View Full Version : Shoes & terrain
walkerat99
02-03-2004, 20:15
:rolleyes: I am sure you will get a lot of help with these questions and I won't even guess about the switching of shoe and the width sizes, other than to say, maybe try it prior to starting your hike. As for the slick rocks you asked about, basically in the south you will have very few places where there is rock that would cause you a problem. I can only think of about 3 places where there is that type of rock at all and it is a very limited area. One place is around Dragon's Tooth in VA, another in VA is around Tinker Cliffs and the last place that comes to mind is a small section as you climb to the top of Albert Mt. Once you get to PA it is rocky but they are not really the type you referred to. The White Mountains is the first area that is really the type you described and then even more on into Maine. Maine is by far the most with the large slabs of rock that get very slick when wet.
At any rate, you will have plenty of time to try your method prior to getting to the area where you really need the type of shoe that will hold the rock surface.
I hope this helps, but basically down south it is slick mud and leaves, while up in New England it is more rock and roots that will cause problems.
Happy Trails....
Ed (Never Alone)AT99, 01 :-?
New Balance makes a lot of runners in wide sizes. While I'm not a big fan of NB shoes, they are very, very popular and many people highly recommend them. All things considered, I'd take comfort over traction any day for something like the AT (or PCT or CDT, etc, etc). The reason is as follows: If you wear shoes that don't fit you very well, your feet are going to suffer. When your feet start to suffer, you start to suffer. When you start to suffer, the hike starts to get unpleasant. You're out their to enjoy yourself and having aching feet usually impairs this pursuit. If you are wearing shoes with poor traction, you just have to remember that and be careful when necessary. From what I recall of the PCT, most people were having difficulty with their feet getting both longer and wider. Part of this was just swelling from the heat in SoCal, which won't be a factor for you on the AT.
I can't think of anything in between Springer and Damascus where you'd really need good traction. From what I remember of the Whites, having some sticky rubber would be helpful.
snuffleupagus
02-03-2004, 21:46
I wear size 12EEEE shoes (women's). For my thruhike, I have to choose between walking shoes that fit but have minimal traction and trail runners that are a tad narrower (2E) but have lots of traction. I do a lot of hiking in the trail runners so it isn't impossible but they just aren't as comfortable as the 4Es.
Since the walking shoes are a better fit I'd like to stick with them for as much of the trail as possible and switch to trail runners via maildrops when I need more traction on things like rock faces (especially when they're wet). For which parts of the trail will I need better traction? Will switching back and forth between 2E and 4E widths even be possible? I know feet grow on the trail but this should be minimal if it happens at all since I wear orthotics.
Thanks.Traceyam, hiking shoe questions are not all relative. I too have have a tough decision to make considering shoe selection. A 12eeee is a pretty large foot even in male size's. Your height and weight will probably play a role in your shoe selection. I'd imagine with that shoe size that you are a taller than average woman. (Maybe not) Taller people have more difficulty going up and downhill than other people. The long muscles get more abuse, and the bones in the feet have to work harder to support a taller frame.
I'm 6' 4" tall and I way over 320lbs. I also wear orthodics for a falling arch. From what I remember two years ago when hiking in Maine, without orthodic inserts. The soles of my feet got really bruised for the first week or so wearing NB 704's my favorite cross training shoe. The thin rubber outer sole just wasn't enough protection from even the smallest rocks. If I had known better I would have replaced my normal insert with a product called Superfeet for the comfort. I would recommend Superfeet to anyone. The problem with an orthodic insert in most cases, is when you start decending at steep grades. The orthodic insert slides forward in your shoe making frequent stops to reposition your inserts a necessity. Depending on what kind of orthodics you wear even as much as a 16th of an inch of mis-alignment can mean pain in the area to which the orthodics are meant to prevent. So I would suggest a shoe with a more rigid outer sole with your orthodic insert, as opposed to a cross training or running shoe, if you are prone to bruise easily.
With more rigid sole protection your orthodic insert may still slide foreward on steep descents. In order to prevent this take a small amount of velcro tape and place it under the orthodic insert wear you can't feel it. Take an opposing slice of velcro tape and match it up equally on the bottom of your insert to prevent sliding. This should last for several weeks while hiking before you need to replace the velcro. That's just what I would do. Like I said before, shoe type is not a relative question though, you need to get out there and find what works best for you.
Moon Monster
02-03-2004, 22:21
Shoe tread is great in theory, but I think everyone in every shoe will slip and fall from time to time when things are wet. By New England, you will have great balance and instinct on how to judge each footfall and each push off to minimize slipping, even on wet rock. Use 2 trekking poles and go slow, and never ever step on wet wood.
