Foot Health: A quest for resources, understanding, and bacon

[Johnny Thunder]

so, i'm over here in south korea just chomping at the bit to get going on some of my more ambitious bits of travel. any hiker/traveler who's witnessed the sort of pre-trip giddiness knows that stuff's infectious. to that end, i have a dear friend who wants to hike the pct with me when i head out in '13. problem is, he's got really, really bad feet.

i mean, not like bad arches or fasci pain or anything...just the sort of feet that blister easily.

i'm hoping to track down information or resources from folks who might have similar problems. see, i've got lots of issues while hiking (mostly neck-up-related) but none of them have ever involved my feet. advice and online resources re: training/toughening/preventative maintenance/caring for blisters would be greatly appreciated.

[Slo-go'en]

Walk on hot coals with bare feet? That would toughen them up real quick! Maybe soaking your feet in a brime solution to cure the skin, like what they do to preserve bacon?

Seriously, blisters are an issue which affect many a hiker in the first couple of weeks on the trail and has sent more than a few home. I think simply walking as much a possible, in the boots/shoes you will be using for a couple of weeks before hand does a lot of good. For treatment, I use "New Skin". It disinfects, seals and dries out blisters (once popped) along with stinging like all get out when it is applied.

Hey Johnny - have you done any hiking in Korea? I understand there are some nice hikes in the mountians around Soul - going from monistary to monistary. Just stay away from the DMZ...

[Johnny Thunder]

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Hey Slo. Great to hear from you. Here are some pictures from a trip through the Jirisan NP last February. I went out with CC, Voodoo, and Twinkletoes...coincidentally, all fellow 2008 AT hikers. Similar trip to what you described except we hiked to and stayed at established huts (think: the whites system but without the kitchens or the bunks...oh, and full of koreans). Not a lot of multi-night hiking or primitive camping to speak of here. It is a small country. But my tent and bag get a lot of use in association with my $300 125cc motorcycle (AKA the little engine that probably shouldn't) and various hidden beaches.

The plan is for my friend to join me on the AT for at least 2 weeks before we head out west. Hopefully that's enough time for him to get and heal all the blisters he's going to have.

[Spirit Walker]

John Vonhoff has a good book for hikers and runners called, "Fixing Your Feet". His website is at http://fixingyourfeet.com/

[Snowleopard]

Hi Johny, I second the recommendation for fixing your feet. It's available as an ebook from Amazon (kindle or kindle reader on PC or Mac or smart phone) and a lot of it is on his website.

John Vonhoff has a good book for hikers and runners called, "Fixing Your Feet". His website is at http://fixingyourfeet.com/

One good idea is taping the vulnerable places before hiking. I've developed a bunion and there is one spot that blisters quickly. I find that kinesio tex tape works better than moleskin. If the tape/moleskin comes off too easily, my podiatrist recommends rubber cement or tincture of benzoin to make it stick. All is available on Amazon or at the links at fixingyourfeet.com.

If ideas in fixingyourfeet don't work, see a podiatrist.

[Gaiter]

has he had any luck with body glide? i'm prone to blisters, thats why i'm a big advocate for it to stop blisters in the first place
and also trying to find shoes that fit his feet better.... even with body glide, i've gotten small blisters with bad fitting shoes...

[Amanita]

I remember reading somewhere a suggestion to soak feet in strong tea every day to "toughen them up" and prevent blisters. Seems odd to me, but who knows, it might work.

[CdnHiker]

I have not found anything that works better for toughening up my feet than the simple act of hiking itself. For me, the key really is in proper prevention of blisters and then dealing with them correctly if they do occur. At night, I apply a thin layer of hydropel anti-friction sports cream to any blister prone area before slipping into my sleep socks. In the morning, apply a more liberal coating to any blister prone area before hitting the trail. This usually works very well but if I happen to notice any signs of a hot spot developing, I STOP IMMEDIATELY and deal with it!!! Clean the area and apply Leukotape P (the best!) to protect the irritated skin, cover the Leukotape P with a layer of hydropel and resume hiking. If the hot spot worsens and starts to blister, carefully remove the old tape and reapply new Leukotape P along with a small patch of Spenco 2nd-Skin to the blister and finally reapply hydropel to over the taped area. The 2nd-Skin is amazingly effective at reducing any pain and will speed up healing...reapply as necessary. Hope this all helps.

