[pct-l] My first post since 2003
Jim & Jane Moody
moodyjj at comcast.net
Mon Jan 16 05:16:47 CST 2017
With all due respect to my mentor Shroomer, hiking shoes tend to become fads quickly, and like most fads, they fade just as quickly. Brooks Cascadias are comfortable but slightly less stiff than I prefer. I like Montrose Mountain Masochists as well as anything I've tried, but they're getting harder to find. I like a cushiony shoe more than the thin-sole feel (easier on legs and fewer stress fractures), so I double up on the inserts. To keep the inserts from making the shoe too tight, I buy the shoes about two (2) sizes bigger than what the salesman recommends. Larger shoes give your feet plenty of room to move around, assure a bigger toe box, handle the extra inserts without constricting blood flow, and provide room for your feet to swell in the desert and chaparral, as they almost always do. I haven't surveyed all hikers, but I personally have never heard of anybody getting a blister because their shoes were too big. My own experience is that blisters are caused by shoes that are too tight, not too loose.
And speaking of blisters, I use toe socks as my inner sock and have never had a blister since I started wearing them (with larger shoes). Plus, they look really goofy, to go along with how the rest of me looks.
In summary, don't buy shoes just because "... almost all the serious thru hikers ..." are wearing them this year. Try them, yes, but go with the shoe that has the specific characteristics that are best for your feet, not the crowds'.
Good luck.
Mango
----- Original Message -----
From: "Scott Williams" <baidarker at gmail.com>
To: "Sabrina Harrison" <troopharrison at gmail.com>
Cc: "<Pct-l at backcountry.net>" <pct-l at backcountry.net>
Sent: Monday, January 16, 2017 1:47:25 AM
Subject: Re: [pct-l] My first post since 2003
I'm with you on the Altras I-Beam. And for all the reasons you've stated.
I wear the Instincts, which have a very soft sole, at home because they're
just so comfortable, and Lone Peaks for hiking. Although today, I forgot
my hiking shoes and was forced to climb a mountain, 4,000' vertical and 17
miles, in the Instincts and they did fine. My feet feel great this
evening, so the soft sole was not too soft for some pretty rocky trail.
Although they are incredibly comfortable, the Lone Peaks of the past have
had a problem with the uppers tearing out relatively quickly, sometimes
within a few hundred miles. This seems to be solved by the newer models
having a non fabric section added to the upper at the point of wear. The
newest models I just tried on at the Outdoor Retail show in SLC this past
week have added a series of rubberized plastic bands to the sides of the
uppers to help this even more, and the soles had even better traction. A
great shoe.
The Lone Peaks are worn by almost all the serious thru hikers I know, and
some of the greatest in he country. They are really comfortable. And if
the new ones are more robust, they'll be even better.
Shroomer
On Sun, Jan 15, 2017 at 6:38 PM, Sabrina Harrison <troopharrison at gmail.com>
wrote:
> Thank you so much! They are the next ones I plan to try.
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
> > On Jan 15, 2017, at 8:24 PM, Jim L Banks <jimlbanks at verizon.net> wrote:
> >
> > You might want to look at Altra trail runners. They have become very
> popular the last few years. Their toe box is actually shaped like your
> foot and allows your toes to splay out when you walk, like they naturally
> want to do. They also have what is called a zero drop heal. Read the
> information on their website to see what that is all about. Most PCT
> hikers wear the Lone Peak model. There is also a model that has more
> cushioning - the Olympus. I wear the Lone Peaks when hiking and the
> Olympus when walking my dog because when I walk my dog I am mainly on
> concrete sidewalks and I need a little more cushioning. I love these trail
> runners. They also have a built in gaiter trap. The only down side is
> that I really can't wear any other kind of shoes now that I have become
> accustomed to the wide toe box and the zero drop heal.
> >
> > I-Beam
> >
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Sabrina Harrison <troopharrison at gmail.com>
> > To: Jim & Jane Moody <moodyjj at comcast.net>
> > Cc: pct l <pct-l at backcountry.net>
> > Sent: Sun, Jan 15, 2017 4:38 pm
> > Subject: Re: [pct-l] My first post since 2003
> >
> > Right now I'm trying out different trail runners to find one I like. I
> know it's a personal choice, but I'm looking for recommendations on ones to
> try out.
