Test Hike Review

Howdy from the Two Kings!

Travis and I took a little nine mile hike up to the top of North Mountain on Swinging Bridge Road on Monday. It is 4.54 miles from the bottom of my parents driveway to the top. It is a two mile climb to the top. The total elevation change in the two miles from the bottom to the top is just under 1000'. Not a bad little climb. It also follows the spurs of the mountain, making it a constant up and down hike while climbing, adding to the difficulty. About halfway up the mountain, my left heel started to get hot, but I pushed on thinking that it wouldn't blister before we reached the top. This dude was way wrong. Blister. Damnit. We changed socks at the top, took necessary measures for out feet, and humped it back to the rent's house. We finished the nine mile hike in 3:19:56. I didn't stop the watch for breaks, so we averaged three miles per hour. That is too fast, but we felt good so we booked it. The hike was good and we felt good the next day, except for my blister. All of our weight seems to be where it needs to be. There might be a couple of items I might take out of my gear just because I won't need it. Travis seems content with his gear list as well. Both of our setups are very different, but we both have weight pretty low, so we are good on that end.

So far, as the week has gone on, every treatment I have tried for the blister has failed. My feet sweat too much, so all the adhesives on the Band-Aids, Molefoam, and Callus Cushion that I have used haven't stayed. On Tuesday, I wore a Band-Aid for blisters and my feet sweat so much that the adhesive wore off on half of the Band-Aid, leaving it half off, but still attached to the skin covering the blister. I knew I have to remove it so I could properly treat the blister and while removing it, I ripped half the skin off the blister and wooooooooosh, out came blood. It is now Friday and the blister is doing much better, but I still haven't found anything that can outlast my sweaty feet. This is a huge problem I have always had. I am going to buy some New-Skin and see if that works. The only other option I can foresee is cutting out my heel or buying a pair of Tevas and hiking in them. Both options are not what I want, but the reality is that my heels will be a huge problem for me and I don't want to risk an infection that would end my hike. We shall see.

I hope you all are having a wonderful day! Peace.

Two Kings