[pct-l] feet larger in desert?

[CHUCK CHELIN]

Good morning, Julie,



Odds are good that the extra half-inch is adequate considering your good
recent success and your age – which, by the way, is considerably less than
mine.  However some additional length – I have an extra three-quarters inch
– doesn’t really cause a problem, and with that extra length comes extra
width.  I like the extra length to assure my toes do not contact the end of
the shoe when I’m going down a steep trail with reasonably snug laces, and
with feet that are swollen from a day’s walking.



More troubling to me is a lack of extra width.  I used to wear “medium”
which is a man’s D width.  After considerable hiking I now buy 4E width.  Older
feet, particularly skinny old feet such as with a hiker, have lost much of
the padding that was previously between and under the foot bones.  Shoes
that are too narrow tend to grind those bones together, along with the
nerves that are routed between the bones.



Long, wide shoes don’t have to be floppy and out-of-control.  Mine are wide
but I wear SuperFeet insoles which are thicker than the standard marshmallow
inserts.  That takes up some extra vertical space.  Often early in the
season – or long hike – I also wear Spenco foam inserts on top of the
SuperFeet.  They are great for feet that get tender early in a hike because
they help distribute the foot force over a wider area, and they occupy extra
space until the feet toughen and swell.



Unless you’re totally in love with one style of sock, you can manage space
with them.  Early in a hike I can use a somewhat thicker sock to occupy
space, and then change to a thinner sock when my feet toughen and swell.



I also manage the fit of large shoes by changing the lacing.  I usually want
the shoes to be quite loose, but on sustained downhill stretches I need to
keep my foot from sliding forward by tightening the laces; however I don’t
want to make the shoe’s toe-box to be any less roomy in the process.  I do
this by loosely lacing the lower portion – meaning the two lace crosses
closest to the toe – then I tie a square knot between the laces to keep that
lower section loose.  That way I can have the lace crosses above the square
knot snug or loose without affecting the toe width.



Some women complain that they can’t find shoes sufficiently wide for
long-distance hiking.  Many I know have begun to buy men’s’ size shoes which
are wider for a given number size than the equivalent women’s shoe.



 Enjoy your planning,



Steel-Eye

Hiking the Pct since before it was the PCT – 1965

http://www.trailjournals.com/steel-eye

http://www.trailjournals.com/SteelEye09


On Sat, Mar 13, 2010 at 9:35 AM, Julie Guibord <julie.guibord at gmail.com>wrote:

> I'm planning to start the PCT mid-May at Campo (due to a must-attend
> graduation).  I've read  many suggestions to start with trail runners a
> full
> size larger than I'd usually wear.  I have some questions about this.
> First:  In normal life I like my shoes (running shoes) with 1/2 inch space
> between the end of my big toe and the end of the shoe inside.  Second, I'm
> 58 years old and I've had four children.  My feet went from a size 8 1/2,
> before children, to a size 10 after the last child. That was over 20 years
> ago.  These days, I'm still a size 10. Third, I've just returned from a
> training hike in FL, four consecutive 20 mile days where my feet did not
> get
> bigger.  (It was cold in FL, and my feet remained wet for 2 1/2 days
> through
> swamp crossings.)  Any opinions about whether my feet will REALLY get a
> full
> size larger?  How much extra length should I allow?  I plan to wear
> mid-weight wool socks.  Also, if my feet get larger, will they remain so
> for
> the duration of the PCT, or is it just a desert phenomenon?
>
> Thanks,
> Julie
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