[pct-l] shoes

[Diane at Santa Barbara Hikes dot com]

On Nov 22, 2009, at 10:17 PM, pct-l-request at backcountry.net wrote:
> Feet getting bigger really isn't what a girl wants to hear...

Not everyone's feet get bigger, but I would say a lot of people's  
feet get bigger.

I think the first size increase is due to the fact that most people  
wear shoes that are too small to begin with. If you are going with a  
half-size bigger than normal, it still might not be enough if you are  
wearing shoes that are normally too small.

If when standing barefoot your toes touch each other, your feet will  
probably stretch out from all the walking until your toes are more-or- 
less separate. You can probably prevent this by continuing to wear  
tight shoes. But you will have more comfort if your toes have room to  
stretch apart.

After 800 miles or so, your feet might become beefy and meaty just  
from getting stronger and calloused. Mine did. That will wear off  
when you come home, so some of your old shoes might fit again after a  
few months of being home.

After the stretching out of the toes and the beefiness, then your  
feet may actually become longer and larger. That may or may not  
happen or it may only be a modest increase. Some people think it's  
from a collapse of the arch. My arches are as high as ever, but now  
my toes reach the end of my birkenstocks when before there was a half  
inch of space.