View Full Version : Chris AKA Slick is out.
flatfeet
04-16-2011, 12:08
This is my story.
I set out for a two month section hike from Springer. Everything was going great until I reached Bly Gap. That night I woke up with tremendous foot pain. I pressed on and reached Franklin and saw the outfitter. He took a look at my shoes and my feet and determined that they were a terrible match. I pronate (I was unaware just how much) and the shoes were just too neutral. Feeling better I left Franklin and made it to Wayah Bald shelter. Woke up to even worse foot pain. This time saw the doctor. Who informed me that my two options were continue hiking and need surgery in a month or two or wait till it gets better in 6 to 8 weeks. Apparently the damage was already done. So my section hike was pretty much over. I'm already back home and nursing these feet.
Everything else about my hike was great. The people, the weather, my gear even my physical conditioning. It sucks that it ended due to the wrong choice in footwear.
Truckin, Jungle boots, Tuna, Pyro, Sunkist, Sage, Fate, good luck. Hope you make it.
Chris/ Slick.
I've bailed on a few hikes due to injury, and can understand. Sucks, but was still good that you got out there, and made it back home safely. Injuries heal. Lessons are learned. More trips are planned. Better times will be had!
I'm sure you still had a very cool and unique experience that will produce many fond memories despite your foot problems. Hang on to the good stuff, as it was worth it!
just curious as to what the doctor says what the problem is. what condition did the shoes cause?
Stress fracture or some sort of plantar fasciaties? Or might you actually be talking about your ankle since you mentioned pronation?
flatfeet
04-17-2011, 14:35
When you pronate you step slighty inside. you land on the inside corner of your heel and ride that ridge that joins your heel to your arch all the way to your heels. Ordinarily it isn't such a big deal. But when you hike 11-14 miles a day with a 30+ lbs pack on your back it is causing some real damage.
i talked with the outfitter. And he says he sees it every year. Everyone is wearing trail runners and they get into shoes that are too neutral. It places tremendous pressure on your ligaments and tendons. I wish I would have thought about it more before I'd left. i would be in the Smokies right now and not in my boring hometown nursing my sore ankles. It's ok though. That trail aint going anywhere. I'll take what I learned from this hike, apply it to a later hike and try again next year. Except next year I going to go for the whole thing.
To those still out there, good luck.
-c
Ah, okay. That may be the same thing that got me off the trail last year. I don't pronate much, if at all, but my ankles were too weak for a thru hike last year. It took months for the pain to go away. It didn't really start going away until I started exercising my ankles at home. Now that I know what I need to do, I'm sure my ankles will be bulletproof when I attempt my next thru. Hopefully we'll both be able to complete a thru in the near future.
Montana Mac
04-17-2011, 14:41
This is my story.
I set out for a two month section hike from Springer. Everything was going great until I reached Bly Gap. That night I woke up with tremendous foot pain. I pressed on and reached Franklin and saw the outfitter. He took a look at my shoes and my feet and determined that they were a terrible match. I pronate (I was unaware just how much) and the shoes were just too neutral. Feeling better I left Franklin and made it to Wayah Bald shelter. Woke up to even worse foot pain. This time saw the doctor. Who informed me that my two options were continue hiking and need surgery in a month or two or wait till it gets better in 6 to 8 weeks. Apparently the damage was already done. So my section hike was pretty much over. I'm already back home and nursing these feet.
Everything else about my hike was great. The people, the weather, my gear even my physical conditioning. It sucks that it ended due to the wrong choice in footwear.
Truckin, Jungle boots, Tuna, Pyro, Sunkist, Sage, Fate, good luck. Hope you make it.
Chris/ Slick.
Sorry to hear about the foot problem. I had to cut my 09 thru hike short in NH due to a foot injury. Everything else was going great.
On a side note - is PYRO from FL? Hiked with a Pyro in 07 while hiking with my brother on his thru.