[pct-l] Contacts and....hiking boots??

[kdpo at pacbell.net (Ken Powers)]

Marcia wears gas permeable contacts on all our hikes. Shes carrys cleaning
solution and wetting/soaking solution. She cleans them in filtered and
boiled water every morning on the trail. She has had no problems on the
trails. Well one problem. She ran out of wetting/soaking solution near
Sisters.  Bob Nida played trail angel for us and brought a bottle of the
solution to us at Elk Lake jundtion. Here is the picture of our package:
http://home.pacbell.net/kdpo/pct/sisters.htm

We have worn trail runners on all 3 trails. Marcia goes through 4-5 pairs on
each trail - always New Balance. I go through 2-4 pairs - several brands,
but mostly New Balance. My first pair of NB 806's on the AT this year lasted
over 1400 miles and could have gone longer. We have a convenient place to
order and receive shoes and took advantage of it. We think the added weight
of the boots is as significant as the weight being carried on your back.
Maybe even important!

Continue sending in those questions. The discussion helps all the potential
hikers.

Ken
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "todd kimmel" <tkimmel2@hotmail.com>
To: <pct-l@mailman.backcountry.net>
Sent: Sunday, November 30, 2003 11:15 AM
Subject: [pct-l] Contacts and....hiking boots??


> As an inexperienced  hiker preparing for an '04 PCT thru-hike, I find my
> mind being consumed with hundres of questions that seem to exit my head
> shortly after entering.  I've recenetly decided to start writing these
> questions down regardless of how trivial they might be.  Anyways, here's a
> couple of things that I'm wondering about:
>
> Contacts -  For those hiker's not blessed with 20 20 vision, what is the
> best way to handle optical assistance.  Are disposable contacts fairly
> common on the trail? I suppose picking up solution along the way is not
too
> difficult?  Does proper sanitation become an  issue?  Do some people scrap
> the whole contact thing and just wear glasses?
>
> Hiking Boots -  I've heard that some people prefer sneakers/running shoes
> over hiking boots?  What is the norm on the trail?  Does anyone reccomend
> certain brands?  I have a nice pair of REI boots but I'm not sure about
> durability and lifespan.  Typically how many pairs of shoes will a
thu-hiker
> go thru?
>
>
> Thanks for all the help.....more questions to come.
>
> Todd
>
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