Foot Care for Hikers On and Off Trail

My feet are a MESS!

Well, not exactly. They’re just one of the highest maintenance body parts I have. I was certainly not blessed with dainty feet. In fact, I’ve often described them as Fred Flintstone feet.

Actually, my feet have served me very well.

As a farm kid, I spent most of my childhood barefoot. I continued that practice into my adult life. As a yoga teacher, I get to be barefoot most of the time. I also prefer to leave my shoes by the front door when I enter my house. Additionally, I just can’t be bothered to put shoes on “just to go outside” unless it’s absolutely necessary. Often I’ve arrived at the grocery store and realized I didn’t have anything on my feet.

Foot care started to be a thing.

Early on, I started to soak my feet in the tub so that I could scrub off the layers of calluses that seem to quickly form overnight. I tried lots of different scrubbers and many methods. Unfortunately there seemed to be no magic solution other than persistent maintenance.

So how am I going to do this on trail?

That’s a question, I’ve been pondering for the last six months. I’ve tried a variety of lotions. They are all either too greasy, or too watery, and after testing on trail I realized that no lotion does well when you rub it into a foot covered with dirt. I purchased lightweight, nail clippers, and even travel sized cuticle clippers. I ordered some pumice blocks and cut them into smaller pieces to send in my resupply packages.

Eventually, I ditched the nail clippers and cuticle clippers, and decided to make a go of nail care using my Swiss Army classic knife scissor attachment. I’m also keeping the promise blocks and will make do with dirty, moisturized feet.

Shoes are important too!

I stand by my Altra Lone Peaks. They always get me around 400 miles and although I know I could find a shoe that last longer. The honest truth is by 400 miles they smell bad enough I’m ready to get rid of them. I’ve purchased several pair on past season clearance sales. I know some hikers say your foot grows on trail but I’ve hiked over 4K miles these last three years … I sure hope my foot is done growing!