/portfolio.jpg){kind=small}
misc03 – about “made for walking”
When it comes to walking, our feet are our most important tools:
We want to cherish them, keep them healthy and happy – even if this is going to cost a great deal of time and energy, and eventually money.
INLAYS: First of all I think it is a good idea to have an orthopedist check out our feet, legs and spine. The last thing you want to do is to ruin your knees just because of some silly walking thing. (Remember, you might be carrying up to 30kg on your back for days and days at a time.)
I got two pairs of orthopedic inlays as a result, and I have always been absolutely happy with them: 2 appointments & and opinion on bread
(Unfortunately, these things cost ridiculous amounts of money, but maybe you can check if your health plan can cover for them.)
SOCKS: I think it’s not very smart to wear expensive shoes and cheap socks at the same time. A pair of quality outdoor socks is going to have extra padding for the heel and the toes, and the good ones are even individually shaped for the left and the right foot. There are some pretty high-tech materials out there, and I personally prefer socks that promise a “cool effect”, because I hate sweaty feet.
There is one rule I made up for myself: never wear the same pair of socks two days in a row. No matter how many days I would go on stinking up the same shirt, but I always had a bunch of clean socks buried in my backpack:
SHOES: Don’t be shy: go to a store and try on all kinds of different models. Remember to bring your own socks, exactly the ones you are planning to wear on your trip. Do a bit of walking in the shoes, jump around, run up and down the stairs.
I personally prefer large boots that have a tight fit around the ankle, because I am always afraid of torn ligaments. I don’t use leather boots because I find them too heavy and difficult to take care of, so I basically go with some fancy Gore-tex kind of material most of the time.
Again, one rule: always remember to strap your shoes on TIGHT, otherwise your feet are going to move around and you’ll get bloody toes:
health points +10 …or bloody heels: farewell in blue
I tried a pair of low-cut walking shoes for about 1300 km, but I didn’t really like them, mainly because I was missing the ankle support, and I felt that they had a rather loose fit:
new shoes new shoes new shoes new shoes new shoes new shoes new shoes new shoes new shoes
GAITERS: I realize they do look a bit funny, but I found them absolutely useful in heavy snow:
SLIPPERS: You cannot go without a pair of beach slides or flip-flops! First of all, some of the places you might be staying at could be disgusting, and you would want to avoid floor contact. Never wear the slippers provided by the hotel!
Secondly, you need to rest your feet every once in a while. What an awesome feeling to be wandering around town in a pair of light flip-flops after days and days of punishing your feet in the desert! Don’t try to do any serious walking in them though, it really doesn’t work that well:
SKIN CARE: I know of three things you need to take care of your feet:
1) a plastic bowl for your daily foot-bath
2) hot water (ask the person you are staying with, or use your own cold water)
3) a towel that you use ONLY on your feet
I don’t know much about ointments and skin care, but these three things are essential. I unfortunately had to learn this the hard way:
foot/dish, some words, lounge and destroy, rounding up the capital, my cave
SHOE REPAIR: If your shoes start falling apart, and you are still far from the next outdoor store, you might consider asking someone to help you with the repair, though the results tend to vary:
inner linings, 1 good thing, 4 nice people, 1 bad thing, and a possible solution to a problem, leaders of the valley
PAIN: Finally, get used to the pain.
Sometimes it will be your only companion on the long and lonely road.
Soundtrack: 2Pac – “California Love”
Print This Post
June 8th, 2009 at 09:56
ha~~~
Never seen such a sock, funny!
June 8th, 2009 at 11:53
that always a good news when I see you wrote an other thing.
thank you for that ! (I never noticed that ours feets are so precious ^^)
June 24th, 2009 at 12:12
I came across your website while searching for ideas for doing some kind of similar journey. I love what you've published but have to comment on something:
"Again, one rule: always remember to strap your shoes on TIGHT, otherwise your feet are going to move around and you’ll get bloody toes"
I'm in the army and am very used to walking long distances with heavy backpacks. Taking care of your feet is extremely important and we in the army even receive training in it.
Strapping your shoes "TIGHT" is not really a that good idea when doing long hikes. Doing that constricts your blood flow and denies your feet their natural ability to move internally while walking. This in turn leads to injuries and pain.
Now of course you don't want to walk around with your laces untied though, there has to be a balance.
What we do in the army to avoid blisters and sores is to tape our feet before going out in the field and then redoing it every few days (just minor daily maintenance). Even if you have prime quality socks and boots, taping your feet as a precaution can be essential.
Everyones feet look different and therefore how you tape them differs from person to person. Pretty much everyone need to tape their heels, then some people tape their toes, some the bump just below the little toe, some the bump below the big toe, some the ankle, etc. etc.
Some people have perfect feet and don't really need anything but most people really do when undertaking long journeys on foot.
What to use and exactly how to do it I'm sure google can help with :)
July 24th, 2009 at 01:58
Steven: I thought so too!
Jean: They are only important when we want to use them to walk.
ludde: Thanks for the additional insight, I highly appreciate it! :)
October 4th, 2009 at 03:47
Thank you for this beautiful article and blog/webpage itself. This blog is like encyclopedia of traveling on foot, based on real experience. I swear, you could write a book with billions of advices for young travelers and interesting photos that you`ve made just copying your posts into a book. Hope this blog will stand forever, cause there are too much useful stuff to read about. Thanks again!
October 22nd, 2009 at 03:04
kanampo: Hehe, this is the first time my blog gets credit for "usability" – thank you! :)
December 4th, 2009 at 07:00
Christophe, please tell me that you are, in fact, working with someone to make all of this a book. Your experience (and even decision to DO it and, yes, then DOING it) is fascinating!! Oh how I wish I could see what you have seen. When I was in college, I backpacked across Colorado and New Mexico and just that tiny fragment of hiking changed me in so many ways. That was many years ago and, though I've traveled the world now, I still reach back to that experience at 21 as my most significant! (I was cold, tired, hungry, overwhelmed at times – and exhilarated!! Oh, the sights…) Thank for being you and for sharing with us. :-)
December 4th, 2009 at 07:02
P.S. I have flat feet with knobby toes – even my sister makes fun of them – and I wish I had known how to care for my feet before trekking. You are gonna spare someone a whoooole lotta pain! :-)
January 17th, 2010 at 02:33
so good ,i have a dream that is to visiting china all over,but i haven't.
it is so hard to come true because i didn't have so much money to travel.and i'm sorry for my english,i can't say it well,so it maybe something wrong about it.
January 30th, 2010 at 20:47
Amazing Christoph! The self disipline that you had during your quest had to be insanly hard. I commend you on voyage. You make other want to strive to do more in life. Salute from Michigan USA.