IMG_1023[1]I was talking with a good friend of mine the other day who had done a month-long hiking trip overseas.  She is one of the fittest people I know, and is very active both in winter and summer, so I was very curious to hear how her trip went.  What she shared with me is so relevant to all of us who love to spend time in the outdoors, and ties into something I had been mulling over regarding my own hiking adventures.  She told me she had no problem with the fitness demands of the hike, but suffered from terrible blisters for most of the hike due to the friction of her boots.  The blisters were so severe, she actually contemplated giving up the hike.   In the end, she finally decided to purchase running shoes at a nearby town, and found them to be much more comfortable, and she was able to finish the hike.

Getting the right fit with hiking boots is so critical to enjoying hiking and backpacking.  Poor fitting boots that give you blisters can make a perfect hiking day utterly miserable.  The more weight you carry, the more important it becomes, and if you plan on doing any kind of long-distance backpacking like the Appalachian or Pacific Crest Trails, it takes on more importance.  I thought I had decent boots before, but I too suffered from blisters, and use a lot of moleskin.  There have been three huge things that have made a difference for me, and made me a much happier hiker.  One was going to a good outdoors store like an REI, and really spending some time in the shoe department, talking with the sales reps, trying on different boots, wearing them around the store, going up and down stairs and the tilt rock they have.  I have found if you want to find boots that properly fit, you may need to spend hours at a store to find the right boot, or even go to several stores repeating this expereince.  I have also found when it comes to hiking boots, you should not try to get away with something cheap.   It’s better to buy the boot that really fits, no matter how much money.  Bryon and I did Colorado’s highest Fourteener, Mt. Elbert, last year, and met a guy from Minnesota doing it.  He was in terrible pain on the way down, and admitted he had bought his boots at Payless.  I can save money by finding clothes on sale, but I don’t try to skimp when buying my boots.  Having said that, however, if you find a pair of boots you really like, by all means, check out discounters like Sierra Trading Post or other online sources to see if they have it at a better price.  I only wear Asolo hiking boots, because they fit me perfectly.  But I have been able to get them cheaper sometimes by purchasing last year’s color combination that was being discontinued.

The other part of the equation is getting good socks.  While Smartwool was really the first to come out with the Merino Wool hiking socks, many others have followed with some great choices, including Darn Tough and others.  Merino Wool is that perfect combination of softness and the warmth and wicking of wool.  After trying different thicknesses, I have now settled on a lightweight Smartwool sock with my Asolo hiking boots as just about the perfect combination for hiking toughness mixed with comfort.

The final part of the equation for me is using Bodyglide.  I was first turned on to Bodyglide while through hiking the John Muir Trail back in 2005.  I was struggling with blisters, and met a guy hiking the other way who was two days from the end of his hike.  He told me using Bodyglide on his feet had made for a blister-free 22 days of hiking.  That was good enough for me to give it a try.  I bought some in the middle of my hike and used it the last 11 days with zero blisters.  You just put it on your feet before putting on your socks and boots, and voila!, life is good, no friction, no blisters.

It’s great to live in such a beautiful place with literally hundreds of miles of trails to hike within two hours of where I live.  But without having the right fit with my hiking boots, it wouldn’t be near as much fun exploring them.  Take the time to get the right fit and your time spent discovering the outdoors will be that much more fun!

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