Mr. Mazer:
 
Thanks for your response.  I previously added more information about my diabetes in trip reports; however, it seemed as though I was the only one who knew what I was talking about or was even interested in the information.  The relevancy of diabetic beta on this site is more understandable.
 
I think I am one of the last hold-outs on using an insulin pump.  I inject Lantus (Insulin Glargine) at night and NovoLog (Insulin Aspart) for meals.  I generally take 20 units of Lantus each evening and 5-7 units of NovoLog before eating.  My primary concern when hiking, scrambling, or climbing in the backcountry is obviously severe hypoglycemia.  When I know I have a big day ahead of me, I reduce my Lantus dose to 10-12 units the night before and often don’t take any NovoLog on the day of the activity (until I'm back at the trailhead or home and eat a full meal).  My bg levels may on occasion run slightly high during the course of the day, but I have accepted that as reasonable alternative to risking a low blood sugar reaction.  I can confidently say that even with the reduction in insulin levels, I have had way more instances of hypoglycemia than hyperglycemia over my years in the outdoors.  I don’t feel as though I am as diligent in checking my bg levels when I am active as I should be.  However, I’m fairly certain that I can “just tell” when something isn’t right from my experience and life as a diabetic.  I usually check before the day starts and then hopefully again two or three times over the course of the day when it is convenient.  I actually have a bit more difficult time identifying lows because sometimes I feel as though I am simply bonking from the activity rather than a low.  It is on these occasions where I force myself to take a break, check my blood, and refuel.  More often than not, I’m ready to go in 5-10 minutes.  I used to think my partners wouldn’t really want to climb with me because of the liability of diabetes.  As it turns out, I am generally just as capable as most of them, and they love my food bag because I’ve always got tons of sugar to eat!  I generally pack PB&J, lots of fruit snacks, chocolate, and several PowerGel packets.  I stick with water as I found Gatorade and similar drinks really skyrocket my bgs.
 
I’d be interested in hearing from you pumpers the advantages and/or disadvantages of using insulin pump.  I’ve always viewed it as something that could get in the way during an activity, specifically when climbing and always having a backpack on.
 
James