother and I made for this trip was which way to walk the trail. You’re able to hike the path in either direction. Just make sure your transportation drop off and pick up matches the direction you choose. The way we hiked the trail made it so our last day only had about two hours of hiking. Our first and second days had about eight hours of hiking. On our last day we were able to sleep in a little bit and have an easier day. 

We did have to meet our shuttle in the early afternoon, so we couldn’t have too slow a morning, but it was an easier morning than our first two. Our last day was the first day I had to inject for breakfast and lunch again. I had two days of not injecting for my first two meals of the day. It was short-lived, but glorious.

How to Get More Hiking in my Life

This trek just made me want to come back home after my vacation and hike all day and stop working. Unfortunately, there aren’t a lot of paying jobs that allow you to hike all day, but I can dream!

There were a couple other days during this trip where my brother and I had all day hikes, and I did use less insulin on those days as well. Stay tuned for a blog post about backpacking again in New Zealand in 2024. Will my diabetes act the same, or will it be different?