Thursday, 28 August 2014

Foot Care for Hiking


Caring for Your Toenails And Foot Care


Foot care extends to toenails, which should be trimmed straight across the nail and not rounded at the corners. Your big toe, in particular, is more prone to you incurring an ingrowing toenail so you should leave an extra bit of nail on the outside corner to prevent that. Once you've clipped your toenails, smooth the nail down with a file to remove rough edges. Toenails which are too long can cause pressure on the bed of the nail which can result in extreme discomfort and pain if you're hiking.



Caring for the Skin on Your Feet And Hiking



Some people believe that having thick, callused skin on your feet prevents blisters but this isn't true and blisters underneath calluses can be very hard to drain and treat. A callus file and moisture cream can soften problem areas for good foot care, and also helps to heal cracks in the skin of your feet, especially on your heels. If these cracks aren't treated, they can split open and infection can result in the tissue underneath.



Blister Prevention And Hiking



The prevention of blisters can often come down to a personal choice. In addition to ensuring you have well fitting hiking boots or walking shoes and socks, you'll find a vast array of blister prevention products and taping techniques and you should experiment with a few to find one that suits you. Early awareness can also help and you should stop walking if you feel a blister coming on and treat it as soon as possible. It may be caused by some grit or dirt that has got in to your hiking boot and is rubbing against your skin, for example, so you should always stop and fix things as soon as you think there's a problem, otherwise walking on with blisters can be extremely painful and can even reach the stage where you feel as if you can walk no further.



Resting Your Feet When Walking



When it's time to stop for lunch when you're walking, or if you've reached your day's destination and are, perhaps, setting up camp for the night, take your hiking boots and socks off and give your feet a chance to rest and breathe. They'll appreciate the fresh air and direct sunlight. In a camp situation, wearing flip flops or sandals will allow your feet to recuperate better and, if you're resting, elevating your feet will also help to reduce swelling.



Foot Care Kits For Hiking



Carrying a small foot care kit in a Ziploc bag is not going to take up much room and will give you much relief from the problems associated with walking. Things like blister patches, a safety pin to drain blisters, a choice of powder or lubricant etc. can often help relieve foot problems before they get out of control and makes for excellent foot care that can feel blissful.

 

Taken from an article walkingandhiking.com


Friday, 1 August 2014

August training for the Camino De Santiago

I had a week off in August which meant it was around seven weeks until I embark on a walking trip of 120 miles, so I worked out  a schedule to get used to consecutive walking, rather than just Sundays as I do at the moment. 


This is how I did:





Date
Distance
Route
Weight carried
Time

 

 

 
 
 
Sunday 17th
 
12 miles
 Home to Pegwell back to Broadstairs

 
5.3kg
 
5hrs
 
Monday 18th
 
20 miles

 
Home to
Reculver
 
 
5kg
 
8hrs
 
Tuesday 19th
 
11 miles
 
Deal to St Margarets
 
 
5kg
 
4hrs
 
Weds 20th
 
16 miles
 
Home to Pegwell 
 
 
5.4kg
 
5hrs
 
Thursday 21st
 
8.4 miles
 
Home to Dumpton
 
 
without rucksack
 
4hrs
 
 
 
 
 
 






I saw this today:

May your journeys on the Camino and in life bring you the adventure, and peace, you seek.

“Stand at the crossroads and look;
ask for the ancient paths,
ask where the good way is, and walk in it,
and you will find rest for your souls.”
–Jeremiah 6:16 (NIV)

 

Tuesday, 3 June 2014

Sun Sea & Shells

Finally a chance to get another walk in, the first one in fact in my new boots (first pair returned as faulty), we set off on our usual round trip to Broadstairs, 8 miles, nice sunny day, which turned out to be much hotter than expected, pink arms to prove it !
 
The tide was out going there, so we were able to walk along the beach.  I can not resist collecting shells and seaglass as we go, we soon realised we didn't have a bag to put them all  in and Geoff wouldn't put them in his rucksack as he said the salt water would stain the bag.  So we carried as many as we could and decided, on reaching Broadstairs, we'd go and buy a roll of bags form Tesco (always handy thats the bags and I suppose Tesco too !).
 
Whilst walking on the beach I bumped into a friend from my squash days that I hadn't seen for a year or so as she lives away, what are the chances ??
 
We were hungry on reaching the half way point so opted (as usual) to have lunch in Prezzo and a glass of wine, don't think the Camino is going to be like that !
 
Geoff in his new Tilley hat

Kingsgate, Broadstairs

Rock Pooling

Collected shells
 

Friday, 16 May 2014

Walking to work

I am walking to & fro to work, I will gradually add pictures of things I notice on route that you would miss if you were in the car.

