[pct-l] One solution for sore feet

[osprey at att.net (Rick Alway)]

Have any of you hiked several hundred miles and NOT had sore feet?
especially the balls of the feet? Perhaps I am alone in this, but I
think not. Now it might be that I am no longer in my 20's (or 30's or
40's) and don't have much padding left on the soles of my feet, but I
also got really sore feet when I WAS in my 20's. I've tried running
shoes (even those with supposedly more cushioning) as well as boots. I
tried Superfeet as well as all other manner of insoles -- didn't help.
 
Finally, after completing the Washington PCT, I decided to visit a
podiatrist. Quite a few hundred dollars later, I know a lot more about
my unique feet (cool X-rays), I was impressed he could tell I broke one
of my metatarsals when I was a kid, I don't (didn't) have plantar
fasciitis, and I now have cool carbon fiber orthotics. But the balls of
my feet still ache if I hike more than 10-15 miles.
 
Then an idea hit me. Even after the podiatrist did multiple adjustments
to the othotics (smoothing out ridges, trimming, etc), they still felt
like they needed a little bit of padding. And even though I haven't done
much long distance desert hiking, I understand the recommendation to get
shoes larger than normal. So I got larger shoes (went from a petite 13
to a generous 14), cut out & inserted insoles from one of many blue foam
sleeping pads I have around here, and set my orthotics on top. The
results are amazing. You all probably know how sore feet get after
walking on pavement or hard rock for many miles and how wonderful it
feels to then step onto a trail with lots of forest duff cushioning it.
That's what these insoles feel like. I feel like I am hiking in soft
cushy slippers.
 
Of course this blue foam compresses with time and miles, but a blue foam
pad is cheap, each pair of insoles is light, and it's easy to include
them in resupply packages. Try it out.
 
-Osprey