[pct-l] socks

[Brian Lewis]

Ellen asked:
"Seems to me some folks last year used a kind of neoprene sock in the
Sierras.  What kind?  Were they helpful?"


I carried both neoprene and goretex socks for part of the Sierras,
sent the neoprene's home at some point; I think I carried the goretex
until I got through the Sierras (Bridgeport).

Bottom line is that you can likely do fine with neither, and if I were
bringing just one of those I'd take goretex socks, being as they're
lighter and helpful I think in wet show.  Caveat: IMO, goretex socks
are by far the most useful if you have a very breathable shoe.  Put
inside a not-so-breathable shoe or boot and the goretex can't function
as designed.     I suggest as much as *two* sizes too big, actually,
of goretex sock, at least one size too big.

Neoprene: I think mine might be sealskinz (?), but I don't know how
much that matters.  I used them a couple of times in stream crossings,
and they really make the "pain at first that turns to numbness" of an
icy stream crossing much nicer, but quite time consuming to put on and
take off.  Most through hikers just walk right into and through the
stream, and walk their shoes dry --- if you know for sure you won't
run into another stream soon *and* that the upcoming trail won't be
turned into a stream by melting snow, then changing socks and
squeezing the shoes dry might be worth the time.

Most of the time in actual snow, the snow was hard enough that I was
walking mostly on top of the snow, not sinking in too much.  There
were exceptions, but I still felt fine in just a wool sock.

Bottom line: neoprene socks are heavy, I wouldn't bring 'em if I did
the Sierras again, even starting as I did in early June.

Cramming another topic in here ... someone asked what few things could
best improve the odds of still being happily on trail after the first
couple hundred miles.  I agree with Monty (generally hard to find much
to disagree with him about) on doing long walks at home to toughen
your feet, and of course in the same (or same type) of shoes you'll
use.   In general, I think that doing some long-ish shake down hikes
the year before will help to get body, mind, and equipment in better
order to increase the odds of success.

Another thing I'd suggest is once on the actual trail to find other
starting thru-hikers that have long distance trail experience --- by
far the most common are those that have completed the AT (Appalachian
Trail).  There will likely be a number of them, and they're well worth
listening to, particularly when it comes to suggestions for dealing
with your feet.   I used body glide on my feet for the first few weeks
(didn't bother after that), and I think that helped.

Of course I also agree that attitude is important; if major pain
doesn't force a person off the trail, certainly they will have to deal
with minor aches and pains and various issues.

Oh, one other thing: if you're approaching, in, or beyond middle age,
I think you stack the odds much more in your favor if you use trekking
poles, though there are definitely some exceptions to that (such as
Voyager the last couple of years,
http://www.trailjournals.com/about.cfm?trailname=7556).


Brian Lewis / Gadget '08
http://postholer.com/brianle