[pct-l] shoe sizing, cont..... (and boots and other things

[John Licata]

If you haven't read Born to Run by Christopher McDougall, I recommend it.
He talks at length about endurance runners with 'flip flops' that put in
relatively high mileage.

http://www.amazon.com/Born-Run-Hidden-Superathletes-Greatest/dp/0307266303 

He also discusses research on the benefit of barefoot vs. shoes.  Having
known a few folks who have picked up Vibram Five Fingers after reading the
book there should be caution given to folks who attempt to transition back
to 'au natural' footwear.  My friends have tried to make the jump and
injuries abound.

John

-----Original Message-----
From: pct-l-bounces at backcountry.net [mailto:pct-l-bounces at backcountry.net]
On Behalf Of ned at mountaineducation.org
Sent: Wednesday, August 25, 2010 5:20 PM
To: Diane Soini of Santa Barbara Hikes; pct-l at backcountry.net
Subject: Re: [pct-l] shoe sizing, cont..... (and boots and other things

Hi, Diane!

It is amazing how different we all are! She must have had a lot of really
interesting stories to tell of her barefoot hiking experiences.

Makes me wonder...as there are many people around the world who do not wear
shoes and yet carry lots of stuff around, would this done habitually toughen
your feet, tendons, and ligaments such that you could deal quite well with
granite, sharp rocks, sudden ankle rolls, and the like?

I wonder if our dependence on footwear doesn't lower our ability to
withstand soft tissue and skeletal abuse? If one were to walk constantly
without footwear, would the ligaments tighten to the level of need and
tendons to the level of control? I guess, then, the only issue would be
heat, cold, lacerations, and other direct injuries.

You'd have to really watch your step, at least to minimize injuries!



Ned Tibbits, Director
Mountain Education
1106A Ski Run Blvd
South Lake Tahoe, Ca. 96150
    P: 888-996-8333
    F: 530-541-1456
    C: 530-721-1551
    http://www.mountaineducation.org
----- Original Message -----
From: "Diane Soini of Santa Barbara Hikes" <diane at santabarbarahikes.com>
To: <pct-l at backcountry.net>
Sent: Wednesday, August 25, 2010 5:06 PM
Subject: Re: [pct-l] shoe sizing, cont..... (and boots and other things


> Regarding the whole boot/shoe topic, having come up again...
>
> I met a woman under the hugest towering pack I ever saw (it wasn't
> big enough as is, she also had a full-sized daypack strapped on) who
> was hiking the JMT barefoot and flip-flops. I followed her bare
> footprints for a mile. I stopped to talk to her about it.
>
> She said she has been hiking the high Sierra for 35 years barefoot.
> When she was a teen she gave up on wearing shoes because nobody made
> a shoe that fit her foot. She did have a sort of odd-shaped foot. She
> said now that she's older she's gotten soft and puts on the flip-
> flops when the trail gets rocky, but she used to walk over everything
> barefoot back in the day. She said she feels much more stable and
> grounded in bare feet. The only time she ever sprained an ankle she
> was wearing boots.
>
> She was quite an interesting woman. I was glad to have met her. She
> went by the name Little Foot. I'm not saying we should all hike
> barefoot. I know I won't. I just thought she was interesting and in a
> way we were similar. So many people out there were dressed as if they
> were doing some kind of rugged arduous thing, almost a military
> assault on the mountains, not simply going for a walk in the summer,
> which is what both she and I were doing. She in her flip-flops and me
> in my Chacos. I bet she and I had some of the happiest feet on the
> trail that day.
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