[Pedaling Fool]

I was really concerned about blisters, because I've had them before and they're no fun when you gotta keep walking. So what I did was walk barefoot on pavement, not the smooth stuff, but rather the the stuff with a somewhat rocky surface. I only walked ~1/2 mile the first time and got tons of blisters, but was soon walking over a mile. I didn't have one blister on the trail.

[Johnny Thunder]

I was really concerned about blisters, because I've had them before and they're no fun when you gotta keep walking. So what I did was walk barefoot on pavement, not the smooth stuff, but rather the the stuff with a somewhat rocky surface. I only walked ~1/2 mile the first time and got tons of blisters, but was soon walking over a mile. I didn't have one blister on the trail.

awesome. i did something similar with sand for 3 days (a week before my through)...mostly just because i like long walks on the beach.

[Wise Old Owl]

I remember reading somewhere a suggestion to soak feet in strong tea every day to "toughen them up" and prevent blisters. Seems odd to me, but who knows, it might work.

Yea that was right here on WB - I remember the post....

OK not to go out on a posting bender ... there was a "contest" on discovery channel before 9-11 between two world hiking survival athletes and an Aborigine to cross some hellish desert in the outback of Australia. You can guess what happened - the older bear ass skinny Aborigine won the contest. Because he was wearing SANDALS. The others wore boots or Running Shoes... the blisters were UNFORGETTABLE. I have never seen puss and water sacs like it since.

The one with the boots had two blisters that separated the sole skin from the heal and when he hit it with his knife to drain it - it was like puncturing a basketball of water. So I am going to guess - because I do not get blisters anymore - its about keeping your feet BONE dry.

[Echraide]

Some hikers make the mistake of not thoroughly breaking in their shoes before a thruhike - all of their shoes. If you're going through multiple pairs you have to break them all in before you leave. Personally I try to put 15-20 miles on a pair before I hike in them and I get new ones every 500 miles or so. I wear the very thickest hiking socks I can find - price be damned! - plus liners, and super super wide trail shoes. Wider than you'd think... feet swell with heat and miles and it's easier to tighten shoes than it is to loosen them. It's hard to go too wide, at least for me. Another trick is putting duct tape over the inside part of the shoe that causes the blister, that reduces friction. I also wash my feet and sprinkle a little baby powder on them before turning in for the night. It keeps them happy.

[brancher]

Hi, My experience (after my first 100 - miler and pretty bloody feet) is the following:
1. I keep duct Tape on my hiking poles, and duct tape my heels and balls of my feet. No, really. The duct tape prevents the friction and provides an artificial toughskin. Works better than any moleskin I've used. And I check it every morning to see about replacement or not.
2. I lace my boots pretty loosely, not dangerously so, but loosely enough to allow for ventilation and breathing so the feet do not get too moist or hot -- especially in the toe box.
3. I do NOT use Gor-tex lined boots. Thy don't breathe enough for my taste. Regardless of what all the pundits say, my experience has been that gor-tex and heavy boots = bad! My big bad Montrail GTX's will attest to that fact! Mesh boots with GTX may be better, I've never tried them.
4. Here on the East coast (AT), I use medium weight or lightweight boots. Merrells Like my feet, and I like them. I have some Mesas and will buy some Chameleons or Moabs before my long hike this spring (If I don't try some Tekstras before then).
5. I am blister-prone on a couple of toes, so I use the corn preventers (not sure what they're called) that stick to your toes when I'm on a long walk.
6. I air out my feet during the day, especially when it starts to get warm. Grab a bluff or a shelter, kick your shoes off, and let your socked feet dry out if possible. I think somebody already posted about wetness, and I agree - worst enemy for your feet.
7. And lastly, I walk a lot in preparation. I am right now beginning to prepare for my spring walk, and am walking about 6 miles at least three times a week, with a 20-lb backpack on (will work up to 30-lb, my normal carry weight)

Haven't tried the sand or street walk yet, I'll have to try that to toughen up.