> >
> > I've tried Brooks Cascadias - they were just okay.
> >
> > I'm ordering some La Sportiva Wildcats next.
> >
> > Thanks!
> >
> > Sent from my iPhone
> >
> > > On Jan 15, 2017, at 1:46 PM, Jim & Jane Moody <moodyjj at comcast.net>
> wrote:
> > >
> > > Sabrina,
> > > Pick a subject that you are unsure of, and we'll try to elaborate on
> it. Water treatment? Maps? Water availability in mid-May? Physical
> conditioning?
> > > Mango
> > >
> > > From: "Sabrina Harrison" <troopharrison at gmail.com>
> > > To: "Jim & Jane Moody" <moodyjj at comcast.net>
> > > Cc: "Pct-L" <pct-l at backcountry.net>
> > > Sent: Sunday, January 15, 2017 2:27:33 PM
> > > Subject: Re: [pct-l] My first post since 2003
> > >
> > > I'm a newbie, and I'm not a certified geezer, but I'm a pre-geezer
> perhaps, as a 42yo.
> > >
> > > I am going on my first section hike mid May. I plan to take on Campo
> to Warner Springs, or I have set a secondary destination of Idyllwild if I
> surprise myself and crush miles.
> > >
> > > I love hearing the stories on here, and have secret crushes on JMT
> Reinhold and Switchback.
> > >
> > > I'd love any stories or advice you want to send my way. in the spirit
> of disclosure, I must admit that I have been accused of having a "crap load
> of questions," so just know that before you open up a can of worms!
> > >
> > > Sabrina :)
> > >
> > > Sent from my iPhone
> > >
> > > > On Jan 15, 2017, at 6:45 AM, Jim & Jane Moody <moodyjj at comcast.net>
> wrote:
> > > >
> > > > When I first joined this list in 2009 there was lots of discussion
> about useful topics - water treatment, shoes, navigation, physical
> training, waste disposal & sanitation, etc. Plus, a lot of opinionated
> people got into arguments, and a few told some funny jokes that offended
> the thin-skinned among us. We newbies would ask questions and receive
> numerous, often conflicting answers. But I learned a lot. Maybe somebody
> could start a thread on one of these topics. I would, but I'm hungry and I
> need to go fix breakfast. Maybe later today.
> > > >
> > > > Mango
> > > >
> > > > ----- Original Message -----
> > > >
> > > > From: "Jeffrey Olson" <jjolson58 at gmail.com>
> > > > To: "Pct-L" <pct-l at backcountry.net>
> > > > Sent: Sunday, January 15, 2017 1:08:19 AM
> > > > Subject: Re: [pct-l] My first post since 2003
> > > >
> > > > I belong to the facebook groups focusing on hiking the PCT, and I
> enjoy
> > > > the enthusiasm and naivety there. Perhaps there is another use for
> this
> > > > forum, now pretty dead for a couple years.
> > > >
> > > > Maybe Shroomer is on to something - "I just keep hiking at whatever
> pace
> > > > I can do and it's all good." The other one makes me cringe a bit -
> > > > "Geezers Rock."
> > > >
> > > > What use is this forum? Right now it's dead. I'd love to hear stories
> > > > of situations others can learn from, without being told what they
> should
> > > > do. Maybe young people would join and participate. I love stories...
> > > >
> > > > Jeff... Laramie, WY (Santa Rosa, CA)
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >> On 1/14/2017 8:39 PM, Scott Williams wrote:
> > > >> Yeah, welcome back is right! Geezers rock! I just keep hiking at
> whatever
> > > >> pace I can do and it's all good. And, because I can't afford a
> Nepalese
> > > >> Sherpa, (although, one trains with us out here in CA during the
> winter, and
> > > >> man can that dude hike!) I can't afford the heavy packs of my
> youth. I
> > > >> have to go UL or not go at all at this point.
> > > >>
> > > >> Glad to have you back.
> > > >>
> > > >> Shroomer
> > > >>
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > ---
> > > > This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software.
> > > > https://www.avast.com/antivirus
> > > >
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