[pct-l] Foot care secrets in the desert

[cmkudija at earthlink.net (cmkudija@earthlink.net)]

Mala,

Here's my $.02 secret for foot care in the desert, after having had to take
time off in '94 to heal brutal blisters on the balls of both feet, between
toes & under toenails after the San Felipe Hills (even after taking my shoes
off during breaks) and again after Idyllwild to Big Bear -

- Vaseline.

- No moleskin, maybe Compeeds to cushion hot spots.

I'm leery of using too much duct tape on my skin, because I'm slightly
allergic to band-aid adhesive.  My practice up to Big Bear, which had been
successful in 18+ years of mountaineering in the Sierras, was to clean my
feet well, then apply moleskin on potential blister areas.  What I found was
that the moleskin literally rolled off my hot, sweaty feet and probably
caused more problems.  I also attempted to dry the blisters with foot powder
and alcohol, which resulted in worsening the condition.

I finally resorted to my podiatrist in soCal, who advised me to clean my
feet before bedtime, then slather them with Vaseline, put plastic bags (like
produce bags) over each foot, then put on socks to hold the plastic in
place.  This technique allowed the blistered tissue to heal rapidly and
brought needed moisture to my feet.  When I resumed hiking, I followed his
additional advice: in the morning I'd liberally smear a layer of Vaseline on
the balls and heels of my feet, and placed little blobs of Vaseline between
my toes and over the toenails.  The experience was miraculous - only one
blister from Wrightwood to Sierra City (where we jumped to Washington) and
none in Washington.

In the Mojave I found that the soles of my feet felt "hot" despite the
Vaseline, so after cleaning my feet I sprayed them with NewSkin, let it dry,
then applied Vaseline.  Again, no blisters and healed feet.

John Vonhof, author of "Fixing Your Feet" (outstanding book, btw),
recommends tech lubricants like Bodyglide - which also works and is a bit
less messy than Vaseline.  However, Vaseline's available at virtually all
mini-marts & is easy to resupply.  It does cause the elastic in liner socks
to deteriorate, but I have not found that to be much of a problem.   Any
foot lubricant will feel a bit odd and squishy at first, but it's not hard
to get accustomed to.

Duct tape is still an essential item in your kit - I've found that it's
useful for applying directly to my trail shoes (NB 804s) to decrease
friction around the heel cup.  And it DOES stick to everything, and may work
very well for you.  Besides, you can put Vaseline on top of the tape once
it's stuck to your foot.... ;-) to decrease friction even further.

Yes, the Vaseline will probably exacerbate the grit you collect between your
toes - but its lubrication value is still there.   It's worth a try during
your conditioning hikes - and pre-hike foot conditioning is the best
protection.

Good luck, ymmv, hyoh, and other appropriate disclaimers!


Christine "Ceanothus" Kudija
PCT partially '94, '02