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

Thu Sep 29 10:27:15 CDT 2016

Just curious Ned, what's your brand of choice?

Sent from my iPhone

> On Sep 28, 2016, at 11:43 PM, Peter Necarsulmer <necarsulmer at mac.com> wrote:
> 
> 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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