[pct-l] 52 years later, I tried Trail Runners...

Wed Sep 28 23:43:16 CDT 2016

Another excellent, non-ideological set of reporting and insights from Ned.  The Ryan Jordan's (whom I admire) of this world would be so much more credible if they adopted a similar style.  Thanks Ned. 

Peter Necarsulmer- Escargot
necarsulmer at mac.com

> On Sep 28, 2016, at 11:07 AM, ned at mountaineducation.org wrote:
> 
> [Sorry for the cross-posting, first of all. Some of Mountain Education's
> students and followers do not "do" Facebook, so I repost here for them.]
> 
> ***
> 
> 
> 
> I'm a heavy leather boot fan. Always have been. 
> 
> 
> 
> But, I took a pair of trail runners out for a "test-drive" the other day...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> First, a little bit about my trail experience:
> 
> 
> 
> - I did the PCT (1974) and CDT (1980) in the same boot (had to change soles
> only twice in nearly 6,000 miles while the uppers fit like a glove). A nice
> cost savings.
> 
> 
> 
> - For the past 34 years, I'm out on-trail an average of 150 days a year
> teaching wilderness safety skills in these wonders of durable design and
> they "work" great for me. 
> 
> 
> 
> - In those 34 years I've purchased 3 pairs of new boots and have never
> gotten a single blister nor had to go through any sort of protracted boot
> "break-in" to make them ready for the trail. (However, back in 1974 when I
> did the PCT, the Vasque boots I used did require extensive pre-trail
> softening with oil and walking just to get them to flex. Thankfully, boots
> are built better these days!)
> 
> 
> 
> - Believe it or not, I actually like the weight on my feet! It adds what I
> call "swing-weight" to my leg action and I step farther...but I have long
> legs, anyway. Come April, when I transition off snowshoes and put on my
> hiking boots again, my legs get used to the weight over the first few days
> on trail and all feels good.
> 
> 
> 
> - On steep downhills with my heavy pack, I pound down on top of all sorts of
> big and little rocks, sharp pointy rocks, rock edges, branches, roots, and
> even slippery scree and don't feel any impact on my plantar fascia, balls of
> feet, or heels. The low, soft Achilles tendon panel sits just right so it
> doesn't dig into the tendon and cause tendonitis (this did happen once with
> one design and brought a trip to a sudden halt, sending me limping home).
> 
> 
> 
> - Because I teach my students to "Look up" to enjoy the scenery we're hiking
> through, some of my attention is not focused on obstacles and hazards in the
> trail, so my feet tend to crash into things as demonstrated by all the
> gashes and punctures around the leather toe box. I wouldn't have it any
> other way. I'm partly out there for the view. Who wants to stare at the
> trail all day while walking...?
> 
> - Creek crossings are simple. I walk right through them, have great
> traction, and don't worry about punctures or cuts. After changing sock sets
> on the other side, my boots dry out in a few miles, even when on snow.
> (You'll need to keep the outside of your boots waterproof and don't trust
> Gore-Tex in footwear).
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Most of my students don't get it. They firmly believe that trail runner
> footwear is the only way to hike! Other things encourage us to try the new
> fad (from my point of view), as well, 1. you read the pro-trail-runner rants
> on social media, 2. all the footprints on the trail are made by trail
> runners, and 3. you don't want to feel different. you read the
> pro-trail-runner rants on social media and all the footprints on the trail
> are made by trail runners. 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> So, recently, I "test-drove" a pair of popular trail runners and this is
> what I noticed:
> 
> 
> 
> 1. The shoes were amazingly light and I felt like my feet could fly around
> in any direction. This was novel and fun, but I felt vulnerable.
> 
> 
> 
> 2. Every little rock impacted straight into my arch, heel, and ball of my
> foot. I had to watch the trailbed pretty closely to avoid anything
> protruding that could hurt my feet if I stepped on it. Basically, I had to
> be more careful about where I stepped and most of the time that took
> emergency "collision avoidance maneuvers." By the time the hike was over, my
> feet were pretty sore. (I think over a long hike you might get used to
> paying this kind of attention to the trailbed).
> 
> 
> 
> 3. Although the shoe had a Vibram sole, it was very flexible and could twist
> easily, so it couldn't hold an edge on rocks or snow. Where I had to step on
> steeply inclined rock or snow, the shoe would roll flat and tend to slip,
> especially on scree or snow.
> 
> 
> 
> 4. Where the trail became very narrow and tall-ish boulders lined the route,
> my exposed ankle bones got cut up pretty good. 
> 
> 
> 
> 5. During one creek-crossing, the soft sole of one shoe got wedged between
> two boulders in thigh-deep whitewater and the shoe pulled off, mid-stream!
> Luckily it stayed there long enough for me to limp tenderly through the rest
> of the stream, avoiding some of the sharper rocks and pointy sticks on the
> creek bottom, to drop my pack on the other side and return into the creek to
> rescue the shoe. 
> 
> 
> 
> 6. The soft uppers of the shoes did not do well with abrasion on granite,
> either, as some of the stitching and fabric panels showed small tears,
> especially near the little toes and along the sides of the toe box. 
> 
> 
> 
> 7. Vulcanized rubber soles can either de-laminate from the uppers at the
> little toe flex area or separate from the mid-sole over time and miles. This
> did not happen to me on this maiden voyage, but I've seen it plague
> long-distance thru hikers in the past, forcing them off-trail to find a new
> pair. (Heavy leather boots often have their soles stitched via a "Norwegian
> welt" to their uppers, thus making sole replacement easily done by most any
> cobbler near the trail). 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> What you choose to wear is a very personal decision. The only real way to
> find out what "works" for you is to try out different designs, like with
> tents, stoves, sleeping pads and bags, and even food, then make up your own
> mind! 
> 
> 
> 
> These were my observations about hiking in trail runners in the high Sierra
> above 10,000 feet while carrying my usual "heavy-trucker" pack. I would
> imagine that if your pack was lighter, impacts to the plantar aspect of the
> foot and its tendons and fascia would not be so risky or painful.
> 
> 
> 
> So, be picky! Test different styles and designs on trailbed similar to what
> you expect on the more rugged sections of the route you want to hike. Any
> shoe is going to feel great in a city park, but take it on a test-hike up to
> the weathered trails at 11,000 or 12,000 feet and see how it treats you.
> This way you won't go through the painful-feet stage at the beginning of
> most thru hikes and you can enjoy the journey from start to finish!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Ned Tibbits, Director
> 
> Mountain Education, Inc.
> 
> ned at mountaineducation.org <mailto:ned at mountaineducation.org>  
> 
> 
> 
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