Hiking/Trekking

[Pacion]

:nope: This is not a question about or for Startrekkies and if anyone dares hijack my thread with any talk about Star Trek - be prepared for the force of the Jedi :twisted: :D

I am thinking of going on a long walk for charity :shock: (will take about 9 days?)

Has anyone done anything or know anyone who has remotely done like this? Any anti-blister/anti-chafe technics or advice, other than DON'T DO IT :shock: :wink: :lol:

Oh, please and hold the jokes about lack of shower facilities please :roll: :oops: :lol:

[Chris Stratton]

I would think the best thing to do is wear shoes that you've already worn a fair amount, so that either they now fit your feet, or you've identified and learned to deal with any problems. Another thing you might look into, particularly if it's going to be on pavement, is cushioning insoles. I have these in my street shoes for relief after dancing... used to have a pair of loafers with the really thick athletic shoe insoles that made it possible to go to a swing/salsa club for a few hours after 3 hours of dance class/practice...

[SDsalsaguy]

:nope: This is not a question about or for Startrekkies and if anyone dares hijack my thread with any talk about Star Trek - be prepared for the force of the Jedi :twisted: :D
My personal advice would be not to confuse the situation by introducing elements from Star Wars into your comments referencing Star Trek! :tongue:

As far as non-star-trekking, I'd say go with a well broken in set of walking shoes with gel insoles or some such device...

[pygmalion]

A former coworker did a breast cancer walk a couple years ago -- a three day walk. She and I talked abut it for a couple hours, when we were doing a local breast cancer fund raiser. What I remember is not much.

The highlights from my memory are yours for the asking, sweetie. :wink: :D Day two was the worst. Nobody was fully prepared for the impact of walking twenty (I think?) miles on day one. Take two pairs of shoes and lots of changing socks. Extra shoes are heavy in the backpack, but not nearly as bad as having to wear still-wet shoes. Wear lightweight, layered clothing. Keep your hands elevated, or else the blood flows to your fingertips and makes you very uncomfortable. Pace yourself. Train a lot harder than you think you have to...


Hmm. What else did she say? Something about being overwhelmed by the emotionality of the whole thing. A lot of breast cancer survivors walked, too, so a lot of crying was involved.

[Flat Shoes]

Get yourself a pair of sport socks.

You'd be amazed how much difference the right pair of socks can make. Also to protect against blisters, you can try using a nylon sock in addition. This will make the shoe rub the nylon instead of your skin.

[Pacion]

Get yourself a pair of sport socks.

You'd be amazed how much difference the right pair of socks can make. Also to protect against blisters, you can try using a nylon sock in addition. This will make the shoe rub the nylon instead of your skin.

You are right about the socks. I will have to experiment before hand though, if I do do it.

I have had socks that seemed fine but then when I got home just from a day of running about 'like a mad hatter' on the streets of London, I found that I had a blister :?

I also remember my Dad mentioning when I was younger, something about 'soft candle' which from recollection is waxed based (not like the candles you use to create a romantic atmosphere :wink: ) that you rub on your skin and that helps reduce any friction/blisters.

[tj]

Don't forget to bring moleskin along if you're worried about blisters. (Oh, and a small scissors to cut it to size.)

[Chris Stratton]

I think one of the things to watch for in socks, is that with the thicker cushioning/absorbent athletic type, the seam up by the toe can often have a bit of bulk, and that can create a pressure/rub point.

[Flat Shoes]

My first multi-day trekking in the mountains a few years ago I started out day one with a couple of tennis socks. We were walking like seven hours or so that day, and I was sore underneath my feet at the end. So the next day I instead wore a couple of sport socks, made predominately from wool. And even though I started out being sore underneath my feet, by the end of this ten hour (long story) my feet actually felt better than when I started out.

This was in the summer and in the mountains, so it wasn't that hot. I have not tried wearing wool in the middle of a hot summer, so I don't know how hot that will be. But my advice is to get a pair of this sports socks made from mainly wool and try them out.

These socks are also perfect for wet conditions, as you don't get so easily cold.

Today good socks are made so that it fits the foot good and no ugly seams should bother you. At least none of those I've bought.

When it comes to blisters, these things (pads?) you put on my easily come loose. So some sports tape on top are good. Put some directly on top. Then take some tape from undernaeth the foot, over the heel and up to the lower leg. This will make sure the up-down rubbing will not rub off the tapes and pad underneath. To make sure the whole thing strays in place, you may add some tape around the lower leg on top of the up-down tape. And also around the foot. Now you should be fit for walking for days with blisters :-D

Btw: Last time I was hiking, it was only for three days, I had totally new shoes. I had blister on both heels. One week later i was in a wedding, wearing new shows. I got blisters on a new place on one of my heels, and also on top of my big toes. In addition I manged to hurt myself by stumbling in a sharp object. My feet looked quite nice there for a while :roll:

(No problem dancing with my regular shoes thoug, so everything was fine :lol:)

[pygmalion]

Btw: Last time I was hiking, it was only for three days, I had totally new shoes. I had blister on both heels. One week later i was in a wedding, wearing new shows. I got blisters on a new place on one of my heels, and also on top of my big toes. In addition I manged to hurt myself by stumbling in a sharp object. My feet looked quite nice there for a while :roll:

(No problem dancing with my regular shoes thoug, so everything was fine :lol:)

Spoken like a true dancer! :wink: :D