[pct-l] feet larger in desert?

Fri May 21 14:42:45 CDT 2010

Yeah!  That's a great site!  (A little confusing, but it doesn't have to be once you figure out a few of them.)

I use a single set of laces, but do a similar thing.  It's "zone lacing" like what he calls "knotted":
http://www.fieggen.com/shoelace/knottedlacing.htm

Instead of a knot that you would have to unlace to move, I use a "double overhand knot" of 4 passes:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double_overhand_knot
to make a "bar" that won't allow slack to be pulled from the laces below it (the ones over my toes).

When I tighten the laces above it, it pulls the "bar" up to the eyelets above the bar and then stops and I make the top as tight as I want, then I finish with a lace "lock" for the top.
http://www.fieggen.com/shoelace/locklacing.htm

It seems a little complicated at first, but then not so much so.  You have to experiment with where you want the "bar" and it will vary with the foot and the shoe.  I try and keep mine pretty close to the top, but if you get too high, you get the rest of the shoe snug enough.

BillB

On Mar 13, 2010, at 2:21 PM, Tortoise wrote:

> 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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