Footwear - The Long Trail - Vermont

imported
#1

DO NOT WEAR SHOES (TRAILRUNNERS) ON THIS TRAIL!!!
I was only able to average about 6 miles/ day & still my feet were destroyed by the slime covered rock-faces & root hazards & steep jump-downs that you have to use a tree as a shock absorber to get down from.
2 weeks was all it took to finish off my feet & knees.
I have been off trail for a week & my legs are still throbbing & I am still hobbling around with a cane like a 90 year old (I probably should have got bed rest instead of running around Burlington, Niagara Falls, etc… ) Wear lightweight boots, as heavy ones will give you bad blisters from being wet all the timez!!!

inchworm plumber

#2

Well you’re not the first. Too bad you didn’t see previous posts about footwear here, no shortage of experienced advice from the school of hard walks. The age of the heavy, unforgiving leather boot, unless one likes S&M, they have become outdated like white gas stoves and seven pound backpacks. Walk and learn, we all walk and learn.

Postcard

#3

Inchworm…did you use any insole replacements such as those made by sorbothane? They may have helped dampen the inpact. Also pack weight when above 20 lbs total weight will influence how sore the feet are at the end of the day. Not to mention shoulders and back issues. Trail runners work best with a light weight load. I have personally hiked the long trail with trail runners and my feet were never a concern. My pack weight with food (no need to carry water on the Long Trail) averaged around 15 pounds and never exceeded 20. Good luck in the future. :cheers

stealthblew

#4

“the school of hard walks” love it!

frogcaller

#5

Yeah, I was just arrogant after hiking the PCT & CDt in TRShoes; I thought I could do anything anytime anyway. Of course I’ve blown out my knees a few times. I might try those sorbothanes in the city & see if they dampen the impact running around on my job. It took 2 weeks of recovery, but now I can walk around without a cane or a knee brace. Never underestimate Vermont!!!

inchworm plumber

#6

There’s a reason why some of us refer to the LT as “The Long, Hard Trail.” Mile after mile, it kicks your butt with rocks, roots, mud, and steep inclines. But, what a wonderful walk through the woods…I can’t wait to do it again!

For both of my LT hikes I wore trail runners, but they were reasonably robust shoes made by Montrail. I’m not sure that I’d want to wear a typical New Balance shoe that lacks a sole plate or toe shield! Both times my shoes were basically garbage after a couple hundred miles even though you’d typically expect to get about 500 miles from a decent trail runner…

Loup

#7

God yes. I always tell people that the Long Trail is harder than any equal stretch of the AT and day to day the PCT as well. But I wore Bite sandals on my SOBO trip and like Loup Montrail Hardrocks northbound. Sandals are great for the water and mud but what ever trail the Montrails are my favorite.

bamboo bob

#8

I’m liking my Keens. Dry pretty quick, not too heavy, not too expensive. Never slipped once. I have a high arch and they fit me well. The toe box is roomy for descents. The knobs on the sole of one started to come off eventually but hey, for a hundred bucks they’re pretty darn good. I didn’t think about my feet at all last time out. That’s a good thing.

Rabbit Beard

#9

“No need to carry water on the Long Trail.” Hmmm.

Might have been the case in 2012. I just completed the trail in September 2018. There were long portions of the trail when water was scarce. When NOBOs met SOBOs water sources were always a topic of conversation. Worshipping the gods of ultralight and not carrying water could well get you in big trouble.