Toughening up feet for a long hike......

[saltysack]

I've heard lots of ways to toughen up feet....curious what others found useful and actually worked. I usually don't have blisters probs but then again I've never hiked more 60 miles at a time. I'm planning to do a 15 day jmt thru this sept. Want to do what ever I can make sure I complete....I can't control altitude but anything I can I want to address...I do plan to take the recommended ginkgo a few weeks before I start as well as get a script for diamox to deal with altitude...don't want issues with feet...I did buy skin glide and plan to change dt socks at lunch daily..


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[bemental]

I've heard lots of ways to toughen up feet....curious what others found useful and actually worked. I usually don't have blisters probs but then again I've never hiked more 60 miles at a time. I'm planning to do a 15 day jmt thru this sept. Want to do what ever I can make sure I complete....I can't control altitude but anything I can I want to address...I do plan to take the recommended ginkgo a few weeks before I start as well as get a script for diamox to deal with altitude...don't want issues with feet...I did buy skin glide and plan to change dt socks at lunch daily..


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Salty, surprised to see you asking about feet.

Break in the shoes (and the feet) with some training walks before hand. I'd start lightly loaded, and work up the weight to determine if there are any problems with the shoes at various loads.

Mimic the conditions of your potential hike (terrain) as best as possible. This is for exploratory purposes of ensuring no hot spots, not for conditioning of legs (but it's important for that as well).

Try various means of trying the shoes as well. As we learned the other day, there are various holes for laces to go in (still dumbfounds me to this day).

I think it took me about 5-10 day hikes to decide on thee different pairs of shoes. Two of them didn't work out, but the third ended up being *just right*.


Hope this helps.

[MuddyWaters]

I had to rinse socks out every 10 miles. I can feel when the abrasive dirt builds up.

On the AT, i have gone a week without even removing socks..

[bemental]

I've heard lots of ways to toughen up feet....curious what others found useful and actually worked. I usually don't have blisters probs but then again I've never hiked more 60 miles at a time. I'm planning to do a 15 day jmt thru this sept. Want to do what ever I can make sure I complete....I can't control altitude but anything I can I want to address...I do plan to take the recommended ginkgo a few weeks before I start as well as get a script for diamox to deal with altitude...don't want issues with feet...I did buy skin glide and plan to change dt socks at lunch daily..


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Actually, now that I think about it, you *can* control altitude. We used to train in gas masks to make our lungs workout harder, but you can always buy one of those little breathing apparatuses that allows you to work your lungs at different 'elevations', basically a resistance exercise for your lungs.

That is, if you're really worried about it.

[saltysack]

Salty, surprised to see you asking about feet.

Break in the shoes (and the feet) with some training walks before hand. I'd start lightly loaded, and work up the weight to determine if there are any problems with the shoes at various loads.

Mimic the conditions of your potential hike (terrain) as best as possible. This is for exploratory purposes of ensuring no hot spots, not for conditioning of legs (but it's important for that as well).

Try various means of trying the shoes as well. As we learned the other day, there are various holes for laces to go in (still dumbfounds me to this day).


Hope this helps.

I realize shoes broken in etc...I've been wearing wildcat trail runners for several years...I realize break in etc...I'll be wearing a pair that's got at least 100 trail miles on them with a new pair of green super feet....only time had blisters was when hiked in wet socks for a day or two..now bring a second pair to swap out daily...I was just curios as I want to complete this hike as its lots of planning,$$$ etc...Trying to see if there's any secret foot care out there I'm not aware of...not worried so much about being in shape as over never had issue with that as I'm a meat head(what my wife calls me[emoji1]).....5'11" 215... Can do lunges all day with 80lbs....carrying -30lbs daily no sweat....


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[saltysack]

Actually, now that I think about it, you *can* control altitude. We used to train in gas masks to make our lungs workout harder, but you can always buy one of those little breathing apparatuses that allows you to work your lungs at different 'elevations', basically a resistance exercise for your lungs.

That is, if you're really worried about it.

Ha...I can see it now wearing a gas mask at gym....[emoji100]


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[bemental]

That's what we did on a military base, just not in the gym. Usually running trails or on the obstacle course.

Here's an example for you on the altitude/respiratory trainer: http://www.powerlung.com/region/us/products/trainer/

[Water Rat]

Saltwater and wandering on the beach are a great way to toughen the skin. Both will draw moisture out of your skin and cause it to toughen up. Just watch out for broken shells/glass!