Today (and every day) fresh air & the warmth of the sun, smelling the roses and fresh cut grass, noticing the Victorian buildings on route.

Smell the roses

Victorian House Margate

Hawley Square Margate

Tuesday, 13 May 2014

Salomon Walking Boots

Ventured to London, to Covent Garden that is littered with Outdoor and Adventure shops. 
 
Ellis Brigham are a specialists in boots and shoes, so popped in there.  Des was very helpful and through, helping select the right boots for me. Along with a a rucksack from Osprey, the Sirrus 26. In my favourite blue (just by chance).
 
Sadly wore the boots for an hour yesterday they are comfortable but the right foot makes a funny (really annoying) noise when I walk, what bad luck, so now waiting back to hear if they will exchange them. 

Tuesday, 6 May 2014

Bank Holiday weekend

Bank Holiday weekend, a chance to get a few days walking practice in.  It was a lovely day although a little chilly in the wind, layers were the answer.
 
A friend and I walked in to Broadstairs, which is a round trip of about 8 miles and usually takes about 3 hours.. however, such a lovely day when we reached Broadstairs we thought we'd stop for a glass of wine (well it was 'nearly' mid-day!). It was bliss we sat in the sun looking out to sea, chatting away and to all the people around us, finally heading back a hour few and glasses of wine later.. I think the wine may have undone all the good work of the walk !
 
Stone Bay Beach Broadstairs

Ballards Wine Bar Broadstairs
 
 
Sunday jobs at home so sadly didn't get a chance to get a walk in.  Bank holiday Monday six off us set off on a walk into the Kent countryside, two of our friends do this quite often so they were the group leaders.  Geoff Mark Linda & I just boldly followed. 
 



 
 
 
They had us crossing fields of sheep, the cute little lambs came running up to greet us.  (Hopefully Mark has a picture I can add in here) We followed footpaths across numerous fields, we wandered through woods in the dappled sunlight.  We stopped for a picnic on a hillside with the sheep (!) looking out across the Elham Valley.
 
 

 
 
We came through Barham where the high waters of earlier in the year were still leaving their mark and flowing through under the bridge at quite a pace.
 
Bridge at Barham
It felt quite a tough day with all the hill climbs and descents, we are not used to this as our coastal walks are relatively flat. So we walked 10.9 miles uphill & down dale as they say.
 
The drink at the Jackdaw was most welcome, along with the toilets !
 
 
 
Great day looking forward to the next one.
 

Monday, 28 April 2014

Osprey Rucksack

My new rucksack







Tried it on empty then loaded it up with all the things I think I will be taking, list below.  With water and snacks I will be carrying about 5.5kg, not bad!

The blurb says:

Featuring a womens specific fit the Sirrus series includes Osprey's AirSpeed trampoline mesh style back system. Providing un-paralleled levels of comfort and ventilation when hiking the trails. The spacermesh harness and hipbelt also feature ventilated EVA foam cutouts. In warm climates hydration is important and youll appreciate the internal hydration sleeve built into all Sirrus models. When the water is cascading from the clouds, deploy the integrated raincover, instantly protecting your pack and gear from the elements

  • Capacity: 26 litres
  • Designed for Women
  • AirSpeed trampoline suspended mesh backsystem
  • Sternum strap with emergency whistle
  • Stretch mesh side pockets with InsideOut compression
  • Top lid access
  • Twin zippered hip belt pockets
  • Stow-on-the-Go trekking pole attachment
  • Integrated & detachable raincover
  • Zippered lower sleeping bag compartment
  • Fixed top pocket with dual zippered compartments
  • Internal hydration sleeve
  • Internal key attachment clip
  • Removable sleeping pad straps
  • Side compression straps
  • Single ice axe loop

Weight

1.100 kg



Here is a picture and list of what I think I will be taking, Diane from Hiking for her along with some other blogs suggest I could take less clothes, although I am a light packer (ask my friends) having not hiked like this before, I am not brave enough to cut it further.

Hiking clothes
 
Very light weight sleeping bag
Giant Micro towel
3prs walking socks
1pr Jack Wolfskin shorts
Lightweight fleece
3 Lightweight t-shirts
Underwear
Poncho
Flip flops
Sun lotion
Tissues
Hand gel
Pain killers
Shower/shampoo combined
Toothbrush/paste
A few sundry toiletries

I will be adding two more small bottles of water & trail snacks

I have gone for lightweight clothing that can be washed each day & hopefully quick drying.

The pack weighs 5kg filled so I estimate about 5.5kg when ready to go.

I am walking with my husband so he will be carrying the first aid kit & a few other bits and pieces.