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

[Diane Soini of Santa Barbara Hikes]

Little Foot did not walk very fast when she was barefoot. She told me  
she could only keep up with me wearing her flip-flops. And I was  
walking slow so I could talk to her.

I saw porters in Nepal carrying 6 sheets of half-inch plywood with  
tumplines and cheap flip-flops. People would feel sorry for them and  
give them boots but they would just sell them. Huge boots really are  
not a necessity for them and they are not built with any different  
parts than you or me. I'd certainly wear warm shoes in winter or  
steel-toed boots on a job site, but I really don't think we need a  
lot of protection or technology just to go for a walk in the  
mountains in the spring or summer

I have been wearing low-cut hiking shoes for about 12 years and  
sandals for a good portion of this year. When my ankle rolls, I feel  
no pain or discomfort and I never get injured. My ankles are strong  
because I use them. I do believe that we humans have strong enough  
tendons and ligaments if only we would use them instead of  
immobilizing them in high-tech footwear.

I remember leading a super strenuous Sierra Club hike. A barefoot  
lady showed up for this hike. I really didn't think she'd be able to  
do it. Primitive trail, super rocky, rock climbing, route-finding,  
sharp chaparral, hot sun. She did fine. Put on flip-flops when the  
rocks got too hot in the afternoon. I was a believer then. If you use  
your feet and ankles, they will get strong. But use your feet too  
much and boy do they look ugly! Her feet were really dirty and ugly.

Diane

On Aug 25, 2010, at 5:20 PM, <ned at mountaineducation.org> wrote:

> 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!