[pct-l] 2008 PCT thru hike Blisters

[jeff.singewald at comcast.net]

I think this is one of those "group think" things.  Here on the list in 2004 and 2005, so many folks were recommending New Balance and Montrails and I saw many of these on the trail in 2006.  Some enjoyed them and some did not.  This is one of the many pieces of gear that should be well thought out, well ahead of your hike.  The fact that people are still talking about what shoes to wear six weeks before departure is amazing to me.

When I was looking for a shoe, the first thing I did was head to the local high performance running shoe store.  The co-owners have each run more than 50 ultra-marathons (50+ miles in distance).  I sought ought their advise.  They immediately took video images of me walking to determine if I needed built-in correction or a neutral shoe.  They were very aware of the issues of foot swelling.  We tried 5 different shoes and finally came to the Brooks.  They provided me with different lacing techniques as well as the pros and cons of adding inserts (some shoes are not designed to have inserts).

While hiking just south of Snoqualmie Pass, I happened to intersect the Crest Classic 100 mile Ultra Marathon.  Nearly 50 miles of the race was on the PCT tread.  There were 106 runners and I saw a number of these folks in Brooks.  On a side note, if you come across something like this on the trail, take advantage of it.  I hit 6-8 rest stops over the course of 40 miles that day and the organizers opened their tables to me with open arms!

This is one of those "to each his own" decisions, but in my mind, future thru-hikers should have this on the top of thier list of gear preparation.




-------------- Original message -------------- 
From: Unnu <pct at cryptogamic.org> 

> On Wed, 27 Feb 2008, jeff.singewald at comcast.net wrote: 
> 
> > I used Brooks Trailrunners (still my favorite trail shoe) and I bought 5 
> > pair in advance of the hike. 
> 
> I love those shoes too! I've always thought it odd that they're super 
> popular with trail runners (at least here in the Seattle area), but I've 
> never seen anyone else hiking with them. They work great for me. 
> 
> Unnu 
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