[pct-l] Fit your feet for fun... Long version...

[Stephen]

This is in reference to Hiking shoe recomendations but I got carried away... Good question, but also problematic.  Recomending a shoe is like ordering shoes on line.  The bottom line is you are going to have to take the time to try some shoes on, then do some miles in them and decide for yourself.  Look for shoes that breath well, not just claims.  For example, Merrel Moabs are supposed to be, but are rather hot shoes as they have a lot of padding between the mesh outer and liner.  They do however let moisture in rather well.  Some nice airy shoes I can actually feel slight draft on my toes as I walk and this is best for me.  A shoe that breathes this well will also dry faster and be more comfortable when damp.  Some of these advertized "hiking" shoes wear out rather quickly and can start to separate after repeated and prolonged wettings.  My last model Asolo Veloces are just now broke in nicely and the tread is already smooth at the ball of my foot, and the mid sole is showing suspect signs of possible separation.  Besides breaking them in well, they have only made one backcountry three day hike, though a rough one over Taboose Pass to the Pinchot Pass area.  I'm going out to the New Balance store this weekend as I hear this brand mentioned a lot and the New Ballances I wear for work seem to last quite a while.  I feel and have read that some of the Vasque shoes have some issues, and the ones I tried did not promote the right kind of movement with my feet so I returned them.
If you need shoes or gear when in the Southern Sierra, Wilson's in Bishop has a good selection of gear, and perhaps even better would be Footloose, Ketteridge and a couple other outfitters in Mamoth if the shuttle orride is available.  All have patient helpful service with someone as hard to fit as myself.    

