Boot Drying Question

I was going to do the 72 mile Quehanna Trail but after completeing three days I had to bail out due to blisters cause I couldn't keep my boots dried. I do own a pair of rocky mountain goretex from cabelas and they do work if the surrounding area is dry and no water is coming from the top to the toes. I been wringing my socks(Therlos)light hiking socks about every mile or so and putting on moleskins at the same time. I even tried drying the boots in the eve by the fire(yea a big no no). But no matter what I tried,I couldn't dry my boots fast enough. Strangely I felt that I could've completed the rest of the trip if it wasn't for the wet boots.It rained every eve and in the morning the flora was still dripping wet.

Any advice or suggestion that you can offer that would help elimate this problem.

Thanks Ron

Sorry about your trip. Blisters are not fun.

I am not prone to blisters so this advice may not apply. Water does not cause blisters; friction does. Water may make your skin softer, but if the boot/shoes fits well then I can walk a week in wet shoes without getting blisters.

Wear a shoe/boot that dries quicker.

Change into dry socks everynight and sleep with dry feet. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> I hate changing into wet socks in the morning. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />

Get an experienced pro to fit your boot/shoes.

You cannot always keep your boots dry. But you can regularly dry out your feet. Take the shoes off every rest break, be sure to have dry socks and camp shoes for evenings and I honestly think your feet dry better if you sleep barefoot. Also, even if your boots are wet, when the socks get that squishy feeling, stop and wring them out.

Amen to wringing them out. I regularly get wet feet. The trick:

1) wear socks that can be wrung out - I use a good poly liner sock and merino wool hiker.
Both when wrung out feel almost dry.

2) if they feel squishy, stop in short order and do the above.

3) They have to fit well, or you'll blister anyway.

Of course, the usual blisterism's apply - carry blister covers and cover them as soon as
you start to feel a hotspot, or it just gets worse.

I did keep wringing my socks out and replacing the moleskins on the hotspots and at camp went barefoot and slept in my barefeet. I did change a fresh pair in the mornings and about a half mile i was soaked again and kept repeating the wringing out and reapplying the moleskins. I am now wondering if gaiters would've work on this type of condition.

Yeah, Gore Tex is annoying because once it gets wet the stinkin stuff never dries here in the SE. I know cause most of my footwear has Gore Tex lining to my dismay (I buy footwear solely based on fit, and most of the stuff that fits me just happens to have Gore Tex in it).

At any rate, I have two suggestions that may help. For hiking in rain or after rain I use OR Rocky Mountain Low gaiters. These keep most of the water from going into my boots. Usually my boots will only get wet in a steady rain if I am actually hiking in it due to water running down my legs. Even the gaiters can't stop this from happening, but they do at least minimize the "damage". The other thing I have recently started doing due to issues I have from my feet getting wet is to rotate socks throughout the day where I wear one pair, and lash the other pair (or pairs) to the outside of my pack to dry. I then change into a dry pair during a break.

Gaiters will keep stuff from coming down into the top of your boots if you're in wet bush or mud or
snow.

Just bear in mind that while wet feet can be more prone - it sounds like you may have had enough
trouble that you have fit problems anyway that are also contributing.

Added thoughts:

Gold Bond powder applied when changing socks is a treat.

The fit of shoes may change when they get wet. A quality insole helps. I wear a thicker sock when my feet are wet.

You might try a different sock. I used to wade streams in my full leather Asolo boots (long before Goretex liners) wearing either wool or Patagonia socks with little trouble. Once across the stream, I would take off my shoes, wring out the socks, put them back on and keep walking.

I used Second Skin (the gel patches) for minor blisters. As already said, it may be a matter of fit, but different socks may help. A liner sock plus a thick wool or similar sock might keep the sliding around and rubbing to a minimum.

This is a terrible conundrum, with no easy answer.

(BTW for the general reader, W. Va is incredibly nice place)

For a fair number years with somewhat ill-fitting leather Asolo mountaineering boots, I would arrange to get minor or even bloody blisters on relatively shorter weekend hikes, prior to whatever big summer hike I planned. The blisters would heal, and I'd develop tougher feet and in general, I avoided debilitating blisters on "the big hike of the year."

Then, I started a different lifestyle, that involved walking to work about two miles round trip each day. About the same time, I purchased new, better-fitting boots with (I hate to mention a brand) Superfeet insoles. For a number of seasons, I experienced no problems with blisters.

This could be because I developed tougher feet as a result of my daily walking. It could also be due to much better fitting boots, partly or entirely due to the carefully fitted insoles.

Could also be because I did stuff like wearing sandals on fairly long approach trails, prior to reaching areas where I actually required relatively heavy boots.
ANYTHING to avoid blisters, which are obviously total killers.

Another thought is, in West Virginia, or on any "hiking trail," do you even need boots? As I mentioned, I've done a fair bit of milage using sandals.

Have often used fairly light "shoes," for high milage... going back even beyond the days of "running shoes" to now old-fashioned "Keds," and extending to current "approach shoes" ........

There are some good and bad points to the shoe versus boot thing, but it is highly worthwhile to consider. The lighter shoes are easier to fit and generally much less vicious on the feet.

But weight on the back is a MAJOR FACTOR in addition to milage and boot/or shoe fit, in blister creation... Lower weight = less problems.

I spoke to a junior, associate guide in Canada, who when he buys boots, brings them to a "boot fitter" and pays 2-3 hundred dollars, to mess with the boots. I think this is very excessive for the average backpacker, but he depends on these things a lot and may have very weird feet.

Maybe your feet are weird too. Mine are only slightly weird.

Thanks to all of you and you all brought out good points and I have done some of the methods you all pointed out. I guess I have to experiment more for myself and see what works for me. I am going to get fitted by a professional shoe fitter and try several brands of socks and see if that was the problem. I agree with all of you and hopefully I will never experience something like this again. This is not the first time I got blisters and feeling physically better then my feet I was a little upset that I couldn't finish the trail.

It does give me a reason to go back and finish it? Thanks again
Ron

Well ventilated "trail runners" are quite popular for a reason. Your feet get wet anyway, but at least they dry out. IMO, most people don't need heavy boots unless it's winter.

What I do may or may not work for you.

First, I have never had luck with a Gore-tex boot. It seems that I rarely need the waterproof feature and by the time I do, the membrane has failed from regular use. And in the meantime they are hot and sweaty in dry conditions. So I only use non waterproof boots combined with Sealskinz socks when needed. This worked reasonably well with a pair of leather boots. I just can't use a regular hiking sock inside the Sealskinz. Makes the boots fit too tight.

I have since switched to a ventilated type boot with mesh upper. Haven't had a chance to hike with them in really wet conditions, though. But I expect they will provide the advantage of drying faster than a leather boot.

One thing I've learned that helps dry a boot overnight in camp is to hang them upside down on a stick. That lets any water drain out of the boot instead of collecting in the insole.

I think ,I finally figured out what my problem was. I think my shoes has too much toe room and when I step I think my top of my toes rub on the bottom of the top and thus creating hotspots around my toenails.

I have gone to several shoe stores and tried on several types of shoes and found nothing that I feel comfortable in yet. I am also looking into thinner socks and not the therlos(mid or heavy lined) socks

I do appreciate all the feedback that you all gave me and I am seriously looking for the cause and prevention of blisters.

Now, that my blisters has gone down to almost healed,I better get back into shapeto finish what I started. Thanks again Ron.