[pct-l] feet larger in desert?

[Tortoise]

Chuck is the voice of wisdom on so many topics.

There is one site (probably more) that gives numerous ways to lace one's 
shoes: http://www.fieggen.com/shoelace/lacingmethods.htm#2trillion

I use a similar approach to Chuck's with two sets of laces.
I cut one set very short and use them in the first two pairs of holes 
tied loosely to close the toes.
Then I use a second set of laces on the rest of the holes and I adjust 
the tightness of these to adjust for uphill / downhill /flat.

Take you time and experiment to find what works for your feet.

Tortoise

Because truth matters"


On 03/13/10 11:13:37, CHUCK CHELIN wrote:
> 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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