[pct-l] Ankles, socks, gaiters

["Karen Elder" <wild_mind@earthlink.net>]

Footwear may be the most idiosyncratic part of a hiker's gear. If you're
having a problem (blisters, whatever), it's really worthwhile to
experiment -- asking what other people do can give you ideas, but you'll
still have to test them and should go by your own experience.  :-)  (A bit
like life, eh?)

For hikes less than a week, I generally will carry two pairs of wool socks
and two pairs of sock liners; for more than a week, three pairs each. This
assumes "normal" summer weather -- a few patches of snow to be crossed,
maybe a couple of afternoon thunderstorms. If the weather should be expected
to be wetter (e.g., in the Pacific Northwest) or colder (e.g., winter
hiking), then I'll usually add another pair of socks.

I tend to wear my boots pretty loose and haven't ever had problems with
blisters or chafing around the ankles. In the past I've gotten blisters on
my toes -- eventually got to the point where I'd do "preventive" taping each
morning of a hike -- I'd tape the areas that commonly got blisters *before*
the blisters showed up. That works pretty well. I find that slowing down the
hiking pace is extremely useful for preventing blisters -- but then 25 or 30
mile days are hard to do. Last summer, my daughter and I hiked 15 - 20 mile
days during the last three weeks of our CT hike and never got blisters, but
we really didn't rush along. Almost everybody else we talked with had
blisters, but they hiked faster (and spent more time in camp); some had very
heavy / stiff leather boots; we use light - midweight leather boots (mine
were Vasque; I don't remember what brand Robin's were). Again, this is very
individual!!

I rarely carry gaiters, rarely wear long pants, do (depending on terrain)
sometimes have pebbles or dirt find their way into the boots -- it's a good
idea to get them out as soon as possible.

Happy trails!
Karen

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