[pct-l] foot and other pains questions

[Michael_Lissner@xxxxxxxxxx (Michael Lissner)]

So, I convinced my mom that she should give me some boots for christmas, and
indeed, she did. Vasque Zephyr GTX=B4s to be exact. I went and did some
serious hiking (25 miles per day or so) through some of the camino de
santiago in spain, and along the way I developed two kinds of pain. The
first, was in both of my feet, and grew progressively worse during the
development of every day. It was a pain in the ball of my feet upon pushing
off with every step. It was as if somebody had rolled over the balls of my
feet with their car, making them extremely sensitive to weight. After a full
day of packing, and getting my boots off, bending my toes downwards was
extremely freaking painful. I could barely do it (luckily that doesn=B4t ne=
ed
to be done to hike, but I was not too fond of the idea nonetheless).
Finally, in the morning of each day they were progressively worse,
exhibiting some immediate pain upon setting weight up on them. My theory is
that the shoes were doing something weird to the natural movement of my bone
structure, but I thought I would see if anybody out there had had similar
experiences with boots.
The second kind of pain was one that I believe we are all familiar with, but
that we are all rather fearful to mention thanks to that splendid american
culture that we have come to be raised in.  A friend of mine referred to it
as "mush butt," and I have come to wonder just how many other people have
come to experienced this, and if they are willing to share any solutions
they may have found for it so that experimentation is not necessary. For the
record, I am referring to that more than delightful rash that forms between
the butt cheeks on an otherwise warm and comfortable day. While we are on
the topic, has anybody read "how to shit in the woods," and if so, any
thoughts on the book? Thanks. -mike