Every camper and staff member carried diabetes management supplies so they would be ready to check blood sugars and make necessary adjustments to their daily regime.  It takes a lot of carbs to make it to the top of Mt. Whitney and many blood glucose checks to stay on top of potential lows!  Rachel had the "stuff" to be successful! 

Throughout the trip during which the teens averaged hiking ten miles a day, the campers learned a tremendous amount not only about diabetes management when doing extreme exercise but also about teamwork, interdependence, independence, leadership, overcoming obstacles, and enjoying success. In the words of Lindsay, one of our Mount Whitney participants,

“Enthusiastically and together, one step at a time, we conquered the trail with smiles and laughter.  By the time we hit the summit of Mt. Whitney at 14,496 feet, we felt powerful.  A fellow camper, who was anxious about the trip when I first met him, exclaimed, ‘We’re invincible!’ All twelve of us learned how interdependence and independence work together.  We needed each other to fulfill certain joint chores efficiently.  At the same time, we had to be independent and able to work alone and act alone in many activities to not burden the group.  We learned and grew, immersed in nature and its beauty, from seeing wild black bears to filtering water from streams of freshly melted Sierra snow.  We had all entered the trail with nervous anticipation.  By the end, none of us wanted to step off the trail. Our consolation was knowing we would carry the experience forever.”