[pct-l] Hiking Barefoot?

[Diane Soini of Santa Barbara Hikes]

The Scissors Crossing/San Felipe Hills is the only part of the trail  
I would consider a cactus garden. There are also a few cactus in the  
desert divide between San Jacinto and Mission Creek. Otherwise you  
get these little beaver tail cacti with really pretty pink flowers  
here and there along the side of the trail for the first 725 miles or  
so. I can't see any of those causing any trouble for anyone for any  
reason unless you actually step on one or put your Neo Air on one.

At first the huaraches gave me a couple of small blisters on the  
sides but they weren't bad at all and I don't get them now. I hardly  
feel the strap between my toe at all, but after the hike this morning  
it felt a little sore between my toes on the bottom of my feet and  
there is a small blister on one foot. I think it's a design problem.  
I made the sandals myself.

I made the sandals out of the exact materials used for these: http:// 
lunasandals.com/sandals/14-the-leadville-pacer. Vibram soling sheet,  
copper-colored suede and 1/4" leather laces. Those sandals are  
expensive but you can buy a kit that's cheaper or buy the materials  
online separately for way more money (but you end up with 5 pairs of  
sandals.)

The wild roses and other plants scratched across my ankles and my  
feet. I am thinking of asking that Dirty Girl Gaiters lady if she  
could start making Dirty Girl socks for people who run with  
huaraches. Her gaiter fabric seems to resist burrs and foxtails. My  
wool socks tend to attract them.

Last August I hiked a 70 mile or so section of the John Muir trail  
wearing Chaco sandals. I had some difficulty with snow balling up  
under my toes otherwise it was a delight. As a thru-hiker, you will  
be in the Sierras in June and it will be dangerous and exhausting.  
You will need shoes to hike on snow then since you'll be walking for  
miles on it rather than the occasional little patch I experienced in  
August. It doesn't matter if your feet can handle the cold. Cold is  
not the issue. The issue is that you can kill yourself on the snow  
and ice there.

Last spring I hiked a section of the PCT on San Jacinto and another  
in the Big Bear/Cajon Pass area. On both those trips I experienced  
delights such as freezing rain, falling snow, rain, cold temps, high  
winds and leftover snow drifts. Wearing sandals in cold weather and  
falling snow was not a problem at all. Wearing sandals over ice and  
snow where a slip can kill you is a problem.

Other places where you will need protective footwear include walking  
through glacier melt streams. You can't see the bottom. Your feet  
will not be able to feel the hazards that can injure them because  
they'll be frozen instantly in the water, so they need protection.

For a thru-hike attempt, I recommend you bring shoes of some sort or  
at least have a plan to acquire them quickly if you need them,  
preferably have a pair that you know will fit ready to be sent to  
you. Since you don't wear shoes much now, you aren't used to them  
anymore so it'll be important you have shoes you know will fit  
waiting for you. That means you should do the opposite of the whole  
"transitioning to barefoot" and learn to wear shoes again. Since your  
feet probably have gotten extra wide and muscular, begin a search  
earlier rather than later. For the actual hike, bring a pair of  
sandals so you don't have to quit at mile 20. Then give it a try.


On Sep 5, 2011, at 11:37 AM, Nathaniel Morse wrote:

> Hey, Thanks so much! this was really to the point. one question.  
> The Scissors
> Crossing/San Felipe Hills section... Is it a good/the best  
> representation of
> the cactus-y sections?  And if the worst rock parts are in central  
> Oregon, I
> can deal with that. :) I live near there, and have hiked there a  
> bit. Do
> the huaraches rub on your feet at all? I have yet to try them...  
> were the
> wilid roses tearing at your leg, or the top of your foot? Thanks so  
> much!
>
> On Mon, Sep 5, 2011 at 10:38 AM, Diane Soini of Santa Barbara Hikes <
> diane at santabarbarahikes.com> wrote:
>
>> There isn't really that much cactus on the trail, but you might try
>> hiking in the Scissors Crossing/San Felipe Hills section to see what
>> it's like. The worst rocks on the trail were between the Sisters and
>> Mt. Washington in Oregon.
>>
>> I think with really tough feet you could enjoy a barefoot experience
>> under the forest canopy in the soft duff from about Sierra City
>> northward to Canada with some off-and-on donning of at least sandals
>> for the rockier or hotter sections or places with glaciers and
>> glacier melt streams, road walks or other unpleasant areas. The
>> barefoot sisters hiked the Appalachian trail barefoot, wearing shoes
>> in a section with snow and ice. The AT is mostly under the forest
>> canopy, and most of Northern California, Oregon and Washington have
>> nice forest canopy, too.
>> http://www.barefoothikers.org/barefoot-sisters.html
>>
>> Yesterday I hiked almost 14 miles wearing a pair of homemade huarache
>> sandals. It was a delightful experience, but things like wild roses
>> tearing at my skin were not too pleasant, and some unexpected poodle
>> dog bush could have caused a big problem if I hadn't noticed it
>> immediately.
>>
>>
>> On Sep 5, 2011, at 10:00 AM, pct-l-request at backcountry.net wrote:
>>
>>> What would be the worst sections as far as cactus, and rock?
>>
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