[pct-l] Footwear.

[fdumville at earthlink.net]

Kevin,

There are many types of shoes that fall between boots and trail runners so
it doesn't have to be one or the other. I prefer hiking shoes or
lightweight boots that have a slightly stiffer sole than trail runners but
aren't as heavy as full on boots.
What king of foot pain are you experiencing? You may need better arch
support, a stiffer sole, a better fitting shoe or better stretching. All of
those helped my painful feet.

Snap

> From: Kevin Clayton <mrkevinhellohowareyou at yahoo.com>
> Subject: [pct-l] Footwear.
>
> I am planning on thruhiking the PCT starting on may 20
> and have come to a bit of a predicament with footwear.
> In the past while backpacking I have always worn
> boots-this was before I switched to a lightweight
> style and was carrying 50 pounds. The switch over has
> gone well with the exception of shoes. I have tried
> out a number of light weight trail runners but all of
> them so far have caused foot pain, and hot spots. Last
> summer I used a pair of vasque wasatch boots while
> working on a trail crew on the Montana CDT. They were
> excellent and I didn't get a single blister all
> summer, but they weigh 3.5 pounds.
>
> Do my feet just need more conditioning in trail
> runners? or are light weight shoes for long distances
> not for everybody? Should I stick with something that
> already works for me? thank-you for the advice in
> advance.
>