And there is one very important issue to keep in mind also.  If a shoe seems to cause extra effort to walk it probably does not have the right pronation for the foot.  The foot should feel relaxed and not feel like extra effort to take each step.  This is more apprarent with hiking boots, but is also a quality to look for in a shoe.  Make sure the shoe holds the foot securely around the mid foot, feels comfortable and snug in the heel and room in the toe box.  Too large a volume in the mid foot and the foot will slide forward too much on the downhill, and angled trail.  Same with the heal.  If the heal has a hard plastic cup that pushes hard on the heel bones try a different shoe that does press hard.  Again much of the fit is related to how the shoe holds the mid-foot area, which holds the foot inplace not only on the downhills, but also releaves excess pressure back against the heal box.  I've never experienced any issues with foot swelling being a problem myself, so I don't prescribe to idea that one should get oversize shoes.  I this idea promotes to much mocvement of the foot and is asking for blisters.  Just make sure the shoe is not bottom out, and has room to loosen the laces if need be.  And also make sure the toes will not in any way jam against the front toe box with the laces comfortable but not real tight (cutting off circulationon the top of the foot across the bones).  Trim those toe nails, and use the little scissors on your "Classic" out on the trail.  
Get a shoe that makes your foot happy right out of the box, laced up and not, and then walk them into oblivion to make sure.  Turn the hose on your feet and walk around in them wet a bunch.  Hike a few miles and then wet them again as if you were fording another creek or walking through soaking grass or a downpour.  This may tell you something about your socks also which are as important to the fit of the shoe, wet and dry as any other factor.  Do this a few times to make sure wetness does not promote sole separation.  A lot of shoes have toes bumpers or rands that ussually start to peel early on to varying lenghts.  If it does, at home or out on the trail, get your sharp little "Classic" knife blade out and cut this off, and that will often be the end of it.  The begining of the toe bumper peeling off will continue to catch rocks and things and make it worse; it also picks up trail debri and tosses it in the back of your other shoe.  Very irritating in deep sand like out in the desert or in the abrasive lava sand around Lassen.  Remove your shoes often and dump out any debri, pull out the insole to do this and brush it off also.  If you have junk in your shoes get it out imediately, don't wait for the rest stop up the trail.  Same goes for any issue like maybe I have a hot spot or could be a problem like a blister maybe?  Check it out ASAP, which is imediately, unless the only place to sit is in Poison Ivy.  
Another issue I have had to address when hiking long miles was rubbing on the top of my toes.  This is more of an issue with leather shoes and boots, but hair on the top of the toes can create irritation and soreness.  One can simply shave this hair off, and problem solved.  I've never had this problem with lighter hiking shoes, but keep in mind.  
Toes rubbing against each other constantly for miles can get quite raw inbetween.  Attend to this imediatley.  Band aides work well until they sweat off. See if it is just a toe nail rubbing under the next toe and trim, and band aide or tape.
If you develop a small hot spot and suspect a blister, cut out a pice of mole skin large enough to surrend the tender spot.  Before removing the backing, fold inhalf and use you little scissors to cut out a small hole the size of the area. Clean the area as best you can, and place the patch so that the cut out is over the hot spot and surrounded by the mole skin.  This is the key to using mole skin for preventativemeasures and small devleloped blisters.  It is supposed to create a space so the skinno longer rubs.  I have been able todo all sorts of creative pathces using tape, mole skin and band-aides.  And never be affraid to ask for some help if you can't alleviate your problem.  I seem to have to fix my friends feet for them, but can never seem to get them to attend to a problem before it becomes a blister.  I've since become more assertive about it as bandaides and moleskin aren't free. I've seen experienced back country skiers use entire sheets of moleskin on thier heels before they install those nasty plastic boots.  
So, while I can't recommend a particular shoe except one that fits and promotes positive comfortable foot movement, holds the mid foot like a hand gripping the foot (try this, grip your foot with the opposite hand around the bottom with the thumb and  fingers wrapped around the top and see if you catch my meaning. Good analogy?), I can recommend socks. I like smartwool hikers.  I think its the mid-weight hiker or light hiker I get, not too thick.  When I go to trying on some shoes I take a pair that has seen the trail a few times, not a new pair.  The material is still too thick and soft with new socks to tell much.  The light hikers seem to have a nice even weave so they aren't real thin on top and too thick in the toes like thier regular hiker socks.  Ilike the wool.  My feet don't get as smelly, they feel good when wet, and seem to retain shape reasonably well ,and rarely bunch at the toes.  I think my only complaint is they seem to dry rather slowly.  But socks like shoes are a personal choice.  In my mountain hiking boots I use a smartwool liner and a Thorlo synthetic basic "Hiking Sock" combo.  I have found that using a silk or woll liner with a wool outer sock allows a rather slippery feeling allowing the foot to move uncomfortably unless I hammer the laces whichis not good. On the other hand, mathing poly liners with poly outer socks smells bad.  I had good results with poly liners and wool blend Thorlo mountaineering socks for a couple years before I got the wool liners back when I was using GTX boots and tromping around in a lot of snow.
As far as GTX shoes and boots.  Maybe yes in the snow, but, they take a long time to dry if fording creeks, and most don't breath half as good as they'd have you believe if at all.  I actually just got a pair of ACU GTX boots that do breath rather well, but I didn't get them for distanceor desert trekking.  Shoes that don't breath well is asking for problems.  
Wet shoes can freeze over night, esspecially like last June in the Sierra.  If exceptionally cold out I will put my boots in my pack next to me, and or in the sleeping bag stuff sack which will also help.  It may also help, and I highly recommend this, to massage the feet before going to sleep, and before rising.  I've had my feet in such a condition that I actually had to massage the tendons along the bottom of the foot so I could get up.  I remember one time getting up only to sit back down quickly. Not hurting a tendon just to pee on stiff feet isn't worth it two days from anywhere.  Somtimes I'll keep my socks in the bottom of my bag and put them on warm feet inside the bag, which helps with cold shoes, or if too grimy, put them in the bottom of the bag before getting up.  When I am having trouble warming up I'll resort to a hot water Nalgene bottle at the foot of my bag which is soooo nice, but perhaps not an ultra light concept.  
As a side note, I suffer from artheritis in my right foot, hips and lower back, and have a problem bunyun on my left foot.  When I cross a cold creek I can feel my feet tighten up, and the cold water will become a painful experience ussualy by have way accross the average ford.  I'll dry my feet, and massage and let them warm back up a little before shoeing backup and taking off up the trail. The tendons need to warm and loosen up before I can get back into stride.  If you've ever had achilles tendon pain, this seems the most common after icy creek crossings for me, so I am extra careful if the trails goes up steeply within a few minutes after leaving the creek. Same goes for stopping for prolonged breaks.  Start out easy and let the feet and legs get warmed back up.  
And it's not just the feet Iam considering.  The feet are connected to the lower leg and strong calf muscles, the thigh and hips, and back, not to mention the neck and shoulders etc...  It's all connected and in part affected by the motion of the feet.  For me it is somewhat exagerated because of the artheritis, but it also makes the pronation of the foot that much more important.  A foot movement that causes a dissasgeerable movement will ussually be felt not only in the extra effort to take steps, but will cause discomfort and a stiffening of my lower back.  A positive fit and movement will create a sittuation wherein hiking is enjoyable, and I tend to feel better and experience less pain because of it.
Superfeet; I liked for awhile until I realized the little rock in the heal of my shoe always ends up being the end of that thirty dollar insole as the foam brakes down and one comes in contact with the hard plastic mold in about a hundred miles.  Also the enhanded archsupport combined with the existing suport built into some shoes can creat too much arch and hram the joints in the top of the foot, what my doctor refered to as walking ona roll of quarters.  Also, if you try these, keep inmind that the Superfoot has often an unwanted tendency toraise thelevel of the heel placing in a position in the shoes heel box that promotes imporper heel rub,blisters, and tendon presures that might have been avoided without the modified insole. And while the Superfoot lowers the volume inthe mid and rearof a shoe or boot, it has a thin forfoot and makes for a bigger roomier toe box; not necesarrily a bad thing, but what I'm saying is it has poor for foot padding, and changes the entire fit of a shoe.  I used them with some success for while with an Odor eater underneath the Superfoot for a little necessarry padding under the ball of the foot with mid weight hiking boots. I haven't bothered with them in years and now just try and get a good fit to begin with and spend the thirty bucks on gas to get to the trailhead.          
If you've read this far then you appreciate how important I feel it is to take care of the foot.  After all the planning, training, and arranging of lives to get out on the trail, it is then to our feet that we ask the most.  With a pack full of food, guns and ammo, mothballs, bear cans, alcholic cooking devices, special poison ivy and wildlife avoidance devices, permits and green cards, prescribed but unmarked controlled substances, spare 3D glasses, official Morton salt umbrella, hacky sack, man overboard whistle (oops that's sailing), flare gun, grenades and U.S. flag, it will probably be the feet which have the last say in direct proportion to the level of fun expressed in the daily attitude.  Of course, food and diet are really important too, so don't forget the freeze dried mayonaise popsicles and Tang !!!     

I hope I'm not up for too much of a thrashing, but I'd like to hear some comments on the subject I've knocked around here.  Was this helpful, hindrence, waste of space, or good practical experience?  
It's just how I think about it.  All the planning in the world wont get me one step along the trail wihtout I take it putting my best foot forward.  The other one's not so good so it gets the second step, and besides I'm left footed...