[bemental]

I had to rinse socks out every 10 miles. I can feel when the abrasive dirt builds up.

On the AT, i have gone a week without even removing socks..

Maybe wearing dirt, sandy socks will toughen your feet up? [emoji16]

[saltysack]

Saltwater and wandering on the beach are a great way to toughen the skin. Both will draw moisture out of your skin and cause it to toughen up. Just watch out for broken shells/glass!

Y I had heard that...if that's the case I shouldn't have any blister....in the saltwater every weekend...dive,sup,drink[emoji482]......[emoji748]️


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[Water Rat]

While it might not work for everyone, I have noticed that the salt & sand toughen the skin on my feet. Have yet (knock on wood!) to have blister issues. Wandering in the sand also helps strengthen the legs and helps with cardio... What a horrible prescription! :D

[bigcranky]

Maybe wearing dirt, sandy socks will toughen your feet up? [emoji16]

Earl Shaffer, the first guy to thru hike the AT, put sand in his boots, no socks, to toughen his feet. But he was a tough guy to begin with.

[Pedaling Fool]

Walk around the block barefoot. I did as preps for my first LD hike and it worked, no blisters. However, I did have serious blisters after my first walk around the block in my neighborhood (~0.5 mile walk on black asphalt), and they hurt for a few days really bad, but better to hurt at home than on the trail.

I now run barefoot a few times per month to keep them toughen'd up.

[saltysack]

Walk around the block barefoot. I did as preps for my first LD hike and it worked, no blisters. However, I did have serious blisters after my first walk around the block in my neighborhood (~0.5 mile walk on black asphalt), and they hurt for a few days really bad, but better to hurt at home than on the trail.

I now run barefoot a few times per month to keep them toughen'd up.

Howdy neighbor...I also live n AB....I'll keep eye out for the crazy guy jogging barefoot on this hot asphalt!


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[kolokolo]

I have also had foot problems (blisters etc) during section hikes. The thing that has worked the best for me is to jog with no socks starting a month or so before the hike. If you're not a runner, then wear your shoes around the house without socks. Definitely toughens the feet.

[Walkintom]

Rubbing alcohol will toughen them as well, I've heard.

[MuddyWaters]

When we were kids we went around barefoot all the time in summer
The skin on our feet was thick, we could walk on scorching pavement without it hurting .

[juma]

when you get to sierra, put leukotape in all the places you might/have gotten blisters. change about every three days. your skin will toughen under the tape. you won't get blisters. the tape protects as your feet toughen. bottom line, I'd tape the whole way if I were you. I hope you don't wear tight shoes. that is the only thing that WILL over come leukotape.

some other words of wisdom- you will go to sierra and hike where there is less oxygen due to altitude. where you live, water in the air also limits oxygen in the air. its not the quite the same but hiking in high humidity is not unlike hiking at higher altitude to a degree. maybe do some trail running in the heat of the day to get to the needed oxygen deficit to train and gain red blood cells.

[saltysack]

when you get to sierra, put leukotape in all the places you might/have gotten blisters. change about every three days. your skin will toughen under the tape. you won't get blisters. the tape protects as your feet toughen. bottom line, I'd tape the whole way if I were you. I hope you don't wear tight shoes. that is the only thing that WILL over come leukotape.

some other words of wisdom- you will go to sierra and hike where there is less oxygen due to altitude. where you live, water in the air also limits oxygen in the air. its not the quite the same but hiking in high humidity is not unlike hiking at higher altitude to a degree. maybe do some trail running in the heat of the day to get to the needed oxygen deficit to train and gain red blood cells.

Interesting.....thx...I wear trail runners 1-1.5 size larger than regular shoes...I wear 11.5-12 in most shoes and buy my wildcats size 13...running in the dead of heat in summer is brutal here....running just 3 miles is tough when it's over 90* with high humidity here...I hate running here during summer but will do it on my off days at the gym..seems like hiking 15 miles is easier than running 3...


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[juma]

Interesting.....thx...I wear trail runners 1-1.5 size larger than regular shoes...I wear 11.5-12 in most shoes and buy my wildcats size 13...running in the dead of heat in summer is brutal here....running just 3 miles is tough when it's over 90* with high humidity here...I hate running here during summer but will do it on my off days at the gym..seems like hiking 15 miles is easier than running 3...


