I live in north GA within 15 miles of Appalachian approach trail. So I decided to start hiking a couple of months ago. I bought a pair of Merrel hiking shoes that they fitted to my foot for hiking. I have only hiked 21 miles in them. On the downhills all of my toes burn like they are on fire! Driving me nuts, I’m thinking of going barefooted! any suggestions would be appreciated.
Vickie
Victoria
There is not anything you can do if the shoes are actually too small. If the problem is your foot sliding forward on the downhills, try different ways to lace them that might hold your foot in place better. If you are wearing thicker socks, try something thinner. Good luck.
Turtle Walking
Feet will swell during extended hiking. I wear a size 11.5 street shoe but a size 13 boot with good hiking socks is comfortable. Lacing tight enough but not too tight is also essential.
dioko
Be prepared to loose toenails too if you keep going.There were the barefoot sisters hiking in 02, you might search them on this sight and see what they dealed with.Get some duct tape as well, it helps lots with blisters.
Virginian
Vickie
My first overnight hike was the Approach Trail. Going down the next day I had BIG TIME blisters on my Toes. The Approach Trail is tough UP and Down. Your feet have to get used to it. Yes, you may have shoe issues but if there comfortable it may just be braking them in and getting used to BackPacking. I also live near Amicalola, its an awesome trail to hike but brake in your shoes on an easier trail.
Subman Ga-Me 03
Subman
Victoria, your tale is a common one for those new to hiking.
First, unless your a runner, your feet may not be that accustomed to foot travel, they need some time to toughen. Next, hope you shoe fitting size was also taken standing up, the foot gets bigger standing - your shoes sound small. Yea, I know women don’t want to get bigger shoes than you’re used to, but hiking is different than poising in Prada.
Example - my foot is size 11, I buy size 12. This allows me to add an extra foam insert from my running shoe and allows me to wear a sock liner and medium weight hiking sock with the shoes extra volume. I like a soft ride. You can proactively put some paper tape over the tips of some of your sensitive toes before heading out which will reduce the friction on them.
Your feet will also appreciate a take the shoe off break if your hikes get longer, be patient, your new found hiking exuberance has to let the body parts catch up to your go go desire.
Finally, the days of heavy, leather hiking shoes are over unless you really like them (most Merrells aren’t that). The “Trail Runner” is a newish invention that offers you stability, cushioning and nimble feet and less tired legs. There are lots and lots out there now - I like New Balance and Asics. I like The Approach Trail, done it three times without ever pausing to take a break - straight to the top.
Happy stepping and may your dry sock days outnumber the wet ones.
Postcard
The final point about your feet and shoes is that most of us do not grow up predisposed to experimenting with our shoes. We buy loafers or pose clothes pumps and that’s it.
But in hiking we learn that downhills can be painful on our toes if the shoes are too small, knees get attacked and when wet, rocks and roots turn into slippery ice. This is America where two foam insoles or two or even three pair of thin socks can be tried. Experimenting on sock, insole, and shoe size is smart when it comes to hiking. Length and width are the only consideration in city shoes, but hiking also takes into account shape and volume, so try things to find your foot/shoe happy place.
Look for Outdoor shoes that have a “rocker toe and heel”, meaning they curve up, mimic the human stride with less resistance and thus cause less issues. I have 6000+ hiking miles in the last six years without blisters or trouble, it pays to experiment when it comes to foot travel.
Postcard
Give up hiking boots. They’re relatively heavy and completely unnecessary when day-hiking or section hiking in Georgia and vicinity, at least during summer and mild weather.
I too live in North Georgia. I used to wear good hiking boots. But five years ago I began wearing running shoes when doing day hikes, backpacking, and section hikes on the AT. At first I was leery, figuring I had to be making a mistake since hiking boots seem to be required.
After five years and 175 miles of section hiking, I’ve never again put on a pair of hiking boots. Running shoes are light, dry quickly, comfortable, and I’m completely used to them from daily wear, running, and routine activities at home. I’ve never tripped or stumbled or felt a lack of “ankle support.”
Whatever you lose by not wearing hiking boots, you make up for and much more by wearing comfortable running shoes.
P.S. I haven’t backpacked in winter, extended wet weather, or very long distances, so I’m not sure yet that I could wear running shoes under those conditions.
Dan Roper
I used lite Hi-tech boots on the AT… when my supplier accidentally sent me some heavy boots, I got blisters on my blisters, despite wearing 2 pairs of sox. On the PCT, I used trail runners, them lite boots on the JMT portion.
On the CDT, I wore trail runners the whole way, though went by way of chief mtn, so almost no snow, & had some mini crampons for an icy snow bit between 2 med & E. Glacier… but the thing we learned was ONLY LINER SOX WITH TRAIL RUNNERS! I don’t know if this works for all people, but I think we were all doing it CDT 04: Yogi, Dewey, & me. I found that, contrary to boot wisdom, you get blisters with trail runners if you wear 2 pairs of sox… & you can carry a bunch of liner sox, as opposed to heavy boot sox, & dry them so quick on your pack back it’s not even funny. (DISCLAIMER:YOUR RESULTS MAY VARY!)
gingerbreadman
Try on a different kind of TR shoe at the same time as you try on a Merrell for ex. This will tell you what is most comfortable & light weight. I for ex. tried on Nike on one foot & Asics on the other… then New Balance & Merrell with the Asics… it turned out Jardine was right, Asics for me was the litest & most comfy. I used a coupon & sale to get em for about half price; thus it’s easy to send em every 600-800 miles on the trail as the insole wears out quicker than the tread; but in a pinch, you can replace the insole with a gel or something.
gingerbreadman
…i’ve chosen a men’s size 8, 4E width and have never gone back to anything else (my normal shoe size used to be a women’s 7 1/2 B)…new balance is pretty famous for a large toebox, which gives plenty of wiggle room (for good circulation)…it worked for me…no more toe burn!
maw-ee
I’m using New Balance 850 Trail Walkers right now. They’re a little thicker in the sole and give a little better padding against pointy rocks. Also, almost all New Balance shoes are available in 4E width that I need.
bowlegs
The NB 806 has a very wide sole for great stability. I use superfeet insoles to increase arch support and help with the pointy rocks. They have solid construction around the sole to make them waterproof up to about an inch, and mesh above that for quick drying and ventilation. I wore them on my 04 and 06 hike and get 800 miles or so out of a pair.
They got so many requests for them Cabellas had new balance make another batch for them, which is mostly sold ouand the rest are on clearance. I got 2 more pair of them (13EE) for my next hike.
BigFoot