I'd choose fit over tread for every inch of the AT.
I agree that the fit is far more important than the tread on the bottom of the shoe. It will make no difference if you are slipping and falling if your feet are blistered and "broken" after a few days of walking average AT mileage. If you need the wider fit than I think it would be tempting fate to try a narrower size. I have seen thru hikers in Ralph Lauren sports and know one who finished the trail in a pair of Nike basketball sneakers. It is whatever works for you. If you can find a shoe that is comfortable and doesn't give your feet problems then everthing else will work out. The only problem I could forsee is if the bottom of the shoes are slick or non treaded.
Brushy Sage
02-03-2004, 22:41
Wet wood is the most deceiving surface I have encountered on the trail. It looks good, you step on it, and wham, you're down. I am very careful crossing streams on log bridges. If they look wet at all, I tread slowly. Wet roots on a hillside might be the most treacherous.
I grew up believing big chunky boots were the only thing to wear when hiking.....ankle protection....thick sole...blah, blah. So it was no surprise I started out hiking the AT wearing ol' big leather boots and carrying sandals. I met another hiker with VERY wide feet, his foot size would have meant customed made and expensive boots. Decided to hike barefoot most of the AT (85%), the other 15% was in tevas and socks in the beginning. I have yet to go barefoot(not brave enough), but I hike in chacos terrenos since they have vibram soles for traction. The secret to barefoot hiking and/or sandaled is WATCH WHERE YOU STEP AND PICK YOUR FEET UP! (People with serious foot problems should check with a doctor before barefooting though) It felt like my feet had wings. :dance :dance :dance
Although I definately agree that fit is most important and that yes you will slip and probably fall with every tread at some point-Tread is important. Make sure you are comfortable with the support of the tread.
I used a pair of Vasque trail runners for 1100 miles and loved them. I replaced them in Port Clinton with another model of Vasques and I was slipping all over the place. I would fall off rocks and the tread afforded me no traction. A nightmare on wet rocks. Really had to rely on balance and my hiking poles. Needless to say I ditched these shoes after 450 miles and went with something else to finish the hike.
gravityman
02-04-2004, 11:24
We had a hard time finding shoes that really fit our feet (especially my wife, who has the typical wide forefoot, narrow heel of a woman). We found shoes that just felt incredible in Saucony. Unfortunately, they didn't have a trail shoe, and so we bought a regular running shoe. We took these on a number of backpacking trips and day hikes. The traction was typical running/walking shoe, but we never seemed to have a problem.
However, where the real problem came in was when we did a 15 mile hike up Long's Peak. This is a fairly tough trail with some rock scrambling and class 3 exposure, so not your typical hiking trail, but also a really good test for a shoe. Well, a foot really hurt on the outside bottom. Talking to a foot specialist over the internet (he has a store in Abingdon, VA just outside Damascus. If you are having foot problems by that point, I suggest trying to find him!) he was fairly certain it was muscle strain, caused by the lack of support that a real running shoe doesn't have, but that a trail runner does. I switched to NB 805's and did several more long, hard scrambles up 14,000 ft mountains that summer, but never had the pain again. However, I wasn't crazy about the fit, and we both ended up switching to Asics Eagle Trail Gel, which we really like.
Anyway, that is one unforseen problem that MIGHT be an issue with using a walking shoe. They won't have much support, and the muscles in the foot will have to componsate. This could lead to injury. However, most trail runners will have enough support to prevent this.
Gravity Man
[QUOTE=traceyam]I wear size 12EEEE shoes (women's). For my thruhike, I have to choose between walking shoes that fit but have minimal traction and trail runners that are a tad narrower (2E) but have lots of traction. I do a lot of hiking in the trail runners so it isn't impossible but they just aren't as comfortable as the 4Es.
I am pretty sure you can New Balance 806's in a 12EEEE. I am a fan of NB shoes. Comfortable and relatively long wearing. Another good point is that they dry quickly, which you can't say about most leather boots, especially Goretex lined ones.
I just noticed you are from Southern Arizona. Have you ever hiked in the Santa Rita Mountains, one of my favorite spots in the whole world?
If NB is still making running shoes in 4E widths, go with those. The traction isn't much less, I believe, than their trail runners. Durability will not be as good, but you will have comfort and fit.
While looking at shoes for this summer, I came across some new Asics trail shoes, the 1090 TR. They come in 4E widths and can be had for $70 from http://www.runningshoes.com
I haven't used these, but liked Asics alot. I'll probably give these a whirl this summer.