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only concern is how thick are your socks. I wear about the same size differential but normally just use nylon dress socks instead of wool or thicker socks. this is with thick sole hoka shoes. hopefully, the leuko will work with your socks/shoesize combo. I like the nylon dress socks out there in sierra especially. you can wash them every 4 hours and they dry in an hour or less. they are slippery and vent well too.

[Sarcasm the elf]

Walk around the block barefoot. I did as preps for my first LD hike and it worked, no blisters. However, I did have serious blisters after my first walk around the block in my neighborhood (~0.5 mile walk on black asphalt), and they hurt for a few days really bad, but better to hurt at home than on the trail.

I now run barefoot a few times per month to keep them toughen'd up.

This is my recommendation as well. I barefoot walk and do light barefoot running on pavement and it's amazing how quick the calluses build up and how quick your stride changes.

Regarding altitude. In my minimal experience going from my sea level house to Utah or Colorado, I recommend you give up drinking alcohol for the duration of the trip, drink extra fluids and get extra sleep.

[Pedaling Fool]

Howdy neighbor...I also live n AB....I'll keep eye out for the crazy guy jogging barefoot on this hot asphalt!


Sent from my iPhone using TapatalkYeah, I see you live in Neptune, just across the street (Atlantic Blvd).

Don't look too hard, because now I'm in the D.C. area dealing with family matters, but when I get back you'll probably have a better chance of spying that fool pedaling around with big ass bags attached to his bike:D

[saltysack]

Ha... We moved last year to AB off Seminole rd..:


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[saltysack]

This is my recommendation as well. I barefoot walk and do light barefoot running on pavement and it's amazing how quick the calluses build up and how quick your stride changes.

Regarding altitude. In my minimal experience going from my sea level house to Utah or Colorado, I recommend you give up drinking alcohol for the duration of the trip, drink extra fluids and get extra sleep.

Thx... I plan not to drink a week or two before the trip as well...it's going to be hard not drink my favorite beverage though....Sierra Nevada!!!


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[Sarcasm the elf]

Thx... I plan not to drink a week or two before the trip as well...it's going to be hard not drink my favorite beverage though....Sierra Nevada!!!


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Trust me I feel your pain. When I went to Golden, CO I was at a different brewhouse almost every night, but it caused huge hangovers even when drinking in moderation and made the dayhikes at 9,000ft misersble.

When I went to Salt Lake City this January I mostly swore off booze for the trip and it made for a completely different experience, had a great time and felt alright (but a bit tired) the while time, including when summiting a 10,000 footer.

[saltysack]

How did the altitude affect your daily mileage. Just curious


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[Sarcasm the elf]

How did the altitude affect your daily mileage. Just curious


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More than my mileage it affected my speed. It's a wierd feeling where my muscles felt relatively fine, but I was constantly out of breath, almost like my body was walking but my lungs thought i was sprinting. The hiking took alot more exertion and i had to really watch myself to make sure that I wasn't pushing myself too hard too fast. My solution to mitigate this was to walk at an almost comically slow pace, especially when going uphill.

[RED-DOG]

put "rubbing alcohol" on your feet atleast 2-3 times a day for a month before your hike it will toughen your feet and it does prevent blisters

[Traveler]

Rubbing alcohol will toughen them as well, I've heard.

Colin Fletcher recommended this as a good foot toughening regimen. By the time the bottle was used up, you should have feet like steel.

[saltysack]

put "rubbing alcohol" on your feet atleast 2-3 times a day for a month before your hike it will toughen your feet and it does prevent blisters

Thx...I'll give it a dhot


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[Pedaling Fool]

Ha... We moved last year to AB off Seminole rd..:


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Yeah, I run by that street, but I don't stay on it, because I hate how narrow it is and it's full of traffic a lot because, it's basically the only way out of that large housing area, since you got the beach to the east, the golf course to the west and Hanna park to the north; south is the only exit for all them households -- I don't even ride my bike on that road and I don't mind riding in traffic. But there are some nice neighborhoods to run thru back there.

[saltysack]

only concern is how thick are your socks. I wear about the same size differential but normally just use nylon dress socks instead of wool or thicker socks. this is with thick sole hoka shoes. hopefully, the leuko will work with your socks/shoesize combo. I like the nylon dress socks out there in sierra especially. you can wash them every 4 hours and they dry in an hour or less. they are slippery and vent well too.

I've never used Leuko tape...where do u buy?


