[pct-l] kicks

[Michael Chamoun]

I have been using Vasque Blur and last year on the CT (plus other hikes) I
put 650+ mils on them..1 pair. No blisters or anything of the like. Damn
tough shoe.

Nano

On Tue, Nov 25, 2008 at 3:59 PM, Diane at Santa Barbara Hikes dot com <
diane at santabarbarahikes.com> wrote:

> Ok, I'll chime in about shoes. I tried Chacos from Fuller Ridge to
> Cabazon. The arch was too high for me but I enjoy wearing them around
> town otherwise. They worked fine in the snow. Having wet feet is not
> an issue with sandals.
>
> As far as brands go, I don't care too much about them. I take my sore
> feet to the store and buy whatever does not hurt. I troll the sale
> aisle at one of these giant sporting goods stores, if they have one,
> and buy whatever is cheap. I got some nice NB for $40 that way.
>
> On the trail I did not buy shoes in advance. I bought them along the
> way. My feet did change and when I got home I had to donate three
> grocery bags of shoes that no longer fit. Buying shoes along the way
> was the only way it would have worked for me, but the experience was
> hit-and-miss. I picked up a great pear of shoes in Cabazon at the
> outlet mall. They lasted 600 miles. I wore them into the Sierras.
> Later I bought some other shoes, La Sportiva, in Bishop. They hurt so
> I bought another pair of shoes, Montrails, in Mammoth (after hiking
> into Yosemite Valley). The Montrails fooled me. They felt good at
> first but they had too much stiffness and eventually my feet
> completely fell apart and I had to quit my hike. I learned my lesson
> not to wear shoes with a lot of support. I will now buy my shoes with
> the help of Roadrunner Sports whose catalog lists shoes according to
> what kind of support they provide.
>
> I never took my shoes off to cross creeks. I just plunged right in.
> Sometimes I would go a whole day with wet feet. It didn't bother me.
> It was summer, for crying out loud. My shoes were between 2 and 4
> sizes bigger than what I normally wore as a cubicle slave. My feet
> did not slip around. It was the only way to prevent my toes from
> being squeezed and getting blisters.
>
> I envied those who could wear sandals. I was always tripping over
> sticks. You know how you step down and a stick flips up to stab your
> other foot in the arch? That was me all the time.
> ~Piper
>
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