Our tiny home “commute”

Back out west, back on the road!

It’s always harder to come back out west to our tiny home from the east coast-losing time in the air and re-acclimating to a small space all contribute to the challenge. To some, the idea of flying back and forth across the country all the time and working on the fly may seem desirable. I wouldn’t call it unappealing-but it definitely comes with certain sacrifices and challenges. I am thankful to be working for myself though-check out my freelance media work if you have a small business and need help getting your name out there!

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Climbing Cowboy Ridge in Zion National Park

(Part 1) Testing the keto diet on a recon hike

I’ve spent a lot of time in Zion National Park over the last few years and it’s no secret that the climbing here is outside my comfort zone. Maybe that’s why I keep coming back-because there are “easy” climbs like Cowboy Ridge that have mocked me from afar. It’s a 5.7 filled with route-finding, loose rock and lots of elevation gain. It’s a long day and it’s far from civilized comforts should poor planning or blood sugar fluctuations interfere. It’s not the dark side of the moon, but it’s more involved than lowering down off a single pitch climb and ‘calling it a day’. Maybe this is part of getting back into the swing of things, but I’ve been more intimidated by this “loose end” than I’d like to admit, so I decided to tie it off ASAP.

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Zion climbing and hiking

welcome to "Type 1" fun

Zion climbing and hiking is always fun-even when it’s not. But let me clarify that statement because there are two types of fun. That’s right, I wasn’t just making a pun about my type 1 diabetes. Type 1 fun is enjoyable in the moment. It feels fun. Type 2 fun on the other hand just doesn’t. One of my favorite quotes (I believe attributed to either John Long or Jim Bridwell) is “It doesn’t have to be fun to be fun“. Type 2 fun is more enjoyable when it’s over and you’ve survived. Or healed. Or cleaned your soiled underwear. The beauty is that there is a choice to have fun which circumstances can’t take away. Seems like this might apply to Type 1, too.

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Make time for adventure

reflections on 17 years of type 1

My 17th “diaversary” or anniversary of my type 1 diabetes diagnosis (January 16th, 1999) is an occasion that I enjoy recognizing. I like to think that I am “outliving” this condition because if it “gets me” in the end, I will be able to guarantee that I was, at the least, not easy prey. It’s been a constant reminder that I must make time for adventure -because time is limited. Morbid, perhaps, but that’s a thought that goes through my head literally every day at multiple points. That’s probably why in recent years my two biggest adventures have kicked off around this time in the winter when sane people are sipping coffee and planning summer vacations. Continue Reading →

New tweaks to the keto diet and updates to the vlog

In the last week or so I have been forced to reckon with the fact that my cholesterol is high and the keto diet that has enabled me to dial in my blood sugar-may be the culprit that is creating chaos in a different area of my bloodwork. Since I ultimately may have to choose between the lesser of two evils, I have decided to tweak my ketogenic diet to see if my elevated cholesterol may be due to specific items within this diet rather than the entire way of eating. Here are the steps that I have taken:

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What’s new on our YouTube channel?

A lot, actually! In preparation for the upcoming launch of the AdventureRx tour in 2016 (otherwise known as my families life on the road) it seems to make sense to start building in a more visual component to what we have going on here. During Project365 we made short videos and took lots of photos which ultimately led up to the full documentary. The upcoming journey is a little less structured and has fewer specific goals at the start. It’s going to change moment to moment and the ways in which we share that process will have to be able to accommodate that. Thus, YouTube!

I am hoping to continue the podcast and blogs while adding in short videos that will tell the stories of our lives on the road, the places we bring diabetes, the people we meet and the adventures we have. It’s not unlikely that some climbing specific projects will crop up along the way too-and I’d much rather knock off a bunch of shorts than sit at a desk for 9 months to make a documentary. So if you’re into this idea, give our videos a watch, a share and subscribe to our channel! I will be cross-posting videos to the blog periodically too because I know that many people only read the blog and don’t want to seek out additional channels like YouTube.

Below: My Dexcom taping method-I know I have read about 100 different variations but I can never make sense of the directions so I figured a video could simplify it and help others secure their sensors for a longer time-I apologize that you have to see a bit of my exposed “hock” in this particular work-I guess it’s all part of being edgy…

Also, for World Diabetes Day, our creative director Blake McCord put together a new trailer for the Wind River Project which we have been working on for the last several months and it is nearing completion.

Type 1 diabetes is what we make of it and this is our take. That’s always been the point of making something…different. The fact that we CAN take that liberty of expression and self-actualization is in itself significant.

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Love this? Hate it? Let me know in the comments or via email! ([email protected])

LivingVertical thrives because of YOU. I (Steve) personally appreciate the fact that you are part of our growing community of active and adventurous people with diabetes.