8.5 mile hike: Lewis Trail

I was kind of lazy the last couple of days, so it was time to go outside again today since it would be back above freezing temperatures and a bit more comfortable. I wanted to get a few small things at REI and try out some other meal-replacement bars for eventual potential use on my hike, so I decided to head to Missouri for the hike and run errands afterward.

This is an 8.3 mile loop along the bluffs over the Missouri River and up and down inland in various little ravines and across creek beds that are usually dry. There are a few overlooks just off the trail, so I'm rounding up to 8.5 miles carrying a 20 pound pack. It was 31 degrees when I hit the trail and in the mid-40s when I finished. Perfect for just a couple of light layers, and the pack felt good.

I was kind of dragging today, though, and wasn't totally into hiking today. The trail was frozen and rutty in some places, and there were quite a few trail runners out, but it was still a nice day to be out. I've met interesting people the two previous times I've been on this trail, but today, it was just trail runners who barely said hello and who inexplicably litter their tissues all over the place (probably unintentionally, but still...).

I should have been looking more closely for bald eagles at the overlooks, I guess. When I got back to the parking lot, a photographer with some serious equipment was headed out on the trail, and I assume that's what he was looking for.

Lewis and Clark passed by here during both directions of their journey over 200 years ago. The note for their campsite on the outward journey says that Lewis almost fell off one of these bluffs. I guess that would have shortened his trip significantly!

This is how I feel now--ready to curl up and snooze. My right foot is sore, my achilles tendons are tight, and I'm not going to stay awake long enough to welcome in the new year. I'm about ready for bed, and the 4 Hands Rye IPA in my hand will hasten that along! I'm going to stretch and do a quick session with this magical little foot massager first, though :)

Feet: Starting from the Ground Up

If there's one thing I'm really worried about in terms of my ability to complete my trip, it's my bum right foot. Most of the time, it works just fine, but I have some history with it being an absolute PITA on occasion. The first time I remember there being a problem was in my first or second year of grad school. I'd been working out regularly with free weights and was probably about as healthy as I'd been since high school. I was strong, and while I still wasn't much into cardio, I was right in the middle of the healthy weight range for my height.

I woke up with such pain in my foot one morning that I was sure I'd kicked the wall in my sleep and broke my foot. After hobbling into the student health center, though, I had my diagnosis: Plantar Fasciitis. Great.

I guess my case wasn't too bad, though, because it went away after a month or so of diligent stretching and such. I must have blocked it out of my mind, too, because when I had a similar pain after a very long walk a few years later, I totally forgot about the previous incident and again went to urgent care convinced that I had broken my foot somehow. Diagnosis: Tendonitis. Great.

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Somewhere in between those two incidents, I had purchased a sweet pair of La Sportiva hiking boots during a trip to Montana. My left foot felt great in those boots. However, my right foot always felt like the arch support was in the wrong spot. I tried Spenco and Super Feet insoles. I later got new cycling shoes, too, and had the same problem. I tried to fix it in those shoes with some SOLE insoles that I could put in the oven and mold to my foot. I tried those insoles in my boots, too. Still, my right foot was never 100% comfortable. The arch support always felt like it was too far forward, and I figured that my arch was just too tight or misshapen because of my earlier foot issues, so I went back to using super-padded running shoes for everyday wear and walking. No major pain issues, but lots of minor discomforts. Discomforts (and a very time consuming job) that meant it was more comfortable to stay home sitting on my butt than getting outside and walking or getting to the gym and working out.

These are now my snow shoveling boots...

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I was getting chubbier and decided to go with the nuclear option. I joined a CrossFit gym. It was a good one, with smart trainers and a willingness to work with an out-of-shape person who could barely run. I loved the weights part of CrossFit. I learned to like rowing. I still hated running. I also hated paying so much money per month. I suspended my membership while I traveled one summer and just never went back. I later tried a cheaper CrossFit box, but it was clear that the trainers there were not nearly as good and that they were mostly interested in working with people who were already very athletic. I left after just a couple of sessions.

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Looking back, the one really, really good thing that first CrossFit gym did was convince me to get out of super padded running shoes that put my heel way up above my forefoot. Working on deadlifts one day, I thought I had maxed out on the weight I could pull. They had me take off my shoes, added about 20 pounds to the bar, and I was able to pull it without any more difficulty than the previous lift. I went out that afternoon and bought some flat shoes that looked like something from the 1970s. I have never gone back to padded shoes with a higher heel, and my feet feel much, much better.

About 7 months ago, I picked up some New Balance Minimus trail running shoes and did more research on foot biomechanics. My feet were finally comfortable in shoes. I took them on a 5 mile hike, paying attention to landing mid-foot and taking shorter but more frequent steps. No pain. I immediately went and bought a second pair since they aren't durable enough to last for too long. I have one dirty "trail" pair and one "road" pair for everyday use. They are awesome.

I'm now committed to going with lightweight minimal shoes whenever possible (my asymmetrical arches=problems with any arch-support shoes I try). If I hadn't found these shoes, I wouldn't even be thinking about this backpacking trip since I couldn't conceive of walking that far in uncomfortable shoes. I'm still fine-tuning my footwear and trying out some similar shoes, so stay tuned for a future post on that process!