[pct-l] my 2 cents on ticks, knees, and shoes

[mardav at charter.net (Marion Davison)]

My point of view is--I am an older section hiker who hikes with llamas.  
Youthful thruhikers please disregard.
Ticks--in all my trail travels in Calif. I have gotten just one tick, in 
the Ventana wilderness.  But I have hiked section C and D with my dog 
and she picked up hundreds of ticks on each trip.  I wear long pants 
always, and I spray my ankles with deet when skeeters are biting. 
Knees--I had knee repair surgery in 1980 after detaching three ligaments 
when I fell off my Cross-country skis.  Since then I have hiked over 
5000 miles, without pain and without knee braces.  I use hiking poles 
and take chodroitin and glucosamine year round to treat fibromyalgia.  
So  I do believe knee recovery is possible.  My post surgery recovery 
was about a year ( my knee would swell after exercise for about a year.  
Also I gave up jogging permanently, as that was the worst for the 
knee.)  Hiking has not been a problem.  Because of the fibromyalgia I 
haven't carried a pack in the last seven years.  Llamas carry my pack.
Shoes--I have done all my hiking the last ten years (with and without 
pack) in Asics or New Balance shoes.  I just bought whatever I could get 
at Big 5 for forty bucks.  Never had any 800 series shoes.  I have had 
several incidents when I slipped on sand-over-granite, because ordinary 
running shoes don't have much tread.  But otherwise my feet have been 
very happy.  My typical day is 15 miles.
Marion