basketofpancakes
02-26-2012, 20:30
Another quick question that I've been thinking over, regarding footwear problems that I'd like to resolve before my April thru. I did a 110-mile hike last august on Isle Royale. We did 110 miles in 8 days, with 1 20-mile day and 3 15-mile days. I was wearing Mid-height hiking boots of decent quality (bought from REI). On the third day, I started to experience some pain in the tendons above both my ankles. I started loosening the laces on my shoes to relieve the pressure, until by the 6th day I was literally walking with untied shoes, the pain was pretty sharp and intense.
My first thought is that mid-height shoes that cover my ankles may just not be the right choice for me. My second thought is maybe my shoes were just undersized. My final thought is that maybe I did too many miles (although Isle Royale is not rough walking, and I started experiencing pain on the 3rd day, and I didn't have this problem on my April 2011 smokies section-hike on much tougher terrain, when I was just wearing crappy meijer running shoes).
In fact, my feet seemed to do considerably better during my Smokies section hike. It was not as long, with shorter days, but the elevation gain/loss is a lot and the terrain is much rockier. I never had any ankle problems, though I did have knee and hip pain on the 4th day (hiking without trekking poles is a bad idea, man they make a difference).
I'm thinking that I may just need to forgo the mid-size shoes. My feet didn't feel like they were bursting out of my shoes, even after they were swollen up like grapes on the 8th day, but the pressure on that area of my foot when your ankle bends was causing some trauma. I'm looking at Merrel Moab Ventilators, low-cut, for my thru. But I haven't bought yet. Any thoughts or experience from anyone here is appreciated.
My first thought is that mid-height shoes that cover my ankles may just not be the right choice for me. My second thought is maybe my shoes were just undersized. My final thought is that maybe I did too many miles (although Isle Royale is not rough walking, and I started experiencing pain on the 3rd day, and I didn't have this problem on my April 2011 smokies section-hike on much tougher terrain, when I was just wearing crappy meijer running shoes).
In fact, my feet seemed to do considerably better during my Smokies section hike. It was not as long, with shorter days, but the elevation gain/loss is a lot and the terrain is much rockier. I never had any ankle problems, though I did have knee and hip pain on the 4th day (hiking without trekking poles is a bad idea, man they make a difference).
I'm thinking that I may just need to forgo the mid-size shoes. My feet didn't feel like they were bursting out of my shoes, even after they were swollen up like grapes on the 8th day, but the pressure on that area of my foot when your ankle bends was causing some trauma. I'm looking at Merrel Moab Ventilators, low-cut, for my thru. But I haven't bought yet. Any thoughts or experience from anyone here is appreciated.