29 January 06
Coyote Corridor
We went over to REI in Sacramento today to hunt for a pair of hiking boots for Pica that don’t give her blisters. We brought our bikes along and afterwards went for a little ride along the American River Parkway. On the parkway there is a bike trail that runs along the river about 32 miles one way from Sacramento up to Folsom. We’ve been quite remiss in never having ridden on it the almost seven years we’ve been up in Davis. Conveniently, REI offers easy access to the parkway so we rode from its parking lot up along the trail up to Cal State Sacramento and back. Just when we were returning and on the other side of the levee from REI, we heard, perhaps howling at a train passing by, two coyotes! This sort of thing makes one a believer in wildlife corridors.
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I used to swear by hiking boots and have a whole pile of them in my shoe closet, including some very expensive and beautiful custom-made leather clonkers from Italy, and I was very wary of the initial readings about using running shoes for hiking, but after giving it first a tentative try on easier mountains, then gradually to higher and higher peaks, I was converted. Now, unless hiking in deep snow (but even there now I have started using trail shoes with over boots, like the Neos Adventure) I always use running shoes. I wouldn’t think of going back to boots any more. And I haven’t had a blister since.
Just keep in mind when buying the shoes that several things are very important for when climbing the mountains: • make sure the heels are “square” with a 90 degree angle in the bite of the heel, meaning that they are not round cut, which causes lots of slipping when descending; • make sure that when you try them on the shoes don’t “tip over” when rolling your feet to their outside edges… this is a major cause of ankle sprain; • make sure that the soles are made of either something like Vibram or ContaGrip… many manufacturers don’t use enough carbon in the soles (to save money) and the soles slip easily when wet… you should be able to feel a stickiness when running your finger over the sole; • and make sure that there are lots of approving coyotes howling outside the store when you make the right shoe choice. Coyotes know a thing or two about walking!
Ultralight walking techniques and equipment have changed my whole approach to being outdoors. While there are some things I won’t give up (like my heavy camera equipment), in general walking has become a lot more comfortable.
When I see backpackers now laboring under these huge loads I always want to stop them and offer them my pack (without food and water about 8 lbs), but I try not to fall into the wiseguy routine of so many UL hikers trying to convert everyone. It’s just that it feels so good!
Here are two sites (of dozens) that you might find enlightening:
http://www.ultralightbackpacker.com/
http://www.adventurealan.com/home.htm
http://www.backpackinglight.com (where I hang out in the forums every day)
http://www.pierce.ctc.edu/faculty/cwillett/ (walking accounts that were very inspiring)
Just thought I’d chime in. Forgive me if I’m being presumptuous… Hope the links show up.
Unfortunately my blister problem is pretty much genetic. My father was a great hillwalker/mountain climber in his youth and never was able to overcome this. I’ve tried almost all the options you mention. The shoes/boots that seem to work best are actually my riding boots from when I rode horses. But they don’t have much of a tread and this is a problem on uneven surfaces.
I think I need to pay attention to three things: a) the sock configuration b) making sure the heel doesn’t slosh in the downhill c) the SECOND I feel a hotspot, taking my shoe/boot off and either applying moleskin or a callous guard.
Of course all of this might be moot. I’m going to wear these boots at work over the next week, then do an hour of up-and-down treadmill. If I get a blister after this, the boots are going back… but I’ll certainly pay more attention to coyote boot lore!
Oh, and of course I have very dodgy ankles…
I have very good experience of hiking boots shopping from REI. This is really a great place for best shopping and best deal.