[pct-l] Seeking Advice on PCT footwear

[ROYROBIN@aol.com (ROYROBIN@aol.com)]

<< I'm a 6'1" female and take a women's 13 5A shoe. >>

Mara --  I'm surprised you can find any shoes at all to wear.  I wear men's 
13 or 14 in B width, and thought I had problems!

Anyway, on the trail runners vs hiking boot subject.  I prefer lightweight 
boots to running shoes, but that's just my own feet telling me what works for 
me.  My son does just fine in trail shoes because that's what works for him.  
Point is, nobody can tell you what shoe will fit YOUR feet.  You gotta try 
them out, preferably before you set out on the long walk.  

Re Gortex -- Your feet and footwear are going to get wet, whether from sweat, 
rain, snow or fording streams.  Once wet, the Gortex will just take longer to 
dry out.  And my son, if he were writing this, yould tell you that running 
shoes will dry out a lot faster than boots.  Add the higher cost of Gortex 
and it seems to me like a lose-lose situation.

Finally, don't just test the shoes/boots before you commit to them.  Do your 
testing with the same socks and any inserts you intend to use on the trail.  
I was pleased with my boots but switched to a "better" insert when I started 
out from Campo in '97.  Bad mistake, but the feet healed up when I solved the 
insert problem.