[pct-l] Preparation -- Physical Training

[Diane Soini of Santa Barbara Hikes]

> Preparation -- Physical Training

I decided to hike the trail rather suddenly. I gave notice 2-months  
before I planned to start my hike and so I ended up with 6 weeks to  
get ready. I went for a hike about every other day in my local  
mountains and I tested out carrying my gear and different shoes on  
these hikes. I had a desk job and was in fairly decent shape from  
riding my bike to work and hiking on the weekends.

I did not find the trail conditions on the PCT to be very  
challenging. Sometimes the trail was maddeningly gentle. Nothing on  
the PCT was as steep as my local mountains.

What was really difficult for me was the consistency of the trail,  
the level surface and the moderate grade. I got really bad blisters  
that I suffered with for 700 miles. I rarely get blisters normally.  
It wasn't a matter of shoes or socks or conditioning for me. It was  
the repetitive nature of the trail. You never give your feet a break  
by walking over irregular surfaces and you rarely have to switch  
gears for a steep climb or descent. You walk standing fully upright  
making the same footfall over and over and over again. The trail will  
offer up 10 miles of leaning to one side, causing a massive blister  
on the outer little toe. And then the trail will switch sides and  
it's 10 miles giving you a blister on the other little toe. I never  
did figur out where that between the toe blister came from. I never  
had that before the PCT and never since, not even hiking sans-socks  
wearing between-the-toe huarache sandals.

The repetitive nature of the trail combined with the blisters caused  
me to favor whatever was hurting. This caused me to change my gait.  
When that happens, you transfer the stress up the chain, either to  
your knees or your hips or your back. It starts a process that I  
believe is what causes a lot of problems in the first portion of the  
trail for a lot of people. The gait change also transfers energy to  
the foam shoes many people wear, causing them to wear unevenly which  
reinforces the gait change. I believe the shin splints and knee  
problems for many are probably caused by initial foot problems early  
in the hike.

So, conditioning yes, but it can still happen to the well- 
conditioned. Take good care of your feet. Air them out, change your  
socks a few times a day, don't let the easy grade fool you into doing  
too many miles at first and avoid gore-tex shoes in So Cal so your  
feet can breathe. Avoid being sentimental about your shoes. Get rid  
of them as fast as you can if there's any problems at all. Cut them  
up with a knife if you have to. I remember seeing nearly new running  
shoes in the hiker box in Idyllwild with the heel tabs cut off and  
blood inside the shoe. I personally spent one day hiking with a flip- 
flop on one foot and a shoe on the other. Whatever you have to do.

Taking it easy at first can mean not just low miles at first but also  
taking extra zero days early on to heal foot problems. It's not a  
sign of weakness and it really won't slow you down too much. What  
really slows people down are the knee injuries.