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[Old Grouse]

I've never used Leuko tape...where do u buy?


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I can't find it in any store but it's easy to get on Amazon.com

[saltysack]

I can't find it in any store but it's easy to get on Amazon.com

Thx....I've looked at lots of stores locally before w no luck..I'll order


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[Wyoming]

It sounds kind of crazy but what I do to toughen my feet is break all the rules about how to take care of your feet.

That is when I go for training walks I wear cotton gym socks, deliberately tie my shoes loose so my feel slip a little, walk on pavement when it is hot to overheat the feet, the cotton socks also get my feet sweaty. All the things which can cause blisters so the callus's thicken up.

re the hiking at altitude. As you probably know the breathlessness comes from a lack of red blood cells. It takes 2-3 weeks depending on physiology and age for your body to build up the extra red blood cells you need when you go up in altitude.

[just dad]

I have also had foot problems (blisters etc) during section hikes. The thing that has worked the best for me is to jog with no socks starting a month or so before the hike. If you're not a runner, then wear your shoes around the house without socks. Definitely toughens the feet.

I second this suggestion. Use an old pair of whatever you hike in and spend a month or so before your hike walking, jogging, running, etc. without socks. You may need to work through a few sets of blisters, but it will get your feet tough for the trail.

[oldwetherman]

Soaking feet in a strong solution of tea was discussed here on WB a few years ago. The tannic acid is supposed to work well for toughening skin. A Google search on it will give you all the details.

[bemental]

Soaking feet in a strong solution of tea was discussed here on WB a few years ago. The tannic acid is supposed to work well for toughening skin. A Google search on it will give you all the details.

Drinking the tea foot bath subsequently toughens up the immune system.

[Berserker]

Best thing for toughening up the feet in my opinion is to just walk a lot. I still a got a few blisters when I did the JMT in 2013, and it wasn't a show stopper. Make sure to have supplies along to deal with them as required, and it shouldn't be a big deal. The thing that almost derailed my hike was the 6 days of smoke from a wild fire.

Since altitude was mentioned a few times I thought I'd mention what I did before the hike. I spent the first night in the Tuolumne Meadows campground (around 8,600'), and that help significantly with the acclimatization.

[Pedaling Fool]

Best thing for toughening up the feet in my opinion is to just walk a lot. I still a got a few blisters when I did the JMT in 2013, and it wasn't a show stopper. Make sure to have supplies along to deal with them as required, and it shouldn't be a big deal. The thing that almost derailed my hike was the 6 days of smoke from a wild fire.

Since altitude was mentioned a few times I thought I'd mention what I did before the hike. I spent the first night in the Tuolumne Meadows campground (around 8,600'), and that help significantly with the acclimatization.True, but just make sure you do that walking before getting out on the trail, because blisters on the feet suck, but they don't suck nearly as bad as blistered feet while hiking -- that goes beyond simply sucking.

That's why I walk/run on pavement, because I toughen them up before the hike (much better to have blistered feet sitting at home) and also you don't have to spend as much time walking, since it's such a rough surface.

[saltysack]

True, but just make sure you do that walking before getting out on the trail, because blisters on the feet suck, but they don't suck nearly as bad as blistered feet while hiking -- that goes beyond simply sucking.

That's why I walk/run on pavement, because I toughen them up before the hike (much better to have blistered feet sitting at home) and also you don't have to spend as much time walking, since it's such a rough surface.

Just figured I start by not wearing sox to the gym...only problem when I don't wear sox my feet stink bad....ruin my gym shoes....mostly barefoot all summer at the beach do should be good come sept...counting down!


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[atraildreamer]

Rubbing alcohol will toughen them as well, I've heard.

It does work. I used to do this when I first started hiking. Rub the feet down with the rubbing alcohol a couple of times a day for a couple of weeks. Your feet will toughen up.

Another trick to try to break in boots quickly is to take a clean pair of socks, soak them in water, wring out as much water as possible so the socks are just damp, put them on and then put the new boots on and walk around the house for a couple of hours.

This worked well when I had a pair of leather hiking boots from EMS. I don't know if it will work with boots made of man-made materials. :confused:

[shelb]

You mentioned fixing the "fishures" in the feet... but also toughening them up....

My problem is that if I do not wear socks and shoes, I get those cracks in my feet. I work hard to get them to go away, but then my feet are no longer tough... they are pampered...

I want tough feet for the AT...

Ideas?