Taking Care of Your Foot on a Trek

A blistered or damaged foot can ruin a hiking vacation. Very often we either forget or ignore the health of our feet. And all the while our attention remains focused to the layers we want to carry up in the mountains, we tend to overlook the fact that it is our feet which take the brunt of the impact of long hours of walking on various kinds of trails.

So sharing a few tips and tricks to care for your feet before and during a trek.

All about shoes:

Break new shoes well before you start your hike. Very often I come across people who would buy a pair of hiking boots just a couple of days before the journey starts and take the brand new pair to the trek. Well usually they land up with painful blisters.

Your feet swell as you walk long distances. So while buying shoes for the trek buy a pair that is roomier inside. A pair of shoes which is 1/2 size bigger than the size you usually wear is great. If you cannot find shoes that are a half size bigger, go up one size. And dear people, once bought, please wear your hiking boots practically everywhere, for hours together, to break them properly so that they mould around your feet nicely.

Choosing socks:

Wool socks or synthetic/polyester socks are better over cotton socks because they dry faster after absorbing the moisture from your feet. Unlike cotton they do not hold on to the moisture. Choose pairs that fit snugly around your feet. Quechua hiking socks are pretty good and are available in India in almost all Decathlon stores. Highlander Merino Trek wool socks can be found online.

Preventing hotspots :

If you know where your boots may rub against the skin, or if you had a problem spot on your feet before, it will be wise to pre-tape the areas before you hit the trail. Prevention is always better than cure. Tape the affected area with leukoplast or micropore tapes. Don’t forget to slip in a piece of soft gauze underneath the leukoplast/micropore. You can also massage non- petroleum chafing creams on the areas that are likely to have blisters and you are good to go.

Two good ones are:

Anti-Chafing Cream by Skin Elements

https://skinelements.in/products/anti-chafing-cream-by-skin-elements-20-sachets-of-15gm-each

And Ateeva Anti-Chafe Cream

https://www.amazon.in/Ateeva-Anti-Chafe-Cream/dp/B078YTVMQ9

Taking care of hotspots:

If you notice an emerging “hotspot” at any point of your hike, take off your shoes and socks. Air your feet and change your socks for a new dry pair or wear the same pair inside out. Friction and heat are the causes of those miserable blisters so protect the irritated skin before it becomes a full-fledged blister. Fluff a tiny bit of cotton-wool and slip it inside a piece of soft gauze before taping it over the hotspot. This will provide some cushioning effect to the affected area and reduce the pain.

Taking care of blisters:

Your blisters maybe painful or painless. If they are big but painless, leave them be. Simply air your feet from time to time and change socks. If the blisters are painful, they will make walking very difficult. You may need to drain the fluid now. Disinfect a needle by placing it on fire. Cool the needle ( or the tip of a sharp knife, in absence of a needle) and make a tiny prick on the blister. Drain the fluid carefully, apply some antibiotic cream and bandage the area. Popping a blister is a very debatable issue, however draining the fluid generally helps to reduce the pain. Just take care to make sure that the blistered area does not get infected. Clean with antibiotic lotions and do not forget to bandage the popped blister after applying a thin layer of antibiotic ointment.

Some quick tricks:

Keep your toenails as short as possible before you start the trek. Long descends will put pressure on your toes and they will bang against the inside of your shoes. Not a nice feeling. The toenails get a good chance of getting bruised and in extreme situations one may land up with a lost toenail or two.

Some people wear two layers of socks while trekking, to reduce friction on the foot. They usually wear a thin layer( synthetic/polyester) inside and a thicker variety( merino wool) over it.

Foot massages with generous helpings of Vaseline cream or Boroline antiseptic cream, at night, keeps feet moisturized and less prone to getting blisters.

https://www.boroline.com/products/boroline.html

http://www.vaseline.in/product/category/jelly.html

In monsoon treks, your feet are going to sweat anyway inside your hiking boots and rainwater will seep in from outside. Lubing feet with Vaseline jelly helps a lot in keeping blisters at bay.