You may not want to hear about foot care, but it’s a fact of hiking. I went to the doctor today to discuss the callus on the bottom of my right foot. It’s something that only appeared last year when I started running, and was thought to be a plantars wart, (which i’m glad i didn’t try to ‘fix’ myself with over the counter remedies), but turned out to be a callus. It’s right in the middle of my foot, needs care every few days, and I’d really like for it to just ‘go away’. I don’t want to have to carry additional ‘tools’ to shave away a callus every couple of days on the trail, although I DO realize it’s inevitable. Photos of what happen to some hikers feet are HORRIBLE ! Proper foot care is essential, of course, and I just thought I’d stop in to discuss options and make sure my feet were in the best possible condition.
The Doc and I discussed the metatarsals, and why I must be getting the callus where I am. The options seem more complicated than just dealing with it every few days, so add a tool for THAT to my pack weight… (light, i know, but every single thing added to my pack adds to weight – which depletes energy. But you’ll likely hear about me complaining of my callus on the trail, and it will likely only be one of many, so get used to it.
But the happy note, was when I told Martha about my journey, a large smile came across her face. She thought it was wonderful, and shared with me her memories as a child of only 6 or so, when her father worked on a WA section of the PCT one year. She spent most of the summer camping, as her father packed dynamite in on horses for use in clearing the trail. I love watching people light up as they talk of stories in the wilderness as children. It definitely leaves me with a ‘warm fuzzy’ feeling, and I’m always happy when my own journey, reminds someone of theirs… =-)
