[pct-l] Thru hiker questions

[Ernie Castillo]

Part of my issues in 1980 were the weight I was carrying (about 45 pounds, on average) and the fact that I have weak ankles.

 

When I got back on the trail after a break to take care of several case of shin splints (nerf-ball sized swelling) that nearly turned into thrombophlebitis, I was able to walk through deep snow in the Desolation Wilderness area in my heavy leather boots. They were perpetually water-logged and frozen; they acted like a soft cast. They eventually shaped around my feet and fit like gloves. Gloves that weighed several pounds.

 

I still have a problem with swollen ankles / shins today but it tends to get worse the longer I sit at my office desk.

 

On weekends, I like to wear a pair of lighter hiking boots that I bought for a day hike when I visited family in California. My wife hates them; she says they look nerdy. She bought me -- you guessed it -- a pair of brown leather boots. I wear them occassionally, mainly in recognition of their being a birthday gift, but after wearing the real thing for half a year, they just don't cut it.

Ernie Castillo
erniec01 at hotmail.com
248 884 5201



 


Date: Fri, 15 Jan 2010 13:19:07 -0800
Subject: Re: [pct-l] Thru hiker questions
From: austinwilliams123 at gmail.com
To: erniec01 at hotmail.com; pct-l at backcountry.net

Hi,

I've seen hikers wearing "ultralight hiking boots" on the trail.  They'd have the ankle support you're used to and not weigh a ton.  But I think they need to be replaced every 500 miles as well... I don't think they can be resoled.

I suspect the amount of ankle support ankle support a hiker needs is proportional to their packweight.  Out of curiosity, do you think running shoes would work for you if you didn't have to carry any pack or gear at all?

-Austin


 		 	   		  
_________________________________________________________________
Hotmail: Powerful Free email with security by Microsoft.
http://clk.atdmt.com/GBL/go/196390710/direct/01/