[pct-l] Avoiding blisters....

[Pat Wormington]

Start with shoes a size larger.
Hike with weights in your pack before you start the PCT or test hikes 
with all your gear.
Don't push the mileage at the start.  Give your feet time to toughen 
up.  I kept my mileage to around 15 miles a day to start with.
I carried one pair of extra wool socks and foot powder for my toes 
(Zeasorb-AF) carried in a salt shaker from REI.  Also tape for my feet 
which I seldom had to use after I had the correct shoe size.
Air your feet during your lunch break.  Pull the shoe liners and hang 
your socks to air dry.  Gaiters will help keep the grit and dirt out of 
your shoes.  Fewer stops to empty your shoes.

In 2009, finishing a 450 mile hike at the I-10, I saw thru hikers that 
could barely walk.  I met Jeff from Texas, hiking with shoes that were 
too small, who had bound his sore feet with an ace bandage.  His sores 
were festering under all those wraps.  I on the other hand had no foot 
issues at mile 450.  I had started at Anza and hiked to the kick-off, 
then skipped up to Agua Dulce and hiked south.    I'm seeing comments 
about a rain jacket.  A rain jacket holds in warmth and is also handy in 
wind storms with blowing sand. I would never hike long hikes without one.

Cheers and GOOD LUCK........Jollylopper