Perhaps the most important thing I discovered on my 22 mile trip in early March of this year, was that long distances on rough trail caused me blisters. When I am going 223 miles on my thru hike, I don't want blisters, so I need to figure out some way to prevent that from happening.
From the photo above, you can see that the trail runs along the side of a mountain. Sometimes the trail is wide and flat, even though there is a sloped part on either side. But the trail itself is often slightly sloped. When walking for miles and miles on that slanted surface, my feet tended to roll slightly. My toes would splay out and, for my right foot, the left side of my shoe would turn up and the left side of the same shoe would be down. My big toe would rub against the insole.
The brand Injinji is popular. I picked up a pair and wore them for a 5 mile hike yesterday. No blisters on that (comparatively) short hike, but I will need to do some longer distances to get a better idea of how they perform. I am also considering some sock liners that are thinner and sometimes paired with other traditional socks over the top.
Identifying the cause
The place I got my blisters was between my big toe and my index toe. What caused that? Long sections of the trail I hiked that day (and this will also be the case, probably for most of the Ouachita Trail) were walking along the side of mountain ridges.
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| The mountain top is to the right of the trail and left of the trail, it slopes down |
From the photo above, you can see that the trail runs along the side of a mountain. Sometimes the trail is wide and flat, even though there is a sloped part on either side. But the trail itself is often slightly sloped. When walking for miles and miles on that slanted surface, my feet tended to roll slightly. My toes would splay out and, for my right foot, the left side of my shoe would turn up and the left side of the same shoe would be down. My big toe would rub against the insole.
Potential remedies
I have three ideas as to how to fix this issue... well I guess four.
Stride
First, I suspect I could improve my stride some so that my foot isn't rolling with that slope so much. The step I was taking was somewhat intuitive with the terrain I was on, but I think I can practice a better and straighter stride. If I focus more on heal striking, where I roll from my heal to my toe as I walk, that action might help reduce the somewhat awkward step where I turn my foot as I step to compensate for the fact that I am walking on a sideways slope.
Laces
The second issue is the way I had my shoes laced. I have a terrible habit of keeping my shoes laced just tight enough to keep them from slipping off while I'm walking. Tightening my laces down so there is less movement would probably help.
Socks
Many distance runners and hikers swear by toe socks for preventing blisters between their toes. I decided to pick up a pair and give it a try.
The brand Injinji is popular. I picked up a pair and wore them for a 5 mile hike yesterday. No blisters on that (comparatively) short hike, but I will need to do some longer distances to get a better idea of how they perform. I am also considering some sock liners that are thinner and sometimes paired with other traditional socks over the top.
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| Liner socks are thinner |
I didn't change my stride or shoe laces on the hike yesterday. If I change more than one thing at a time, I won't know which change made the difference.
Tougher feet
As I continue to prepare and those areas from previous blisters heal over, it is possible that my feet will just naturally become a bit tougher and less prone to blisters. I am okay with that. In my mind, that is part of the training process. Backpacking for distances like this changes your body. To the extent that I am able, I want my body to be prepared for my long trip.
Other resources I have seen and read online recommend identifying hotspots on your feet before the blisters form. Apparently I was oblivious to the situation for far too long because, by the time I realized I had an issue on my toe, the blister had already formed.
Perhaps I can become more attuned to my feet on the trail as well and take preventative measures before blisters form, but I hope that I can fine tune my footwear so that I don't get hot spots on my feet.
They say that stopping and addressing a hotspot early with tape or moleskin can help reduce or eliminate blisters. Even if I believe I have resolved these issues with my training and preparation, I probably need to pack some tape and/or moleskin in case I begin to develop problems over the course of days on the trail.
I am currently awaiting my new backpack, which is in transit with the US Postal Service so I can do some longer trips again. Until then, I am writing and waiting as patiently as I can. Haha.
As always, thanks for dropping by.
Gavagai
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