[pct-l] My footwear experiences

[Eric Lee]

I'll contribute my footwear experience, for what it's worth.  Of course,
this is just what works for me and is probably worthless for most people.

I've always been prone to ankle sprains, apparently because I
over-suppinate.  That is, I tend to walk on the outside edges of my feet so
my ankles are already unstable and primed for rolling.  I sprained my ankles
pretty regularly throughout high-school but finally figured out how to
(mostly) prevent it when I was in my twenties.  The three main prevention
strategies were to a) wear shoes or boots with good ankle support, b) use
custom orthotics, and c) focus attentively on proper walking mechanics.

A few years ago I hadn't had an ankle sprain for quite awhile so I figured
that problem was behind me.  I tried using trail runners on a section hike
from Stevens Pass to Stehekin, and they were great until I seriously
sprained my ankle about 30 miles into the hike, right as I was approaching
Glacier Peak.  As usual for me, there wasn't any good reason for the sprain.
The trail was pretty smooth and straightforward.  I just got tired and let
my feet get crooked and then rolled my ankle on a small pebble.

There weren't any convenient bail-out points close by so after taping the
ankle heavily and taking a lot of Advil, I decided I might as well continue
forward, using my hiking poles for support.  I managed to finish the section
but my ankle was all kinds of black, blue and green colors.  I have lovely
pictures.  <grin>  I went to my podiatrist afterwards and he told me that if
I pulled a dumb stunt like that again (walking 70 miles on a serious sprain)
that my hiking days would probably be over.  As it was, it took me a full
year and quite a bit of physical therapy to get it back to full strength
again.

I went back to lightweight mid-height boots and haven't had any more sprains
since then.  The boots help me in a couple of ways.  One, the feel of the
collar around my ankle gives me kinesthetic feedback to help me realize when
my feet are getting crooked.  Two, they have a wide sole and enough
stiffness that even when I place my feet crookedly, they tend to
self-correct rather than roll over.  Three, when on occasion I do actually
roll an ankle, the collar gives me just enough bracing to prevent serious
injury.  I still have to be careful because there's a limit to what my
lightweight boots can save me from, but they definitely give me a bigger
margin of safety.

Of course, most people don't have the problems I have, so boots aren't
appropriate for everyone.  But they're definitely appropriate for me and I
basically can't do long-distance hiking without them.

Because most of my hiking is in the Pacific Northwest, I happily use
waterproof boots.  Between them and my long pants, my feet stay very clean
and free of dirt and grit, which I believe helps me to avoid blisters.  I
hear that waterproof boots have drawbacks when you're doing a lot of stream
crossings or when you're in the desert, so I'm not sure what I'll do when I
get to those conditions.  So far they've worked well for me.

Since I found a boot and sock combination that works for me, I don't have a
problem with blisters.  The only issue I've dealt with over the past few
years is that I'll sometimes develop small blisters on the balls of my feet
after a few days.  This last summer I tried putting athletic tape across the
balls of my feet before I started hiking, and that solved the problem
nicely.

I did make one mistake with the tape, though - the first day I had wrapped
the tape around both sides of each foot up to the top.  Unfortunately, that
somehow changed the biomechanics in my feet somehow and I developed serious
structural pains.  I shortened the tape strips to be just on the bottoms of
my feet and the problem went away.

Footwear is an amazing individual decision because so much is dictated by
what your body likes or doesn't like.  As with most things, the goal is to
find that sweet spot where you have the maximum likelihood of making it to
your destination, and either adding *or* removing anything would reduce that
likelihood.  Some people do better with very supportive shoes.  Others do
better with less support.  Try a variety of strategies, walk a lot of miles,
and figure out what your feet are telling you.

Eric