Video: Further on the Foothills

[FireInMyBones]

I've been wanting to thru hike the Foothills trail for about three years. I was able to have my chance for a beautiful fall attempt this past weekend. Here is the adventure.

[Bruciehi5]

Leaves are cool! Hello, FireInMyBones, hope your nasty blisters are on the mend. I’ve never heard of that stuff you put on your feet to stop blisters – sounds good. Speaking of sounds, that sounded like one heck of a burger you had, I reckon it would of slowed you down some. PIZZA! I’ve got one in the oven now, hopefully it’ll be cooked before the end of your video. That’s a really nice, colorful, forest you have there! The spiny camera thing was pretty nifty! Hello, FireFoot, yes, VERY nasty blisters! Apart from the blisters, it looked to be a really good hike... thanks for the trip report!

[FireInMyBones]

Leaves are cool! Hello, FireInMyBones, hope your nasty blisters are on the mend. I’ve never heard of that stuff you put on your feet to stop blisters – sounds good. Speaking of sounds, that sounded like one heck of a burger you had, I reckon it would of slowed you down some. PIZZA! I’ve got one in the oven now, hopefully it’ll be cooked before the end of your video. That’s a really nice, colorful, forest you have there! The spiny camera thing was pretty nifty! Hello, FireFoot, yes, VERY nasty blisters! Apart from the blisters, it looked to be a really good hike... thanks for the trip report!

Thanks for the concern, Brucie. My one blister went away after some care on the first night out. Kyle's (Firefoot) had to be taken care of in town to help prevent infection. He is up and walking around now.
I hope your pizza was as good as ours was at the end of our first day.

[FireInMyBones]

We hope to give the thru hike another go after we get Firefoot's footwear dialed in and I have the time with school.
In fact, I dreamed last night that we established plans to give it another go at the beginning of December. I'll have to call him and see what he thinks.

Does anyone have any pointers on blister care? When I come to the point that I think I know it all on a topic, I am sorely reminded that I do not.

[FLRider]

Gorgeous trip there, FIMB. Sorry to hear about the footwear issues; I've never seen blisters that bad. Definitely a good idea to call the hike at that point. I'd much rather have it be a short trip than deal with sepsis from blisters out in the woods.

Regarding blister care, I'm a big fan of those Band-Aid blister ampoules that they sell in the pharmacy section of Wallyworld and at places like CVS or Walgreens. They're not a cure-all, but they definitely work if you catch the blister before it's too big to cover with the ampoule. They stick rather well, though--as with all adhesive-type stuff--you have to dry the section of your foot that you're applying it to before application. I've also been giving leukotape a try, though I've yet to have a situation where I had to apply it. We'll see on that one.

Thanks for the shout-out! I got married back in March of '10, so I was married when I went on that trip with you, but I guess I wasn't quite as clear on that as I could've been. Sorry 'bout that.

Glad to see your cook kit worked out as well as it did. I do so very love having an extra mug in the mornings for "coffee".

Your knee is feeling better? Any more issues with it like what happened on that ultra?

If you want to give that thru another try come the spring, I'd be most definitely up for it. I've been working on my cardio pretty hard, and I feel confident that I'll be able to finish a four-day thru by February or so. My goal is to be able to run a sub-four-hour marathon by that point, and I'm on track so far.

[born2roam]

That was fun to watch and to see somebody earn his trailname.

I rarely have any blisters so can't really help you there. If I have them, I put a hot (sterilized) needle in, swap alcohol, let dry as much as possible and go on.

Another trick I use is wearing a 'panty hose' sock (no fear I am straight ) as a sock liner, then a normal sock. Got this from (the late) Ron Hood (the woodsmaster) and it worked great in the Amazon and in Thai jungles, where heat and humidity can wreak havock.

Thanks for the hike along!

Grtz Johan

[skinnys11]

+ 1 on the double layered socks. i wear small ankle socks made of polyester under my big smart wool socks. never had any issues (knock on wood). hope that helps. also Fire if u ever need a hiking buddy, let me know. Im around the foothills trail all the time.

