Date: 2012-01-12
To: Footwear (Boring)
Miles today: 0.0

FOOTWAREProbably one of the most boring gear topics could be one of the most important. Footwear. No, I am not an expert on footwear and don¢t profess to be one. I can only talk with the experiences that I have with the various styles that I have used and seen others use. I have hiked in everything from the 3 12 pound, fully lined, water-proof heavy weight Asolo AFX 520 GXT boot to the light-weight Keen Newport H2 sandal. I have not used either one of these on the AT, nor will I. Your footwear choice may be one of the more important decisions you make. I¢m sure you have already heard the saying that every pound on your feet is like five pounds in your pack. I believe in this concept.When hiking the AT you will see pretty much every type of footwear made. Certainly in the beginning, every hiker will swear the boots they have are the best choice and will be prepared to defend them to the death. The emphasis here is that whatever you choose, you need to try it for more then a weekend or a single practice hike. Many of those hikers that swear by their boots will be swearing at them within a couple of weeks. Make sure they work for you after wearing them for 10-12 hours straight for several days in a row. Most people will only use their boots for a short hike or a weekend camping trip. Remember that your footwear, like every other piece of gear you are using, will be pushed to the outer stress points intended for that item. Just because the boots you used for a weekend hike worked fine, or that they kept your feet dry while car camping doesn¢t mean that they are the best choice for hiking the AT. I thought that since the Arroyo II worked so well for me, the lighter Newport H2 would be even better. It wasn¢t. Without a solid heel support, the straps tended to rub and I got blisters after about a week. I tried this several times and each time after a week, my heel would be rubbed raw. Interesting thing was that I came across a hiker who had switched to these on the trail. After talking to her she indicated that although she liked them at first she was developing a raw heel. I suspect she changed them after a bit more of trail. With the right pair of footwear comes the right pair of socks. I have seen hikers carry 4-6 pairs of heavy weight socks in addition to the ones they are wearing. This could add an extra two pounds of socks. Again, the weight of the socks will depend on your footwear choice. How many you carry is up to you. For me I use only one pair of mid weight ankle height socks. Then I will carry one full size, mid-weight socks that I use only for sleeping. Again, I will be starting in April. Ankle height socks are all I will need since I wear sandal style footwear. Why carry/wear the extra weight of full sized socks if you don¢t need to wear them. If it rains all day I¢ll hike with wet socks. Not a big deal. If it stops raining, my socks and sandals will dry quickly. The spare pair of socks are strictly for night use to keep my feet warm and to help keep my bag clean. At Harpers, I will change my night socks to liners. Since I wear my one pair of hiking socks 100% of the time that I am moving, I will change them out every two or three weeks to get the loft back. I wash them at every chance I get.      There are so many variables that cause a hiker to make their footwear choice. Start date, pack weight, experience level, even if you use hiking poles, will all play a role in a hikers footwear choice. Personally, I do not recommend anything more then a trail runner style shoe. Even after snapping my fibula early into my 2010 hike, I would keep it light, but supported. My first 1000+ section in 2006 to Harpers Ferry, I used the Montrail Hurricane Ridge XCR. For the most part these shoes were fine. They did separate at the toe which I later found out was a design flaw that was corrected in a later model. I had extreme foot pain due early on with my hammer toe but this was directly related to my heavier body weight and not the shoe. An outfitter I hiked with for a bit indicated that a good alternative to this shoe was the Continental Divide, also by Montrail. Although I purchased a pair of the Montrail Continental Divide shoes, I have never used them. This was because when I went to finish my first hike in 2008, I started at the time of year that I finished in 06, in the warmer temperatures of mid May. I always wanted to try a pair of the open top shoes. I purchased a pair of Keen¢s Arroyo II and found them to fit like a glove from the start. I did all of my practice hikes with them and to say that they are amazing is an understatement. They have a good foot box and great heel support. They have the characteristics of a sandal but at a weight of 1 pound 11 ounces, they are not the lightest shoe available. But for me, they fit all my criteria. I don¢t even have to break them in. They wear well giving me about 800 miles of use. They allow me to use ankle height socks. I do not carry any other pair of hiking socks (only clean socks for night) so the breathability works well. I also do not carry water crossing or shelter shoes (no crocs) so these are on my feet 100% of the time I am moving. You would think that trail debris would get into them but it rarely does. If it does, it is easy to get out. I don¢t care if they get wet since they will dry quickly. I do not have a heavy pack so I don¢t need the extra ankle support. I am intentionally starting my hike in April to avoid the colder temps, at least the long periods of colder temps. I have hiked just under 3200 AT miles without a blister. I won¢t wear anything else.Many hikers will carry shelter shoes like crocs or flip-flops. They will also use these for stream crossings to avoid getting their boots wet. I don¢t carry any extra anything, including camp shoes. Until New Hampshire and/or Maine, there are very few streams that you will cross where you will get your feet wet. Once in Maine, there are no stream bridges at all. I think the general consensus is that the hikers that carry camp shoes like them. I have never seen a need for them and don¢t miss them. If there is an extended period of rain, your footwear and socks will get wet no matter what they are. It is not a big deal. My Keen¢s will dry in about 15-20 minutes when the rain stops. Heavier boots may take up to a day or so to dry. You will have to determine if they are worth the extra weight. The lightest shoe I saw on the trail was probably the newer shoes that look like a foot. I do not really know how these worked out long term but they seem rather cool. My only issue is that one time I landed on a stick wrong. It went right through my sole and grazed my foot. If just 12¢ over, it would have gone right through my foot like a bungee stick without question. With the many other sticks and stones you hike over, I would be hesitant to use a boot or shoe without a solid sole. The longest unresolved footwear issue that I experienced was with a hiker named naptime. She was probably one of the best hikers I have ever seen. It was my understanding that see got her trail name from being able to get at a shelter so early that she was able to take a nap before the other hikers got there. It seemed that she would hike shorter days but would complete in hours that would take the rest of us all day. I am sure that if she walked all day, a 30 mile day would have been a breeze. However, it seemed that she was not able to get her footwear in sync. I know she had several pairs exchanged or tried. I had to chuckle because even when I got to the Free State Hiker Hostel in Maryland, there was a pair of shoes addressed to her there. If you plan to carry a heavier pack, you may want or even need the extra ankle support needed to stabilize your ankles going down hill or over the endless rocks and roots. Also if you start earlier, such as in early February, you again may need a heavier boot to help keep the chill out. I have seen successful thru hikers take their heavy boots all the way to the big K.