[pct-l] Awful trail shoes

[Mary Kwart]

I also have switched to wearing men's shoes on the trail. I wear a size 9 women's in daily life and wear a size 9 1/2 men's on the the trail. I use Merrell Moab Mid XCRs. 

For me, the trail shoe size accommodates foot swell, a bunion on the right foot, and some padded arch support insoles called "yoursole". Some kind of insole to replace the stock one in the shoes is essential to avoid foot, back and knee pain. I used to use a custom made orthotic, but it had no padding and the bottoms of my feet were getting sore, so I switched to a pricey insole from REI (Yoursoles) that has arch support and padding attached to the insole. Superfeet didn't have enough arch support or padding for me. 

I am 5' 4" and weigh about 135 pounds and am 59 years old. My feet have dramatically changed size since I became 50, regardless of backpacking. Any minor foot and leg alignment issues will also surface then in the form of bunions, foot pain or stuff like IT band issues. Might as well get a head start on heading off  these problems. 

--Fireweed