[pct-l] Hiking Barefoot?

Nathaniel Morse alwaysanguine at gmail.com
Mon Sep 5 15:25:04 CDT 2011 

wow. Thank you SO much! that's exactly what I wanted to know!!! Fantastic!

On Mon, Sep 5, 2011 at 12:58 PM, Diane Soini of Santa Barbara Hikes <
diane at santabarbarahikes.com> wrote:

> The Scissors Crossing/San Felipe Hills is the only part of the trail I
> would consider a cactus garden. There are also a few cactus in the desert
> divide between San Jacinto and Mission Creek. Otherwise you get these little
> beaver tail cacti with really pretty pink flowers here and there along the
> side of the trail for the first 725 miles or so. I can't see any of those
> causing any trouble for anyone for any reason unless you actually step on
> one or put your Neo Air on one.
>
> At first the huaraches gave me a couple of small blisters on the sides but
> they weren't bad at all and I don't get them now. I hardly feel the strap
> between my toe at all, but after the hike this morning it felt a little sore
> between my toes on the bottom of my feet and there is a small blister on one
> foot. I think it's a design problem. I made the sandals myself.
>
> I made the sandals out of the exact materials used for these:
> http://lunasandals.com/**sandals/14-the-leadville-pacer<http://lunasandals.com/sandals/14-the-leadville-pacer>
> **. Vibram soling sheet, copper-colored suede and 1/4" leather laces.
> Those sandals are expensive but you can buy a kit that's cheaper or buy the
> materials online separately for way more money (but you end up with 5 pairs
> of sandals.)
>
> The wild roses and other plants scratched across my ankles and my feet. I
> am thinking of asking that Dirty Girl Gaiters lady if she could start making
> Dirty Girl socks for people who run with huaraches. Her gaiter fabric seems
> to resist burrs and foxtails. My wool socks tend to attract them.
>
> Last August I hiked a 70 mile or so section of the John Muir trail wearing
> Chaco sandals. I had some difficulty with snow balling up under my toes
> otherwise it was a delight. As a thru-hiker, you will be in the Sierras in
> June and it will be dangerous and exhausting. You will need shoes to hike on
> snow then since you'll be walking for miles on it rather than the occasional
> little patch I experienced in August. It doesn't matter if your feet can
> handle the cold. Cold is not the issue. The issue is that you can kill
> yourself on the snow and ice there.
>
> Last spring I hiked a section of the PCT on San Jacinto and another in the
> Big Bear/Cajon Pass area. On both those trips I experienced delights such as
> freezing rain, falling snow, rain, cold temps, high winds and leftover snow
> drifts. Wearing sandals in cold weather and falling snow was not a problem
> at all. Wearing sandals over ice and snow where a slip can kill you is a
> problem.
>
> Other places where you will need protective footwear include walking
> through glacier melt streams. You can't see the bottom. Your feet will not
> be able to feel the hazards that can injure them because they'll be frozen
> instantly in the water, so they need protection.
>
> For a thru-hike attempt, I recommend you bring shoes of some sort or at
> least have a plan to acquire them quickly if you need them, preferably have
> a pair that you know will fit ready to be sent to you. Since you don't wear
> shoes much now, you aren't used to them anymore so it'll be important you
> have shoes you know will fit waiting for you. That means you should do the
> opposite of the whole "transitioning to barefoot" and learn to wear shoes
> again. Since your feet probably have gotten extra wide and muscular, begin a
> search earlier rather than later. For the actual hike, bring a pair of
> sandals so you don't have to quit at mile 20. Then give it a try.
>
>
>
> On Sep 5, 2011, at 11:37 AM, Nathaniel Morse wrote:
>
>  Hey, Thanks so much! this was really to the point. one question. The
>> Scissors
>> Crossing/San Felipe Hills section... Is it a good/the best representation
>> of
>> the cactus-y sections?  And if the worst rock parts are in central Oregon,
>> I
>> can deal with that. :) I live near there, and have hiked there a bit. Do
>> the huaraches rub on your feet at all? I have yet to try them... were the
>> wilid roses tearing at your leg, or the top of your foot? Thanks so much!
>>
>> On Mon, Sep 5, 2011 at 10:38 AM, Diane Soini of Santa Barbara Hikes <
>> diane at santabarbarahikes.com> wrote:
>>
>>  There isn't really that much cactus on the trail, but you might try
>>> hiking in the Scissors Crossing/San Felipe Hills section to see what
>>> it's like. The worst rocks on the trail were between the Sisters and
>>> Mt. Washington in Oregon.
>>>
>>> I think with really tough feet you could enjoy a barefoot experience
>>> under the forest canopy in the soft duff from about Sierra City
>>> northward to Canada with some off-and-on donning of at least sandals
>>> for the rockier or hotter sections or places with glaciers and
>>> glacier melt streams, road walks or other unpleasant areas. The
>>> barefoot sisters hiked the Appalachian trail barefoot, wearing shoes
>>> in a section with snow and ice. The AT is mostly under the forest
>>> canopy, and most of Northern California, Oregon and Washington have
>>> nice forest canopy, too.
>>> http://www.barefoothikers.org/**barefoot-sisters.html<http://www.barefoothikers.org/barefoot-sisters.html>
>>>
>>> Yesterday I hiked almost 14 miles wearing a pair of homemade huarache
>>> sandals. It was a delightful experience, but things like wild roses
>>> tearing at my skin were not too pleasant, and some unexpected poodle
>>> dog bush could have caused a big problem if I hadn't noticed it
>>> immediately.
>>>
>>>
>>> On Sep 5, 2011, at 10:00 AM, pct-l-request at backcountry.net wrote:
>>>
>>>  What would be the worst sections as far as cactus, and rock?
>>>>
>>>
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>>
>>
>> --
>> Barefoot. Become a Fan. :)
>>
>>                                              0ooo.
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>>
>
>


-- 
Barefoot. Become a Fan. :)

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