[pct-l] Shoes

[Diane Soini of Santa Barbara Hikes]

On Feb 11, 2011, at 3:19 PM, pct-l-request at backcountry.net wrote:

> - How important is the color of the shoe?
Light colored shoes will turn dust-colored pretty quickly. Dark shoes  
will also turn dust-colored. The trail is very dusty.

> - Do highly breathable/mesh shoes gather more dirt/rocks?
Here's a picture of what your feet will look like with breathable  
trail runners (mine weren't particularly mesh-like), dirty girl  
gaiters and long pants. I don't know how the dust gets all the way up  
past my knees like that.
http://tinyurl.com/5rmtv33

> - Should we really start out one size bigger than normal?
A good way to determine if the shoes will fit you is to remove the  
insole and stand on it with your foot. If any part of your foot  
overhangs the insole, the shoe will cause you big problems on the trail.

Your feet may change on the trail. Here's a picture illustrating the  
change you may endure (this link may not work.)
http://tinyurl.com/49gjage
Here's another picture in case that one doesn't work. This picture is  
a drawing that could illustrate the before-and-after for your feet.  
Scroll down to see the drawing. (This website is pretty good for foot  
info that is actually of benefit for hikers.)
http://nwfootankle.com/home/toes
Of course you can prevent your foot from widening like that by  
wearing tight shoes. There will be trade-offs, like horrible blisters.