[pct-l] Re: Shoes/Boots/Whatever

["Andrew Jason Fish" <ajfish@student.gc.maricopa.edu>]

Bighummel wrote:

>
>
> Could all of the whining over blisters in Southern California be actually
> related to the fact that NONE of these people have feet that are used to
> carrying any extra weight any distance further than the grocery store to the
> car?  Vonhof's points are well taken, even someone who has trained
> extensively, tried out numerous combinations of boots, shoes, socks, inserts,
> powders, magic spells and whathaveyou and even carried substantial weight
> over many miles in preparation, still don't have feet that are used to the
> day in, day out beating that your feet have to adjust to in the first two the
> three hundred miles of a long distance hike.
>

Of all the points made in this argument so far, I think this one is the one that hits the nail on the head.  I work in an outdoors job that often requires me to walk cross country 3-10 miles a day, carrying a pack weighing up to 20-25 lbs, in temps. exceeding 105 F on a routine basis (I live in Arizona).  I don't get blisters (usually) while on the job.  However when I go backpacking, slap a 30-40 lb pack on my back, I get blisters the first day.  My shoulders get sore the first day.  My legs are tired the first day.  However, after a few days, everything starts to work out and I feel okay.  Unfortunately, it's usually time to go home then.  :(

I've talked to people that were wilderness rangers for 15 years, backpacking every week for about 5 months out of the year.  They all tell me the same thing.  Their first tour out, they get sore, they get blisters, etc.  Maybe even their second tour.  But after awhile, everything is fine.  Way back when I started, I used get blisters even with a light pack.  I doubt Sherpas, the masters of heavy packing, ever blisters.  It's their way of life.

I've read a few PCT hiker's journals (most notably, Stephen Martin's at http://www.pcthiker.com) and what I garner from these readings is this:

1.  Everyone gets blisters the first few days/weeks out on the trail.
2.  After that, every one seems fine.

I am making an assumption here.  The assumption is that they stop mentioning blisters in their journals because they stop getting them.  Maybe Troubadour will fill in the details.

Right now, I either walk in my 10 inch Red Wing work boots (heavy, but with excellent ankle support) or my cheap New Balance "Rainier" boots (which they just discontinued).   My philosophy is in between Jardine and the heavy packers.  If I don't need it, I don't take it.  If I can afford lighter stuff, I buy it.  But I'm not going to break the handle off my toothbrush (on short trips I don't even take one), hike without a hip belt, or whatever else it is Jardine-o-philes do (I haven't read his book).

Personally, I think that any of us, if we had a year to train and all our time was spent focusing on a PCT thru hike, we could give Jardine's record a pretty decent shot.  Unfortunately, we're not olympic athletes, millionaires, or whatever would be required to do that.  Besides, that wouldn't be very fun.  I've done head down thirty mile death march get there as quickly as possible hikes and it sucks.  I'd rather have my blisters, see the scenery and have fun.



>
> Are all of you AT'ers and CDT'ers really leading us PCT'ers on that these
> kind of foot problems don't happen in the first few weeks of those trail
> hiker's experiences and this is just a phenomenon of Southern California?
> Maybe it's the water!!
>

Didn't you know that the AT and the CDT were declared "Blister Free" zones?

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