[at-l] Back from a first real hike

[thornel@attglobal.net (W F Thorneloe)]

I'd like the trip report, isn't England just the far eastern branch of the IAT?

Re #1, a single Vit I probably did little good or bad beyond helping you
get started for the day. I doubt it contributed to #3, as weight and
continuous use over 250+ miles probably were more important contributing
factors. Sometimes you can allow a weak/injured joint to recover with
decreased mileage and weight, but rest is often the better strategy.

#2, your feet create a pint of sweat daily. Hence, a great deal of wetness
in boots has to do with the activity and not just the weather. If you are
in a high humidity environment, the Gortex won't help sweat evaporate out
and the waterproofing is unlikely to help matters. If the waterproofing
makes egress of sweat more difficult, then the waterproofing isn't worth
the bother. Hence, I'd spend more time drying out boots whenever possible
than attempting to waterproof. Do you use gaitors?

OrangeBug

At 02:08 PM 8/13/2002 +0100, Turner, Laura wrote:
>1) I got into the habit of taking an ibuprofen tablet every morning before
>hiking which helped ease stiff muscles.  Is this a bad habit?  My thought
>is that if something really hurts so that I shouldn't be walking on it,
>the ibuprofen won't mask it.  Any thoughts?
>
>2) I took a can of waterproofing and sprayed my boots every morning they
>were dry enough.  They held out pretty well considering the bogginess of
>the trail but I got tons of questions about whether the stuff really
>works.  Do others spray their boots regularly?  The stuff is reasonably
>heavy so if I could leave it, I might.
>
>3) And I did end up having problems with my right ankle.  I can walk on it
>no problem without weight -- I could have kept going in fact, but I don't
>know for how long. I was icing it when I got the chance and used an ankle
>support and was pretty careful the last days about where I put my foot
>down.  It's definitely a weak spot.  The guy I was walking with had a
>similar problem with his Achilles.  How do people usually deal with
>problematic knees and ankles on the trail?  Do problems like that ever "go
>away" like most sore muscles after a while?  Is it a question of conditioning?