[pct-l] Foot Expansion

Gary Minetti gary.minetti at gmail.com
Fri Feb 1 21:25:06 CST 2013


Randy,

My feet swelled.  Not length, but certainly width which, once enlarged, remained through the trip and several months thereafter.   However, I made one of best decisions of my hike by starting off with 13 DDDD Asics Gel standard running shoes - my normal shoe size is 11.5.

Three pairs got me to Manning.  Had 0 blisters, 0 toe nail issues.  Pre Purge - carried a base weight of 19 lbs and when water was an issue, I  was carrying 35 - 42 pounds.  

My feet are now back to normal - although still bit tight in "dress shoes".

As others have said, happy feet = happy and potentially successful thru hike.

Best wishes with your hike.

Gman
Class of 2012
 
On Feb 1, 2013, at 9:55 PM, Randy Godfrey wrote:

> Wow, this foot swelling thing is kind of troubling to me. Is this a permanent change or something that reverts to normal after your thru hike? I'm having a hard time imagining sending larger sized shoes ahead.
> 
> Randy
> 
> 
> 
> ________________________________
> From: b j <xthrow at yahoo.com>
> To: pct-l at backcountry.net 
> Cc: markhalverstadt at gmail.com 
> Sent: Friday, February 1, 2013 2:07 PM
> Subject: Re: [pct-l] Foot Expansion
> 
> I was wondering similar things as Mark on foot expansion!  I also wanted to draw on the wonderful wisdom of the crowd about the mystery of feet swelling.  
> 
> This will be my first through high and first desert hike so I don’t have experience with feet swelling.  How long does it take?  Hours? Days? Weeks?  I ask because I wonder if I should start out with my normal shoes or with my bigger shoes – I’ve got a great pair of normal sized shoes that would be great for the desert – white, mesh, ventilated, comfy.
> 
> I’m also wondering what actually goes on when the feet swell – is it flattening, fluid, callus, muscle?  I’m also contemplating which superfeet to have ready for when my feet are bigger – for the swelling, do the feet swell in length between your arch and your heel?  I don’t imagine they do since that area is more bones and less soft tissue than the rest of the foot.
> 
> Also, do your feet get smaller again going North after the desert or do they maintain the same size throughout the hike?  And after the hike, do they go back down to where they were before or are they now bigger and you can’t squeeze into your city shoes?
> 
> I may be thinking this to death, but we all obsess about something or other before a big trip.  Right now, for me, it’s feet – a vital ingredient for the trip!  :-)
> 
> Looking forward to hearing your thoughts and experiences,
> 
> -Rhiannon
> 
> P.S. I wanted to thank everyone who checked out my used gear for sale.  I love the idea of giving my equipment another life!  There’s still some stuff (Anhu lightweight hiking boots, NF down vest, goretex jacket, etc.) left if you’re tempted to check it out at: http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/thread_display.html?forum_thread_id=72763  
> 
> ____
> 
> 
> 
> Message: 10
> Date: Wed, 30 Jan 2013 14:12:16 -0800
> From: Mark Halverstadt <markhalverstadt at gmail.com>
> Subject: [pct-l] Foot Expansion
> To: pct-l at backcountry.net
> Message-ID:
>     <CAFE8ZsHrTQVS-s+pPRzQ-GECSWf8QxE__Gb_adKTRx1eQMzmEg at mail.gmail.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
> 
> Afternoon PCT-L,
> I have recently started to research hiking shoe options for my
> thru-hike this spring and have come across reports of past hikers
> having their feet expand during their hike. I am wondering if any past
> thru-hikers could expand on this. Some reports I have read say that
> their feet flatten out or they grow up to 1.5 in size! Does age or
> gender matter at all (I am a 28 year old Male btw)? What is the rate
> of expansion? Should I plan to buy, in advance, a 1 size higher in my
> shoes for the latter part of the hike? Please let me know what you
> have heard or your experience with this subject. Thanks!
> 
> 
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