Blisters

In my first 110 miles of the PCT I had the pleasure of welcoming 11 blisters. What a blast. Especially when starting the trail, everyone is giving all sorts of advice and tid bits at what should and/or should not be done.

However, so far in my experience, the best care has been gauze and duct tape.

Ideally, you stop the blister before it happens. If you sense a blister coming along it's called a "hot spot" and you can use mole skin to prevent it. Lots of experienced hikers suggest washing your socks twice a day and letting your feet cool everytime you take a break. This means every time you come across a stream take off your shoes and let your feet enjoy the water.

There are several possible causes to my blisters and blisters in general. Three main reasons for me were heat, shoes, and socks. Yes, I confess, I wore cotton socks for two days and had only one pair of smartwool awesome socks. There's a famous saying on the trail that is "death by cotton" because it holds in all the moisture and just ruins your feet.

In order to protect your feet from heat in the desert, one can get thin 100% nylon socks and wear breathable running shoes.

I will have smartwool and 100% nylon socks, asics running shoes, and will be stopping an obnoxious amount of times to give my feet rest.

Tom, a trail angel who hiked the trail a few years ago, also explained the importance of keeping the feet raised when sitting or sleeping. Some hikers put a towel on the wall near the head of the bed for their feet at night so they don't get the wall dirty. While camping, you can use your pack at night for a foot rest while you sleep.

Tom also said the best blister care, which I have only tried on one blister and it seemed to work as well, is relieving the blister (make sure EVERYTHING is sanitized) then putting lamolin (breastfeeding ointment) and lambs wool over the blister and covering it with athletic tape. The main idea is to relieve the blister and help it dry out.

On the trail, you have to take the best care of your feet possible. An infection caused by a blister can get into your blood stream if you are not careful and put you off the trail for a good bit.