“Pass the jerky,” I coughed out in a voice that would have sounded gruff had it been set two octaves lower. I motioned to my father’s backpack.

“Are you low?” he asked. I nodded. My father sighed a little, air hissing out of his chest. The sound was reminiscent of one of those kneeling buses that deflates to ground level. I circled behind him, unzipped his backpack and pulled out a bag of beef jerky (teriyaki flavor, from Jack Links). As the dust swirled around my freshly made footprints, I seized a piece of the leathery goodness and ate.

I don’t eat beef jerky because it’s macho. I’m not a grizzled cowboy, and I’m certainly no astronaut (apparently, NASA regularly sends beef jerky to the hungry astronauts aboard the International Space Station). Why do I eat beef jerky? Because I’m a diabetic, that’s why!

I was diagnosed with type one diabetes in 2012. While I was able to maintain a tenuous control over my glucose levels at home, vacations were a whole other ballpark. Away from home cooking, my sugar levels skyrocketed. My parents would cringe as they struggled to approximate a carb count for a starchy restaurant meal. It was clear that family vacations would need to become a lot more active. With that in mind, my parents planned out a trip to Arches National Park in Utah. It was my first hiking experience, and I loved it. The huge sandstone monoliths standing sentinel above us, the spires of stone staring across the red desert, the pastel greens of the shrubbery growing in desiccated soil—it was all so beautiful.

Ironically, I started having the opposite struggle that I had earlier. Instead of having to correct perpetually high blood sugars, I started having lows! Searching for a snack that could counteract the constant physical exertion of hiking, I stumbled upon a pack of brown-sugared beef jerky in the hotel general store. I brought the little package of jerky with me on the trail, and found that, to my surprise, it was great at correcting low sugars.

Ever since, I have always brought my trusty beef jerky with me whenever I went hiking. And as my number of visited national parks increased, my portfolio of meat snacks increased in equal measure. Although beef jerky is still my staple hiking snack, I have dabbled with jerkies from more exotic species. I’ve eaten buffalo jerky, antelope jerky, deer jerky, turkey jerky, and even a pack of chicken jerky (It’s surprisingly good!). No matter what animal it’s made from, jerky has never failed to provide a savory energy booster whenever I hit the trail.

Another great thing about jerky? The fact that my classmates are all disgusted by it! I’m serious, the fact that no one else ever wants to eat my jerky makes treating lows at school much easier than if I used sweets. I swear, people at my school would swarm me like a hoard of pint-sized zombies if they saw I had candy. It’s hard enough trying to calculate the correct amount of sugar without half the room clamoring for my candy stash. However, my classmates’ phobia towards dried meat means I can eat jerky with impunity. I can eat it at my desk, I can eat it in my chair, I can eat beef jerky anywhere!

Ultimately, does it really matter that I use beef jerky instead of candy or juice to treat my lows? In the long run, probably not. But what beef jerky taught me is that diabetes is all about exploration. I started hiking to control my blood sugar and came to adore the serene wilderness and inspiring landscapes. The beef jerky that this blog is about was bought as an experiment from a hotel general store. I would never have discovered either of these two things had I not been a diabetic. So, if there’s one thing I want you to remember from my pro-jerky screed, it is that managing diabetes is not just a chore, but a trail towards new experiences and a path to adventure.

By Victor Chang, age 15