The “fever ‘n sore throat ‘n cough thing” that is making the rounds here has gotten to Bill “White Beard”.  He’s had to take time off from training for the trail in order to recover (quickly, we hope!)   So I (Monty) went on another “hike alone” day at Annadel State Park near Santa Rosa, CA.  Annadel is a great park to practice for the PCT.  It has lots of hills, rough trails, creeks, a lake, deer and other critters, and AWESOME views.  The oak trees are just beginning to leaf out, and the willow trees’ new leaves are just enough to create a sort of green misty effect.  Since it hasn’t rained for a few days, the trails are drying out a bit, which is nice–less mud to deal with.

I ate lunch at a place called Buck Meadow, and talked with another hiker named Dan.  He said he’s only done the PCT by Lake Tahoe, and that in July,  he meets one PCT thruhiker after another.  Wow!  That’s a lot of hikers!   We talked about the snow in the Sierras this year.   Everyone we know who has friends/family who live up there are saying that this is a WEIRD year, snow-wise.  Some places are way below normal (they’ve been getting rain instead of snow) and other places are ABOVE normal.   I am not sure what this translates into for thruhikers (us!) who arrive in late May and  early June.  

At any rate, I am very encouraged that so far our plan of training hikes with steadily increasing pack weight is definitely paying off.  My feet are clearly getting tougher on their sides and soles.  Here’s what Bill and I have concluded regarding feet and knees on the PCT…

1)  Blisters–you can totally avoid these by making sure your shoes are BIG enough, and that you have toughened up your feet by carrying weight in training hikes.   Bill had awful blisters on our first hike because he didn’t realize how much his feet would swell up in the heat of the desert, plus just the stress of hiking over 20 miles a day on rough terrain.   I would say that your shoes need to be at MINIMUM at least a size larger than normal (and even that is taking a risk of not being enough).  A size and a half larger at least is better.    I also recommend WrightSocks–they are very helpful in preventing blisters.  Bill also says that if you find yourself out in the middle of nowhere with a set of nasty blisters because your feet swelled up so much, one quick ‘n simple solution is TAKE OUT the inserts from your shoes!   He was hiking with a friend of ours on the John Muir Trail, and the friend got awful blisters from his feet swelling.  White Beard persuaded him to take the inserts out of his shoes, and in short order, the friend’s feet healed up and were fine.

Just in case, bring along some bandaids and tape in case you do get a few blisters.   And keep in mind that Ray Jardine was right when he said if your blisters get too bad,  take a zero day and let your feet get lots of air and sunshine.   The blisters will heal up amazingly fast.   When we got to Agua Dulce in 2005,  Bill’s blisters were so bad that he was starting to talk about giving up the whole hike.   But a zero day of rest at Hiker Heaven plus Donna Saufley’s epsom salts soak had his feet healed up amazingly in a short time.

2) Shoes and socks–Bill and I wear trail running shoes.  Every shoe company uses a different last to shape their shoes.  Find one that works with YOUR unique feet.  Some lasts are straight, some are curved.   You might want to consult a sports podiatrist for advice on which brands would work best with your feet.  I personally wear Vasques.  Bill is still experimenting.   

 Then you have other considerations, also.   I tend to pronate, so I look for shoes with pronation control.   The PCT is very rough, so you need shoes with forefoot plate protection or you will have very sore feet!  You also need to decide whether you will get Goretex linings or not.   Shoes with Goretex will keep your feet nice and clean, but on the downside, the Goretex makes the shoe heavier.   I had Goretex shoes in 2005, and it was wonderful to have clean feet at the end of each day (while Bill’s feet were filthy and he had to wash them every night),  but I have decided that the lighter weight of non-Goretex shoes is going to win out this time.  I find that REI has very helpful charts which compare the various shoes they carry as to these and other factors. 

A final thing to consider about shoes is whether or not you need to wear orthotics/Superfeet inserts.  For me (I am bunion-prone), these are a MUST.   Basically, if you have any knee or feet problems, get orthotics!!   But be sure they are the kind that can go through creek crossings, snow, mud, etc.   They should be lightweight, washable and tough.  I got mine from one of the best sports podiatrists on the West Coast,  Dr. Dave Hannaford, in San Rafael, CA.  He is awesome! (He was recommended to me by “Red Leader”, a guy who teaches backpacking classes, and who often attends ADZPCTKO.)

I know some people do like to hike in sandals, but due to the roughness of the PCT (lots of rocks, sticks & obstacles) I like the protection that shoes give me.  Even with shoes on,  my feet took a beating.   Up in the North Cascades,  Bill’s feet hurt so much that he could hardly walk, just from the roughness of the trail.

As to socks, there are lots of opinions!   Personally,   I wear TWO layers of socks.  The inner one is a WrightSock, which does a GREAT job in keeping my feet happy and preventing blisters.  The outer one is a more soft and padded sock for cushioning.  I prefer what are called “half-crew” socks.  Crew socks are too long and heavy.   Quarter crews don’t protect my ankles very well.   But half-crews are great.   Wearing two socks protected my feet from both HOT and COLD.   On the trail, I carry 3 pairs of WrightSocks (one to wear, one to wash, and one that is dry and at least somewhat “clean”.   I only bring two pairs of half-crews.

Further foot/ankle protection comes from wearing gaiters.  These go a long way toward keeping your feet, shoes and socks clean and grit-free.  If you wear long pants as I do, they will also keep ticks off your legs.

3)  Foot problems–Bill battled with plantar fasciitis for a time along the PCT in 2005,  but he won the battle by getting some very lightweight “night splints” to wear.   Using these, plantar fasciitis will heal up quite quickly, and sure enough,  Bill was fine for the rest of the trail.   The other problem is that sometimes your feet just plain ACHE and hurt from heavy pack plus rough trail.   For that, we found it’s good whenever you take a break (we take 15 minutes, morning and afternoon, plus lunch break), it is good to lie down if you can, and drape your legs over your pack so that your feet are UP.   Take off your shoes if you have time, also.  If you lunch by a creek, soak your feet in the cold water.   And as a last resort, there’s always “vitamin I” (ibuprofen).

4) Knee problems–When we did the PCT in 2005,  I quickly discovered that I had a fairly bad knee problem.   About 10 years before, I had a knee infection in that knee, which weakened everything.   So by Warner Springs, my knee was seriously hurting.   I talked to one of the other hikers at the Warner Springs Resort, and she said, “You need a patella strap.  Here–you can borrow one of mine till you can get your own in Big Bear City.”   Wow!   She was right on!   You often see runners wearing these–they are simply a little padded strap that fastens with velcro.  You wear them just under your kneecap, and they support the kneecap, which ends the knee pain.   Eventually, my quadriceps muscles got so strong that they took over the job of supporting the kneecap, and I sent the patella straps home.   This time, I plan to bring a patella strap along for the first part of the PCT in case it turns out I need it for awhile.

Using trek poles as you hike is also a BIG help in preventing knee problems.   We met some older guys who were out backpacking, and they were singing the praises of their trek poles.   They said they’d had to give up backpacking because of knee problems, till they discovered trek poles!! 

The key to preventing knee problems, though, is STRONG quadriceps muscles.   You get these by bike riding and by going up and down hills.   So when you are training for the PCT, keep that in mind!