{"id":4675,"date":"2019-04-29T14:57:28","date_gmt":"2019-04-29T14:57:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.intothewideopen.com\/?p=4675"},"modified":"2019-04-29T14:57:56","modified_gmt":"2019-04-29T14:57:56","slug":"footwear-for-happy-hiking-feet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.intothewideopen.com\/?p=4675","title":{"rendered":"Footwear for Happy Hiking Feet!"},"content":{"rendered":"<body><p><\/p>[Please note that this was originally posted on 4.4.19 <a href=\"https:\/\/hiawathahiking.com\/2019\/04\/04\/footwear-for-happy-hiking-feet\/\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">here.<\/span><\/a>\u00a0Hiawatha Hiking Company is our new business!]\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<h3>Old School<\/h3>\n<p>In days of yore, the popular trend was to throw on a pair of hiking boots before hitting the trail.\u00a0 Many people subscribe to that trend today.\u00a0 REI\u2019s shoe department is inundated with hiking boots.\u00a0 Boots are touted as waterproof, water wicking, quick drying, durable, and of course, ankle supporting.\u00a0 And when you\u2019re sloshing around in mud and navigating around rocks\/roots, it sounds nice to have your feet protected and cozy in an insulated cocoon.\u00a0 However, on longer hikes, I have run into several hikers that have had serious problems with their out-of-the box hiking boots.<\/p>\n<p>For example, on the Superior Hiking Trail in Minnesota, I met and befriended a fellow hiker outside of Lutsen.\u00a0 We were camped near a river and around sunrise I heard the distinctive unraveling and ripping of duct tape coming from his tent.\u00a0 We didn\u2019t know each other very well, so I felt weird asking him what all the noise was about.\u00a0 I finally asked him later that day and he said he was taping his blisters.\u00a0 I had my suspicions, as he had been complaining about his boots the prior day.\u00a0 He finished his section hike and after he was back home, he texted me a picture of his foot: missing toe nails, giant blisters, and many colors that should never paint a foot.\u00a0 He inquired about my footwear strategy and told me he was heading straight to the outfitter to return his boots!<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3937\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3937\" style=\"width: 640px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"3937\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.intothewideopen.com\/?attachment_id=3937\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.intothewideopen.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Untitled-3-1.jpg?fit=1364%2C582&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"1364,582\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Untitled-3\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.intothewideopen.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Untitled-3-1.jpg?fit=1024%2C437&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"size-large wp-image-3937\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hiawathahiking.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/Pictured-Rocks-1-1024x576.jpg?resize=640%2C360&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" loading=\"lazy\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3937\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">In wet conditions (me on the Long Trail in this picture), shoe choice is critical!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3><\/h3>\n<h3>New School<\/h3>\n<p>There is a new trend, especially in the long distance hiking community towards a different type of footwear.\u00a0 On our Pacific Crest Trail thru-hike in 2016, hikers wearing the typical hiking boot were extremely rare.\u00a0 I think I saw a total of three thru-hikers wearing boots in a five-month period.\u00a0 What was everyone else wearing (including me and Domonick)?\u00a0 <em>Trail running shoes<\/em>.\u00a0 Yes, these are essentially sneakers.\u00a0 Here are some advantages to wearing trail running shoes on hikes, weather they be short jaunts or of the longer variety:<\/p>\n<p><strong>Lightweight \u2013<\/strong> Why lug something unnecessary on a hike?\u00a0 Especially on an overnight trip when you already have a load on your back.\u00a0 Trail runners simply make it easier to pick your feet up off the ground.\u00a0 The movement of walking is essential on a hike!<\/p>\n<p><strong>Quick-drying \u2013<\/strong> While hiking boots often tout themselves as waterproof (Gor-tex, anyone?), in my experience, no gear is completely waterproof.\u00a0 Waterproof items you may or may not bring on your hike include plastic bags (some are more robust than others), metal, or a live kale leaf (I am always amazed at how well kale leaves wick water when rinsing them off in the kitchen sink).