[FireInMyBones]

Gorgeous trip there, FIMB. Sorry to hear about the footwear issues; I've never seen blisters that bad. Definitely a good idea to call the hike at that point. I'd much rather have it be a short trip than deal with sepsis from blisters out in the woods.

Regarding blister care, I'm a big fan of those Band-Aid blister ampoules that they sell in the pharmacy section of Wallyworld and at places like CVS or Walgreens. They're not a cure-all, but they definitely work if you catch the blister before it's too big to cover with the ampoule. They stick rather well, though--as with all adhesive-type stuff--you have to dry the section of your foot that you're applying it to before application. I've also been giving leukotape a try, though I've yet to have a situation where I had to apply it. We'll see on that one.

Thanks for the shout-out! I got married back in March of '10, so I was married when I went on that trip with you, but I guess I wasn't quite as clear on that as I could've been. Sorry 'bout that.

Glad to see your cook kit worked out as well as it did. I do so very love having an extra mug in the mornings for "coffee".

Your knee is feeling better? Any more issues with it like what happened on that ultra?

If you want to give that thru another try come the spring, I'd be most definitely up for it. I've been working on my cardio pretty hard, and I feel confident that I'll be able to finish a four-day thru by February or so. My goal is to be able to run a sub-four-hour marathon by that point, and I'm on track so far.

I'm just glad that the blisters were not mine. I had one very small one and it went away. You most likely said something about the marriage thing, but I just thought that you were engaged.
The extra cup was nice, but I'm still fiddling with my set up. I'm trying to work out a new system and once I have it set up, I'll be doing a short vid on it.
My knee is feeling tons better, thanks for asking. I wish you lots of luck on that marathon. I'm actually thinking of trying a mulligan in Dec.

That was fun to watch and to see somebody earn his trailname.

I rarely have any blisters so can't really help you there. If I have them, I put a hot (sterilized) needle in, swap alcohol, let dry as much as possible and go on.

Another trick I use is wearing a 'panty hose' sock (no fear I am straight ) as a sock liner, then a normal sock. Got this from (the late) Ron Hood (the woodsmaster) and it worked great in the Amazon and in Thai jungles, where heat and humidity can wreak havock.

Thanks for the hike along!

Grtz Johan

I used to use a liner style sock when I wore heavy boots. There worked alright, but were a bit of a pain. I hardly ever get blisters, so I'm trying to see if something clicks as to why FireFoot got his blisters and wound care in the field. Thanks for your input.

+ 1 on the double layered socks. i wear small ankle socks made of polyester under my big smart wool socks. never had any issues (knock on wood). hope that helps. also Fire if u ever need a hiking buddy, let me know. Im around the foothills trail all the time.

I love my thinny-thin socks. Tight enough to keep me from getting blisters. I wonder if FireFoot's socks were loose. Maybe that with his new "squishy" insoles...
I'm glad you've not gotten a blister. They're no bueno. I may give you a shout the next time I head that way.

[FLRider]

I'm just glad that the blisters were not mine. I had one very small one and it went away. You most likely said something about the marriage thing, but I just thought that you were engaged.
The extra cup was nice, but I'm still fiddling with my set up. I'm trying to work out a new system and once I have it set up, I'll be doing a short vid on it.
My knee is feeling tons better, thanks for asking. I wish you lots of luck on that marathon. I'm actually thinking of trying a mulligan in Dec.

Look forward to seeing your vids on the cook kit and your next attempt at the trail.

I'll try and do a couple of training vids for the marathon, though I honestly don't know how much extra breath I'll have to talk to the camera...

Thanks for the kind wishes!

[Shug]

Always an Adventure and one can never take control of the Outcome of any trek.
Oh....the wonders of Hydropel. I always apply it whether I think I will need it or not.
A walk in the forest......a swing for the soul.
Shug