[pct-l] Altra shoes

[Melanie Clarke]

I'm just a section hiker for now until I retire, but I am always looking
for the perfect shoe for when that time comes.

I was first attracted to the Altra because they have a "0" heel.  Every
other hiking shoe on the market is a little bit higher in the heel section.
 After hiking about 300 miles, the balls of my feet begin to hurt.  I can't
wear high heels for the same reason so I wondered if the slightly elevated
heel places more pressure and drives my foot into the balls of my feet.  A
level shoe would allow a better distribution of pressure over my entire
foot.  I know a retired dentist who hiked the entire PCT, AT, the CDT and
trails in Patagonia, New Zealand with the Altras.  I forgot her name, she
hiked the CDT with Shroomer so he might still have her email.  I met her at
the GGG here in NorCal.

In this aspect, I feel the Altra is a superior shoe for me.  However...

1.  Hiking over 20 miles a day over rough terrain also needs a very firm
sole to prevent the thousands of rocks poking your foot with every step
over the course of a day.  Because the "barefoot fanatics" have taken over
the market the sole isn't quite firm enough to handle the rocks poking at
your feet with each step.  I used my Altras to go on Shroomer's 67th
birthday hike with 6,700 ft. of climbing in about 22 miles (I think) in Mt.
Diablo State Park.  At the end of the day my entire foot felt the wear and
tear of a thin sole and I'd be hard pressed to hike 100-120 mile in a week
with these shoes.  But it was my entire foot and not just the balls of my
feet so the "0" aspect of this shoe is still a great concept.  However, I
see on their web site that they have another shoe out that seems to have a
thicker, firmer sole.  This might be worth the try.

2.  I like my hiking shoes to grip and fit the middle of my foot firmly yet
leave a lot of room in the toe box.  When I wear huge hiking shoes, like
Keen or Altras, the shoes are so big that they don't hold the middle of my
foot so when I hike down hill my foot slides forward and my toes just mash
against the top of my shoe with the entire weight of my body and pack.
 Yes, one can tie the shoes tighter for down hill and loosen them for
uphill but who wants to do that?  We're going up hill and down hill all the
time!  I like the shoe to have a contour and arch to help bank the rest of
my foot so I can leave the laces a little on the loose side without getting
"toe mash".  Also, laces tend to redistribute the tension so I want the
contour to be in the shoe not artificially made with the laces.

Right now, Asics seems to have the right shape that I like; wide toe box,
contoured middle that holds on to the rest of the foot.  Most cross country
runners seem to use Asics and I own a pair that I use for cross country
running but I'm starting to test it hiking.  I have a "Trail Runner Asics"
with a firm Superfeet inside to distribute the pressure of all the small
pebbles and rocks a hiker walks over in the course of a day.  I couldn't
hike this year because I dropped a desk on my big toe and fractured it in
several places.  So next year I will test this combination on longer hikes.

So my ideal shoe would be the level Altra with the Asics shape/arch with
the firm sole of a Vasque.  I am still looking for the elusive "perfect
shoe".

Good Luck!


On Fri, Aug 29, 2014 at 12:07 PM, Tortoise <Tortoise73 at charter.net> wrote:

> Hi Carolyn,
>
> I searched and finally found where I heard of Altra shoes on this list. You
> mentioned them. I do need new shoes -- my hiking shoes are so bald they
> aree risky on slopes with loose fine gravel. In your experience how does
> the width of the Altra compare with the New Balance, especially the SL2
> last?
>
> I'm cc this to the list since I think others will have similar questions.
>
> --
> Tortoise
>
> Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution
> inevitable
> President John F Kennedy,  1962
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