Below is a modified response to something we just posted in the VFF thread. We're getting lots of calls with footwear inquiries and questions as NOBO season begins. Each year, the same individual preferences come up and the same problems send people home early. Its our hope that as many thru-hikers as possible take this to heart, we know how important finishing is - and its means so much to us to be a part of you all accomplishing your goals...

Consider this first...Your chances of getting to Maine go up exponentially regardless of how good/light the gear is on your back when your feet are truly taken care of.

There have been endless posts inquiring on general consensus of shoes... We all want light shoes that let us stretch our gate, be more nimble and increase efficiency. Here's the catch ...without seeing your feet and knowing what your background is, save yourself the headache of asking strangers opinions of shoes.

There's basically 2 schools of thought when it comes to caring for your feet ...your feet are like your teeth, eyes...etc - they don't get better as you get older, so take care of them. The flip-side is (with age and physiology on your side), make them stronger through safe conditioning so the muscles can mitigate the load going to the connective tissue. Its the same reason a baseball team only gets 1-2 games a week on their best pitcher. If he overused his arm, the connective tissues in his arm would suffer injuries that take extremely long terms to recover because the muscle loses its ability to stabilize. Your feet are the same way - even MORE complex. A lot of people start too neutral and too light, get 100 miles in to us and decide to make changes. Unfortunately, a plantars issue, achilles tendonitis or an alignment issue has created a problem that REALLY needs weeks or longer with no use to heal. So, with that being said - this is VERY grey area, and getting a shoe plug on a forum can be really bad news despite all other good preparation.

So what about conditioning your feet pre-hike with neutral shoes of barefoot shoes? Another really tough call... a 40yr old can't just join a gym and expect to lift what he did in highschool - if he ever gets to that point again, it could take months of conditioning. Accelerating the process could (and is likely) to cause something worse than ANY benefits you would ever receive with adaptation. We've seen AT hikers in their early-mid 20's in stellar physical condition have jacked-up feet. Everybody's adaptation is very different - and physiology rulesSo there really is no way to give a true shoe recommendation without having your feet looked at.

Generalizing trail runners - this is probably one of the most sketchy invitations for a foot problem. People throw that term ("trail runner") around so liberally, but fail to recognize that a shoe does 2 things. Its 1st job is that its a garment for your foot. It protects from hot/cold, water, sharp things, dirt.... Its SECOND job is the most important - BIOMECHANICS!! I can pull 10 different trail runners that all do different things - but all most people know is that its a "trail runner". A shoe is a tool and you might need a different tool than the next guy to get the job done. You might very well be able to use a trail runner ...but do you need a posting, heel stability, shank ... what about volume distribution?? There are tons of questions. I can show (5) Salomons that all look like trail runners but range in comparable utility, similar to the differences between a Ford F-150 and a Porsche 911. What is best for your foot? You might like the Porsche but NEED the F-150.

Then comes the way we fit - the cornerstone of being in the right shoe. Many fail to recognize that fitting is about 10% finding your size and 90% finding a shoe that fits your foot. A shoe should be reactive to YOUR foot, not the other way around ... most people put a shoe on and feel for the toe and call it a day. If you go somewhere and thats the first thing they do ...or if they ask what size YOU want - WALK AWAY!! They're clueless.

Go get fit ..and let a pedorthist or someone pedorthist-trained that knows feet get you in what you need to be. You chances of getting to Maine go up exponentially regardless of how good your gear is on your back. If you have any specific questions, feel free to call us - we'll be happy to do our best to help you out.

Outdoor 76
76 E Main St. - Franklin, NC