First, a Confession
Actually, If you haven’t already read this, you might want to do that first. I wanted to use either my La Sportiva Makalus or my Danner Mountain Light Cascades, but … I got to within thirty minutes outside of Sacramento (almost three hours from home) and it hit me. Like a bag of bricks dropped from a second story window, I realized I had left both of my pairs of boots at home.
Well fuck me.
“There are certain queer times and occasions in this strange mixed affair we call life when a man takes his whole universe for a vast practical joke.
Herman Melville
So new plan, I had to stop at REI in Sacramento. Unfortunately they did not have the non-Gortex Danner Mountain Light. Nor did they have the La Sportiva Makalu. They did have other Danner models, but not in my size.
I ended up purchasing the Salomon Quest 4 GTX. In my haste I did not realize they were Goretex lined. This however was a beneficial mistake.
Minor creek crossings and rain didn’t get my feet wet. The boots also dried out quickly. Thanks to the temperatures my feet didn’t over-heat and sweat beyond the boots ability to transport the moisture away (more about that problem here.)
No blisters. I did get an abrasion on my right heel, but that was from some small debris that found its way into the boot. Gators might have prevented that. I did have short, not waterproof ‘scree gaiters’ with me but never used them.
So Why Did I Return Them?
Because on the morning of day three I had pain-tenderness across the top of my right medial forefoot. That’s across the navicular and medial cuneiform bones. This is a problem I’ve had with other shoes, and I usually solve it with alternative lacing. With this boot though that caused too much slop — less sense of stability. The design feature that is causing the problem is what happens to be the how the foot is locked into the heel cup and arch. Leaving this out of the lacing pattern relieves the pain but excessively frees the heel and drops the arch support.
Socks & Blister Prevention
I always use a two-sock system — a liner made out of silk and polyester plus a Smartwool hiking sock. Based on a recommendation from Jason and Alison, at Glacier I swapped my usual liners from REI for Injinji liner-weight toe socks. These were so comfortable — and allow for other camp shoe options — it’s what I’m using from now on.
I grease my heels with ‘FootGlide’ anti-blister balm (made by BodyGlide). I also carry ‘KT Performance+’ blister prevention tape by KT Tape.
It comes in this convenient plastic case and is pre-cut. I’m able to get several alcohol wipes in the center so I can clean the area before applying. This ensures the tape will stick even where I might have previously used the ‘FootGlide.’ Just in case I also carry Compede bandages.
Camp Shoes
I used ‘Crocs.’ They are lightweight and comfortable. Unlike most sandals/flip flops/’thongs’ they are sock compatible. (Unless of course your socks have toes.) While using the heel strap they wouldn’t fall off and were stable enough for all chores in and around camp. Not the best for swift moving water crossings, but that was an unlikely event on this trip.
One word of caution, use the heel strap. Any shoe without a heel cup or strap forces the foot to do things to keep the shoe on. I’m not one to wear flip flops ‘everywhere’ (longer conversation we can have later, but if you can imagine standing at a public urinal and your foot gets wet but you haven’t started yet…). A few years ago I started wearing them around the house all day while working from home. After three months I had bilateral plantar fasciitis. I stopped wearing the flip flops and the plantar fasciitis self-resolved.
That’s It for Foundations
Next up: “The Walls”–all about my backpacks. Or you can jump around to what interests you.
- Introduction — Debriefing the Odyssey
- Foundations — Boots, socks, & other foot-related stuff
- Walls — which pack did I use?
- Kitchen — what did I eat and how?
- Bedroom — my tent and sleep system
- Closet — clothing
- Furniture & Appliances — all the other stuff
