Blisters!
The hikers nemesis, what can we do? I will share my experience with them and please comment with your tips.
Very few hikers can say they never get blisters. I have a few friends who have claimed in the past they had the perfect blister-proof boots. Then I found out they’d never taken a very difficult hike in them. 🙂
Some hard-core climber guys I know have showed me calluses that are large and well established enough to protect their feet but this would never fly for a girl. We use pumice stones and spend lots of money on pedicures to prevent our feet from looking that way.
The right socks help. I’m a huge fan of the ‘Wright Sock’ for running but I have not seen their amazingly effective 2-layer system implemented into a hiking-type sock. Often, I mimic it by using a good smart wool hiker over top of a nylon dress sock. It works fairly well but if you are particularly susceptible to blisters or if you already have huge blisters from hiking in new boots and commit to doing something, like….oh, say, participating in a mini-triathlon there is only one solution I’ve found. Duct tape. As long as you put it on when your feel are dry it will keep any chafing from occurring. One caveat: get the good stuff. Pay an extra buck and don’t get seduced into trying cute pink or purple versions. Silver is the color. If it does not stick securely you will be worse off than if you had not put it on at all.
What are your methods for preventing blisters? I know you’ve got your opinions so share!
Tags: Hiking Blog
Sissy
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