[pct-l] My feet are killing me!

[Cosmic Cat]

On Fri, Dec 3, 2010 at 10:00 AM, Kevin Cook <hikelite at gmail.com> wrote:

> ... but maybe there is some sort of
> minimalist type of shoe that thru hikers could wear?
>
> You could give Vibram 5-Fingers a try. I picked up a pair of KSOs last
spring and have quite a few things to say about them.

They are very comfortable. When you get them, you want to wear them
everywhere. I got blisters on my first six mile urban walk but have gotten
zero blisters since. I think that the max mileage I have ever done in the
city was around 8-9 miles. When you wear them, they work muscles that you
are not used to using. When I went for a mile long run, my calves felt like
jello at the end and were sore for days afterward. I went on a 1-day 44 mile
urban trek last summer and I feel like the training in the 5-Fingers
contributed to the success of the walk.

However, I have more mixed results on the trail. I took them for a spin on
the PCT near Portland. It was a two-day 35 mile weekend trip with about
10lbs base weight. Above all, I noticed two things. First, your feet are
vulnerable. I found myself watching my feet much more often, and I don't
feel that would change too much with more experience. Because you are being
careful, you are also walking slower. I found the pace mildly frustrating as
I was struggling to keep up with my friends. Despite the slower pace and
vigilance, I was still able to stub my toe within the first 3 miles. I
powered on for another mile before I gave up on the five fingers for the
rest of the trip. My toe was hurting too much with each step. After I
switched out to running shoes and a few pills, I was completely fine.

In summary, 5-Fingers are great for training, but perhaps too unprotected
for the trail itself. They are very light, however and could be a great
light duty camp shoe. I am interested in hearing if anybody has experience
with them on long trails. I am also interested in the KSO Trek and if they
have a bit more protection.

I am still not sure if I will carry them next summer, but they
are definitely my favorite piece of footwear for urban life. They are also a
great conversation piece, if you are in to that kind of thing.

Goodness