[pct-l] sandels,,,,OH NO,,,,!

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

<You crazy thru-hikers amaze me!

<I'll keep my boots. They're VERY comfortable. Even after many, many miles.


And here, of course, is the key to all this hiking boots (light or heavy) vs. 
running shoes (sandals, racing flats, trail runners, whatever).  We hike in 
whatever our feet tell us is the tool for the job.  

Answering one lister's question on this subject, I hiked half of the trail in 
'97 with heavy hiking boots because that was what I knew about it.  One 
morning near Palm Springs, I put them on carefully so as not to further abuse my 
feet, and was able to hobble less than a hundred yards before I had to take them 
back off and do some more bandaging.  Closest I came the whole trip to 
quitting, right there.  

The boots were not the problem.  They were good boots -- the same boots 
others happily walked the whole trail with.  If your boots are "VERY comfortable", 
by all means use them.  My problem was, wrong insoles, wrong socks, pack too 
heavy, and, if you'll pardon the emphasis, NOT PROPERLY TESTING THE FOOTWEAR 
BEFORE STARTING MY HIKE.  

I've since found a system that makes my feet happy.  It probably won't make 
your feet happy.  Find the solution that works for your feet.