[pct-l] How many pairs of shoes/ boots do you need

[Jeffrey Olson]

My longest section hike was about 600 miles or so.  I started with new 
trail runners and a superfeet insole, and in later years, an ed viesturs 
(sp) insole.  What wore out wasn't the sole of the shoe. It was the 
interior.  My toe wore a hole in the top of the shoe and the heel got 
ragged.  The rubber toe piece of the sole started to disbond and curl 
up.  The sole of the shoe hardly wore down at all. It was the upper that 
started to disintegrate, from the inside out.

On subsequent section hikes I'd get new shoes and put a strip of duct 
tape inside the heel that ran underneath the new insole.  I'd curl it 
out and over and down a bit.  That kept one area from wearing out 
prematurely, or what I considered to be premature.  It also made the 
shoe really easy to slip on and off, and even when sweaty, salty wet, 
not as much heat built up.  I never had problems with heel blisters, but 
I noticed the difference.  I also tried it with shoes I'd worn and 
gotten dirty, and the duct tape didn't stick nearly as well.

Jeffrey Olson
Rapid City, SD