[pct-l] SOCKS

[Yoshihiro Murakami]

Dear Diana

I had thought the cause of blister is heat which was generated from
friction. This idea was also described by Collin Fletcher. But, I have
noticed this idea was wrong.

I read several papers concerning blister to write chapter 2 ( footwear
and related device ) in my hiking handbook. Now, I understand the
mechanical procedure.

The cause of blister is the shear force at the subcutaneous tissue in
our skin. When the strong force was repeatedly given to this place,
our skin breaks and separated in two parts. Then the blister emerge.

To prevent blister.

Keep moisture level low. Thus, the coefficient of friction becomes
smaller,  then the shear force becomes smaller.

To keep moisture level low,
   Change socks regularly ( I wear GoreTex boots, one pair of socks
for 3 hours,      then change another pair  )
   Keep narrow space between socks and footwear. Then the moisture
goes out automatically.



2012/2/16 Diane Soini of Santa Barbara Hikes <diane at santabarbarahikes.com>:
> The dust you get through your shoes is too fine to cause any
> problems. Seriously, it's like talcum powder.
>
> I really think the blisters on the PCT is a combo of the heat of the
> trail, the uniform nature of the hiking surface (any "flaws" in the
> trail tend to go on for 10 miles at a time) and the newness of doing
> that many miles day after day.
>
> I have only gotten blisters on the So Cal section of the PCT and only
> the first time I hiked it as a long distance hiker. Never again on
> any section hike, including sections in So Cal. Never again on my
> second long distance hike. Even though my feet continue to get just
> as dirty.
>
> I believe the main mistake I made as a new hiker was goretex and not
> wearing loose/big enough shoes. Probably was a mistake that my first
> pair of shoes were all leather without mesh. Fixing my shoe problems
> didn't help immediately. I didn't see a resolution of my blisters
> until after Kennedy Meadows.
>
>> I think dust in the socks also adds to many folk's blistering
>> problems. Of all the people I hike with, the only significant
>> issues with blisters come from PCT hikers. Especially in the
>> southern sections. Boots do keep your feet cleaner. Dirty Girl's
>> seem to help a lot with lower cut shoes.
>>
>> The only blistering issue I ever had was while wearing low cut
>> shoes. Once in section A, and again while wearing low cut shoes
>> into Bearpaw Meadow, a very dusty trail. Dirty Girls seem to help.
>>
>> But I could be wrong.
>>
>> Gary
>
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-- 
Sincerely
--------------- --------------------------------------
Hiro    ( Yoshihiro Murakami  村上宣寛 )
facebook  http://www.facebook.com/completewalker
Blogs  http://completewalker.blogspot.com/
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Backpacking since about 1980 in Japan
JMT, 2009, 2010, 2011(half).
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