BIG D & the Crestones

About a month ago, I started wearing a Continuous Glucose Monitor (CGM), an ingenious device that constantly displays your current blood glucose levels, updated every 5 minutes round the clock wirelessly from a subcutaneous sensor. This is a fairly new technology but one that I’m convinced – in one form or another – will be standard management practice in the near future. 
 

On Saturday 9/8/07, my friend George Durkin and I reached the summit of Beehive Peak via the SW Couloir route. I’d been there once before but this was George’s first summit of the 2nd highest point in the Spanish Peaks area of the Madison Range (10,742 ft / 3274 m).
 

To those of you that missed this year’s MADiDEA event, I’ve got to say - you missed a good one. The aim of this recap is not to rub in all the climbing, biking, summits, lakes, waterfalls, expert medical information, product samples, great food and personal advice that we shared. Rather, it’s to make sure you don’t miss the next MADiDEA symposium!
 

On Sunday July 1st, I made another attempt on a summit that will be a great option for a day hike during our upcoming MADiDEA 2007 Symposium. My previous attempt on this peak last fall was thwarted by snow so the hot recent temperatures called for another try.
 

Liz and I took ourselves off to the west for our final USA hiking trip. We began in Zion National Park, a place we had been itching to visit for years. We had a great day climbing to Angel's Landing, but it was clear that the longer trails on the canyon rim were not going to be much fun in the 100 degF+ heat. It was time to move to higher ground. The campground (Ferber RV Park, Springdale UT) were very good to us, refunding one of the three nights' fees, and we climbed out from Canyon Junction pausing for some drive-by shootings with the camera.
 

One of my most anticipated traditions has become the Annual Weekend-After-Memorial Ski Trip on Beartooth Pass.  On most years, Beartooth Pass - which Charles Kuralt once called "America's most scenic roadway" - opens on Memorial Weekend following a massive snowplowing effort.  What this means to desperate ski junkies suffering from withdraw is this: yet another chance to make some off-season turns with relatively little uphill pain.
 

MADiDEA 2005 was a great success.
 
About thirty people from five different countries gathered September 23, 2005 in the geographic center of Colorado to inspire, motivate, and learn from one another. The key ingredients to success were outstanding attendees, speakers, and weather all mixed together in a spectacular mountain setting where we ran, biked, hiked, fished, scrambled, climbed, and shared our thoughts and ideas about life with diabetes.