\u00a0 [See <a href=\"https:\/\/hiawathahiking.com\/2019\/03\/17\/3-tips-for-backpacking-in-the-rain\/\">Domonick\u2019s tips for hiking in the rain<\/a> for a cheap and effective way to keep the contents of your backpack dry].\u00a0 Unless your shoes are made of the above three things, they are not 100% waterproof in my experience and water will soak through eventually, whether you have days of rain or a river ford.\u00a0 If you find yourself in a heavy rain event, it is best to have gear (and clothes) that will dry quickly when the rain inevitably ends.\u00a0 Lightweight, mesh sneakers dry much faster than insulated, leather, heavy hiking boots.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Comfortable \u2013<\/strong> I can honestly say that the shoes I wore on the Pacific Crest Trail (Altra Lone Peaks) felt like slippers.\u00a0 Yes, I did get blisters that very first day of hiking, but once they hardened, I didn\u2019t have a problem from then on.\u00a0 To this day I wear Altras as running shoes, hiking shoes, and Saturday-errand-running shoes.\u00a0 My feet can breathe and the shoes aren\u2019t stiff.\u00a0 In my experience, very little \u201cwearing-in\u201d is necessary in these shoes.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3936\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3936\" style=\"width: 640px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-3936\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hiawathahiking.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/pictured-rocks-1024x576.jpg?resize=640%2C360&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" loading=\"lazy\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3936\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Domonick taking a break in his trail runners in Yosemite (bear canisters required in this park!)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong>But what about ankle support?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The jury seems to still be out on this point, although some individuals have very strong opinions one way or the other.\u00a0 Peer-reviewed, scientific articles have explored the effect of low-top versus high-top shoes on ankle sprains (see select citations below), but there appears to be no definitive answer from the scientific community on this.\u00a0 Unless you have strong personal experience one way or the other, I suggest seeing what works for you.\u00a0 If you\u2019ve never tried trail running shoes, give them a go!\u00a0 If you have tried trail runners and are happier in hiking boots, go that route.\u00a0 Of course, if a doctor has prescribed a certain type of footwear due to an injury, always follow their orders.<\/p>\n<h3><\/h3>\n<h3>Gear in General<\/h3>\n<p>Comfort on your vacation or any adventure can make a world of difference.\u00a0 There are so many sights to see in Michigan\u2019s Upper Peninsula, the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore being one of our favorites.\u00a0 If your chosen gear makes you comfortable, you\u2019ll be better able to enjoy yourself, whether it be on a Hiawatha Hiking Company <a href=\"https:\/\/hiawathahiking.com\/day-hikes\/\">guided day-hike<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/hiawathahiking.com\/backpacking-trips\/\">guided backpacking trip<\/a>, boat cruise, kayak tour, waterfall jaunt, or fall color road trip.\u00a0 As with most things in life, we learn as we go.\u00a0 Find what works best for you and stick with it!<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Happy trails and happy feet,<\/p>\n<p>Carolyn (Co-owner\/Operator)<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>**********************************<\/p>\n<p>Ricard MD, Schulties SS, Saret JJ. Effects of high-top and low-top shoes on ankle inversion.\u00a0<i>Journal of Athletic Training<\/i>. 2000;35(1):38\u201343.<\/p>\n<div class=\"AuthorNames\" data-author-affiliations=\"true\">\n<p><span class=\"AuthorName\">Fu W<\/span>, Fang Y, Liu Y, Hou J.\u00a0 The effect of high-top and low-top shoes on ankle inversion kinematics and muscle activation in landing on a tilted surface.\u00a0 <span class=\"JournalTitle\"><em>Journal of Foot and Ankle Research<\/em>. <\/span><span class=\"ArticleCitation_Year\">2014;<\/span><span class=\"ArticleCitation_Volume\">7:14<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/p>\n<\/body>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[Please note that this was originally posted on 4.4.19 here.\u00a0Hiawatha Hiking Company is our new business!] \u00a0 Old School In days of yore, the popular trend was to throw on a pair of hiking boots before hitting the trail.\u00a0 Many people subscribe to that trend today.\u00a0 REI\u2019s shoe department is inundated with hiking boots.\u00a0 Boots [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4678,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center 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