Hiking Boots Are Not the Only Answer

I was taking a newish pair of hiking boots out for a walk when I ran into this boy on Mt. Marcy. Talk about foot trouble! Feet blistered and torn, he could barely hobble let alone walk.

Seems he’d been vacationing in one of the nearby resorts and had heard so much talk about climbing New York’s highest peak that he had to give it a try. He had no gear for such a walk, and not knowing whether he’d get into hiking or not, he’d bought a pair of discount store work boots to save a few bucks. The only thing between the stiff leather and his city-soft feet was a pair of cotton street socks.

It’s no wonder that by the time I came up on him his feet were in such sorry shape. He couldn’t have done much else wrong if he’d tried.

Feet require conditioning for any of the walking sports. And the best conditioned feet still object to long marches in hiking boots that need breaking-in. Cotton street socks are calculated to produce hot spots, which in turn lead quickly to blisters.

Other than the cheap, unlined leather footwear found in discount stores, most of today’s walking wear needs little breaking in. Modern construction methods and materials produce hiking boots designed to fit properly, provide the necessary support, and cushion those areas of the foot that need it.

I’m not one of those high-tech types, involved with any new gadget technology can produce. Far from it. But having grown up with hiking boots that needed tedious breaking in I thank God for today’s footwear. Anybody involved in any of the walking sports, be it walking, hiking, jogging, backpacking, running or what have you, should invest in footwear designed for that sport. Sure, such shoes are on the pricey side. But, as my young friend on Mt. Marcy found out, cheap hiking boots are a false savings.

But even today’s footwear won’t help much if you set off on a long walk when your feet aren’t prepared.

Nowadays many of us walk or run for exercise and recreation, and it’s no strange sight even in the cities. But the fact is, most of us don’t get out nearly often enough. We vow by everything holy to take a few shakedown hikes before a backpacking trip. But somehow the weeks slip by and it’s suddenly time for that inn-to-inn walk we've promised ourselves, and our feet aren’t ready. First day out, and feet used to commuting in car or train tell us in no uncertain terms that they aren’t up to the task.

Short walks around the neighborhood or in a nearby park really are the best way to get ready. Friend Wife and I have laid out a four-mile course we walk three times weekly. When we started we gradually built to this distance and you should do the same. Bite off more than your feet can chew and it’s no different than starting a long trip unprepared.

If time slips away, and you haven’t been walking regularly despite good intentions, there are stopgaps that can help.

Liberal applications of rubbing alcohol, applied in the morning and evening, will help toughen your feet. Alcohol won’t make the foot and leg musculature any stronger---only walking will do that---but it will tighten and toughen the skin, making it less prone to hot spots and blisters.

I continue using alcohol, along with food powder, while on a trek. I remove hiking boots and socks at every rest stop---usually once hourly. A few drops of alcohol serve to dry and cool my feet, as well as continuing the toughening process. This is followed by a sprinkle or two of foot powder and, if I think it necessary, a change of socks.

Alcohol and powder are carried in small plastic bottles. Such containers are available in specialty shops, but I stole mine from Friend Wife. Originally they held her contact lens cleaning stuff. The nozzle in those containers is especially useful controlling the amount of alcohol dispensed, but has to be removed from the powder bottle.

There is a tough-it-out school of thought that says to leave footwear alone. Those in this school put on their socks and hiking boots in the morning, and don’t take them off until nightfall. That would never work for me. I believe the old adage: “when the going gets tough, the tough get blisters.” Sooner or later, all those macho types get blisters. It can’t be helped if you refuse to minister to a hot spot. Hot spots, left untreated, very quickly bloom into full-fledged blisters. Even worse than blisters that balloon on the surface are those deep ones in heel or ball of foot that can actually incapacitate you.

At the slightest sign of a hot spot---long before the area even turns red---I start treatment.

First, check for any obvious cause, such as a wrinkle or rucked up sock, and correct it. Worn areas (you know, almost, but not quite, a hole) are no different than wrinkles, and such socks should be discarded.

Next I clean and cool the area with a liberal use of rubbing alcohol, and make sure it is thoroughly dry. The alcohol, by the way, because of its rapid evaporation rate, contributes to the drying process as well as cooling your feet.

I then cut a piece of moleskin slightly larger than the sensitized area, making sure to bevel the edges.

What? You don’t know about moleskin? For shame, for shame! Moleskin and its clones are pieces of self-stick felt that ease rubbing and prevent incipient blisters from erupting. Nobody, to my knowledge, has ever satisfactorily explained why it works. But an observed fact needs no further proof. Suffice it to say that moleskin does work to prevent blisters, and to ease the pain of those that do form.

A sheet of it, along with my alcohol and powder bottles, goes with me on any long walk.