[pct-l] Vibram 5 fingers, foot injuries, and muscle atrophy

[Hm.HF]

A tip from FoxTrot, who hiked last year (as did we). The sandal of choice is Teva Terra Fi 2 (now available in a '3' edition). Having had shoe trouble early on, I converted to these and wore them comfortably for over 1000 miles.

Barefoot idealism (guilty here) on application leads to an identity crisis: Am I sufficiently masochistic to continue this insanity? Most are not, so on-trail barefootedness is self-limiting.


Top 10 Reasons Not to Hike Barefooted

10. Pointy rocks you can't see, only feel after they've become one with your foot
9. That smell of burning flesh in the desert
8. Round rocks you can see, but don't until after the !crack! sound
7. Dehydration (blood loss)
6. Sharp living things like thorns, cactus needles and snake fangs
5. Limited snow traction, even with long toenails
4. Million bumps on top of feet (mosquitoes)
3. So many views missed with too much focus on trailbed
2. Phantom pains (after amputation due to frostbite)
1. Annoying questions from everyone you meet about why, why, WHY?


Bill






________________________________
From: Dan Africk <danstheman at gmail.com>
To: Paul Mitchell <bluebrain at bluebrain.ca>
Cc: pct-l at backcountry.net
Sent: Thu, March 25, 2010 9:57:13 AM
Subject: Re: [pct-l] Vibram 5 fingers, foot injuries, and muscle atrophy

I hadn't noticed that, that's pretty cool. I don't see anything on his page
about barefoot hiking, but I'll be interested to see if he posts anything
about his barefoot experiences. I don't know how often I'll have access to a
computer, but I'll try to keep you posted on my experiences.

I've come to the conclusion that barefoot hiking is great, but at least for
thru-hiking, its only practical in areas that have few rocks and tree roots.
Otherwise I tend to hike pretty slow and stare at the ground the whole time.

Yesterday I went trail running, and for the first time in almost a year, I
went barefoot. My feet were soft from wearing the 5 fingers and other shoes
a lot(I have to at work), and I woke up this morning with much thicker pads
of skin on the bottom of my feet. It's a shame how quickly I lose that
though, all it takes is some sweaty shoes or a hot shower to make my feet
soft again.

On Thu, Mar 25, 2010 at 10:05 AM, Paul Mitchell <bluebrain at bluebrain.ca>wrote:

> > I'm hoping there will be lots sections of the PCT that are relatively
> smooth
> and not too rocky, and I plan on hiking barefoot as much as possible.
>
> Hey Dan
>
> Late last year I took an interest in barefoot hiking - the stuff I read was
> really compelling, but I couldn't quite get myself motivated to go out this
> winter and train on cold sidewalks, which is mostly what I have access to.
>
> You may have noticed that another one of the hikers who has signed up to
>  hike for Haiti this year is planning to do his hikeI h on the Long Trail
> barefoot.  I'll be interested to hear about his experience.
>
> http://www.hikefor.com/haiti-2010-IceMan
>
> In 07 I hiked California in Tevas, and for this year I've been trying to
> train my feet to like Chacos, but I'm really not sure how well I like the
> thick hard sole.  I definitely don't feel like the muscles in my feet are
> getting the exercise that they should, and I'm concerned those hard Chacos
> are a step in the wrong direction.  The Tevas disintegrate as quickly as
> running shoes, but at least there is some flexibility there. I feel
> compelled to try the Chacos simple to not put five pairs of Tevas in the
> garbage over the summer. Anyhow, I'll be interested to compare barefoot
> notes on the PCT as I'm hoping to at least try a few stretches here and
> there, maybe starting with a half hour each day & ramping up from there.
>
> Donna has had an entire family stop in on their barefoot hike from Campo to
> Oregon, so clearly it's doable.
>
> Cheers,
> Potential 178
> www.hikefor.com
>
>
>
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