[pct-l] My feet are killing me!

[5418610024 at vzw.blackberry.net]

Ditto on the VFF's. Love mine and even wore them with socks this fall. Tried to wear mine on a very rocky road during Salmon Days on the reservation and after a mile my feet felt like hamburger. Not a good choice for those conditions. Otherwise one of my favorite pairs of footwear. I continue to go barefoot at home in an effort to exercise and build those foot muscles. Merrill Moab Ventilator shoes for summer and boots for now (winter) seem to be the most comfortable for outside for my new, improved feet. 
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

-----Original Message-----
From: Cosmic Cat <cosmic.cat144 at gmail.com>
Sender: pct-l-bounces at backcountry.net
Date: Fri, 3 Dec 2010 23:59:40 
To: Kevin Cook<hikelite at gmail.com>
Cc: PCT Listserve<pct-l at backcountry.net>
Subject: Re: [pct-l] My feet are killing me!

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
_______________________________________________
Pct-L mailing list
Pct-L at backcountry.net
To unsubcribe, or change options visit:
http://mailman.backcountry.net/mailman/listinfo/pct-l

List Archives:
http://mailman.backcountry.net/pipermail/pct-l/