Hit 100 miles on the Appalachian Trail before I realized my shoes were the wrong size

I started the approach trail in Georgia with boots that felt fine in the store, but by the time I reached Neel Gap my toes were numb and I had blisters on both heels. Turned out I needed a full size bigger to account for foot swelling and downhill pressure. Anyone else find out their gear sizing was totally off after a few days on trail?

3 comments

3 Comments

morgan.mary2mo ago

Double down on the heel lock lacing trick. I also started carrying a second pair of insoles and swapping them out midday, made a huge difference in how my feet felt by the end of the day.

abby_robinson5825d ago

Congrats on making it 100 miles before your feet declared mutiny... that's pretty good honestly. My first pair of "perfect fit" boots turned my toes into ground beef by mile 60 and I had to tape them up like a mummy for the next week. Guess we all learn the hard way that store floors don't simulate a mountain.

paulm952mo ago

Honestly, the shoe thing got me too. I had the same problem with foot swelling on the PCT, I ended up switching to trail runners a half size up and lacing them different for downhill sections. For the heel blisters, I started doing a heel lock lacing method that locked my foot in place, that helped a ton. It's wild how much your feet change after a few 20 mile days.