Hi! I’m Paul.
I’m a type 1 diabetic.
Diagnosed in 1986, way back in a world where diabetes was explained to me as a serious chronic condition that needed the utmost care and control.

This was a time before CGM’s. Pens and pumps were in their infancy, and just coming to market.

At that time, the newest blood glucose tester was the Reflolux II where blood had to sit on a test trip for 60 seconds, then wipe off the blood and insert the strip into the machine and wait another 60 seconds before you’d get the reading.

I was 15 when I was diagnosed and introduced to this technology, and needless to say, stoked!!! I had to have it. (By the way, my parents got it for me) but as a 15 year old, and into tech and gadgets, I have always wanted the latest new tech-thing.

I felt alone with this illness when I was diagnosed. I didn’t know there was a whole community of diabetics out there in the world that felt the same.
I was disappointed I’m myself.
I was burnt out with diabetes within a few years.
Some days I wouldn’t even test my blood sugar.
Sometimes those few days went to a few weeks.
There was a time I didn’t even test my blood sugar for a few months.
I was in serious denial.
Perhaps I thought if I ignore the illness it wouldn’t be there.
But it was.
There was no one to encourage me. No one to speak to me about diabetes.
…. Except doctors.
Who would only scald me for not taking better care of myself.
I was made to feel bad… And then sent on my way, feeling guilty.
For the next few days, I would test more, treat myself better, take my diabetes management seriously… Then fall back into the same burn out, maybe it was a form of depression?
Then… The cycle would begin again.

That was years ago.
I’m a much better diabetic now.

It was about 2010 that I began doing a lot more outdoors driven activities, longer hikes, climbing outdoors, and signing up for the odd 5k run. Fun stuff, but not easy stuff (at least that’s what I thought)

I noticed things changing with me when I was engaging in activities outdoors. I was no longer depressed, and felt that old type one burn out diminishing.

These weren’t easy times. I was wildly unfit, and I weighed the heaviest I had in my whole life. But I had this attraction to the outdoors that I couldn’t shake. More camping trips came about, more climbing excursions out in the desert and in the mountains, more kayaking and snorkeling in the ocean, more and more of these activities filtered into my lifestyle, as the stoke for the outdoors intensified, the weight of the “type one burden” was lifted and evaporating from my life.

It was 2012, during the planning of a group hike with 8 friends to summit Mt. Whitney in one day, where I was disappointed at the lack of info available out there for type ones on the how-to’s and the what-if’s when venturing into the backcountry, let alone trying to successfully summit one of the highest mountains on the north American continent. With the help of my Endo,  I did, however manage to wrangle a phone conference with some other mountaineering type ones and medical specialists who had first-hand knowledge of how high altitudes can effect blood sugar, and how to prepare physically before an expedition like this.

I thought, wow, there’s a whole lot of useful info out there for type ones in the outdoors, and I wondered how many other type one’s were in a similar situation. (that summit was successful, by the way 🙂 !!!

Over the years I have summited over 200 peaks in and around California, leading small hiking groups on day hikes, trail runs and outdoors climbs. I went and got my wilderness medicine certification and continue to organize outings but now with more of a focus on the type one adventurer by starting “Type One Outdoors” via social media and web platforms. “Local Treks” is an ongoing meet up thing, local outdoor adventures with outdoorsy type one’s in the greater LA area, with the emphasis on the type one adventurer. It’s not exclusively for just type one’s, in fact, it’s a chance to educate supporters, caregivers, type one friends & family while on the trail about all things T1D, and it’s a great way to connect our common condition with our common stoke for the outdoors.
Plus, I share lots of useful outdoors info about how to get out there, off the grid, safely and with confidence on our local trails and mountain tops.

Fast forward a bit…
2017 was when I launched this website and started an Instagram account, with the hope to showcase how type one diabetics can thrive in outdoors adventure.

The single most important thing a newly diagnosed diabetic should know is there’s a whole community of us diabetics out here with similar stories, there’s answers to questions, there’s tips & tricks, and lots and lots of trial-and-error stories.

There’s only one person who knows their diabetes, and no, it’s not your doctor.

😉

My hope is to inspire all kinds of type ones to get outdoors, to get dusty, to get sun burnt, to get rained on, to get off the grid safely, and with the confidence knowing how to deal with that pesky blood sugar, and all our gadgets, devices, medications, glucose highs and lows and climb out from under that type one burnout and get stoked for adventure in the outdoors!.