A journey of a thousand miles begins with a fabulous pair of shoes
“Momma always says there's an awful lot you could tell about a person by their shoes. Where they going. Where they been.” - Forrest Gump
“It’s got to be the shoes!” - Mars Blackmon
“No Mars.” - Michael Jordan
If the shoe fits -
I am confident most people - including Millennials, Generation Zs, and even some Generation Alphas (yes, that is a thing) - know the lovable but somewhat odd fictional characters quoted above as well as the SGOAT, or the second greatest basketball player of all time. For those few that don’t know much about them, I do believe they would at least recognize the names of Forrest Gump, Michael Jordan, and perhaps even Mars Blackmon. (Am I the first person to use those three names in the same sentence? - I think so, genius!!!)
I included quotes from Forrest, Mars, and Michael to help me introduce an occasional new series of blogs that will focus on hiking related topics, including gear (and for boys - which defined here means ALL males - it’s ALWAYS about the gear), tips, safety, and other random musings related to hiking. (Did you know the GOAT Stephen Curry likes to hike? - Me neither!)
Is it the shoes? -
Hiking shoes have been a hot topic around our house lately (it seems almost every member of our family needs a new pair) and we have been shopping for hiking shoes for a fast-approaching family trip to Alaska. So of course, there will never be a better time for me to discuss hiking shoes right? Well, I’m sure some of you are thinking what my son Alex actually sarcastically uttered out loud, “ugh, seriously dad, is there really EVER a good time to talk about shoes?”
You almost lost me at shoes but kept me with the cool retro YouTube videos -
If you are still reading and haven’t started down a wormhole watching old Nike commercials or Forrest Gump clips on YouTube, thank you. I am not an expert on shoes, as most of my shoes either come from a local dead man shoe repair shop, a used sporting goods store or thrift store. (Don’t judge, I can explain - I am harder on my shoes than a hungry chihuahua.) Hence, I do not plan to offer shoe reviews but to share some of my reflections related to shoes and hiking; tidbits and shorts that I find fun and interesting.
Do as I say, not as I do - Sound familiar to parents of teenagers?
I will begin with a novel concept - it is not wise to wear new or unfamiliar hiking shoes for the first time on a long hike. Um, didn’t you say that you just bought new shoes for your upcoming Alaska trip? Yes, guilty your honor. In my defense, today's hiking shoes are more easily broken in with only several short walks (and in my case, short walks to the airport terminal and to the airplane!) New leather hiking boots are different - stiffer, not as pliable as hiking shoes and should be broken in properly in advance to avoid any problems. And if you do have the time, multiple short walks around the neighborhood are a good idea with new hiking shoes as well.
Bringing a knife to a gun fight -
It is important to make sure you have the right shoes for the conditions of the trail you will be hiking. Tennis or running shoes are fine as long as you are 100% sure your hike is on a smooth, flat, hard and dry surface. Minus one of these four conditions, and you are going to wish you had made a different choice. In Iceland, Alex fell crossing a stream near the top of a waterfall because he was wearing tennis shoes with slick bottoms. He slipped on a rock, landed in the water, with the contents of his backpack scattering all over. I am pretty sure an extra pair of his socks and part of his lunch that day are still at the bottom of the waterfall! I also fell hard in Iceland on a steep descent, caused by the slick tread on the improper shoes I wore on an unplanned adventure. Fortunately, we both were ok - other than our pride - and both learned an invaluable lesson: actual hiking shoes are a much better choice than sneakers, running shoes or tennis shoes.
Toe boxes and nail clippers
Who would have thought that I would ever write a blog, much less a blog about toe boxes and toenails? While not glamorous tips, they are important ones. Your shoes toe box should allow enough room for your toes to wiggle and breathe. You don’t want your toes touching the front of the shoe. If your toes are touching, downhill treks can cause a big problem, especially if you have long toenails. So that brings me to my next point. Always remember to carry a set of nail clippers in your bag and to use them before embarking on any hike. Clipping your toenails will help prevent them from becoming painful and potentially falling off. This happened to Ginger after a recent hiking trip to Utah. Her toenails didn’t totally fall off, but they were extremely painful and took almost a full year to look normal.
“And that’s all I got to say about that.”
I’m sure I could write more about hiking shoes, but I want to keep you in suspense. Check out my next blog post to see how the new shoes worked out in Alaska!
Happy Hiking,
Chris
#hikemoreworryless
