[pct-l] Five finger shoes or other things you want to try

[Diane Soini of Santa Barbara Hikes]

Once in a while people ask if anyone has hiked the trail with Vibram  
five finger shoes. Actually, a woman named Crow did last summer, at  
least part of the way. You might try contacting here from her web  
site http://asthecrowflies.org and get her opinion. She may not  
respond for a few months, though. I do know from following her  
journal that she enjoyed them at first but after a while she was  
longing for more cushioning and she picked up her regular hiking  
shoes eventually.

One of the benefits of carrying a light pack is you can carry more  
gear. That makes no sense, I'm sure, but what you can do is carry  
your regular hiking shoes AND your Vibrams and for a segment, try out  
the VFFs and see if they really are right for you. If after a day or  
three they aren't, you have your regular shoes with you. You can  
jetison the five fingers at the next trail town without having to  
endure five days of discomfort. Or if you are liking the VFFs,  
jetison the regular shoes. Send them up the trail a town or two or  
send them home.

You can do this with lots of gear. It's not a hardship to carry extra  
gear if your pack is not maxed out with just the bare minimum. Carry  
two stoves. Carry a hammock and a tent. Whatever you want to test  
out, go ahead and test it on the trail. Since you have a backup you  
aren't going to die. The post office is your friend.