Trail Difficulty – Moderate
Trail Type – Forest Road
Distance – 7.7 miles
Elevation Gain – 980 Feet
Camera in hand we headed out for Hike 16 and the Weekly Photo Challenge; Summer.
This week was all about elevation gain as we headed out for my first hike since I fell at the garden. I discovered that I can hike a steady grade and pace myself so I can breathe.
My biggest challenge now is my feet and the boots I am wearing; once again I have blisters between my toes. Next week we are heading to REI to invest in some real boots. If anyone has suggestions I would love to hear them.
We had a destination in mind – Lost Lake nestled at the top of a forest road almost 1,000 feet up. We were surprised by the number of ponds we saw along the way making the trip that much better.
A quiet forest pond
No stalking alpaca or serial killers on this hike, just a lot of chipmunks – the very definition of Summer. This one was fat enough that he allowed me to get pretty close.
A very fat Chipmunk
As we gained elevation, the views in between the trees became more and more striking.
Amazing view of where we had been
Wildflowers had started to bloom with amazing colors – I could do a whole post just on them.
Summer color
Towards the top we saw a break in the trees with a peek at the mountains in the background – this was my reward. A view I would have never seen sitting on the couch.
Perspective
The best part was that my legs were not tired, I could breathe, and the idea of hiking the Inca Trail seemed within my grasp – I just have to solve the boot problem.
Truly a wonderful day.
My Hiking Journal 
Those shoes I mentioned are available at REI and I’ve been told they will let you bring them back if you get them there if you do not like them. Personally I cannot wait to get a pair.
I am crawling through my comments Middle Brick to find the name you suggested – REI is pretty good at letting you bring stuff back…
There those glove shoes the ones that make you feel like you’re barefoot – except your feet are protected and you can hike, run and cross water with them 😉
aha – now I remember. I will try them on – they do look curious.
Yes – I really want a pair
Such beautiful scenery 🙂
Oh wow gorgeous! If only our hike lead us to where we had wanted to go… oh well. lol
Where did your hike lead you?
It was supposed to lead us to the top of a mountain… but instead we ended up going around it. haha
Sounds like Hike 15 for us – I hate that feeling of just turning around and going back.
I recommend trying Trail runners
Thank you Gain without Pain – I will check them out.
I still get blisters and I have invested in great boots. I was told early on by seasoned hikers that I needed to invest in moleskin. This is a life saver. It can be foun with the first aid stuff.
Blisters can happen at any time for any reason and while good boots are important I learned that taking care of your feet is the key.
Before every hike I make sure that my socks are clean and free of debre. Even the tiniest of fabric pills can create a rub zone. I make sure my feet are dry and I make sure that my boots are fitted (tied) properly for the terrain. Sometimes I tie them loser and some times they are snug.
Most importantly I learned to STOP while on the trail and add moleskin to my hot spots before they became blisters. I also pretreat before each hike. I add moleskin to those places (heels for me) before I set out.
Usually by the end of the season I can stop worrying about it because my feet toughen up.
No matter what shoes you have, you will get blisters when you are breaking them in if your feet are prone to them.
I actually wear all different types of shoes while hiking. It all depends on the terrain, the elevation and the distance.
As you get more active and accustomed to hiking you’ll figure these things out. Fortunately I learned from a great group of people in my hiking group. They were a god send.
You hit on the key item Miss Molly – stop while on trail and attend the hot spots – I tend to try and puch through to the end and the result is not fun. I keep thinking they will toughen up soon.
While the boots I have are better than the Sketchers I was wearing, they are still hard leather and do not breathe – I look forward to getting real boots and solving the foot issue…
Thank you so much for your thought out comment – this is why I lvoe blogging, there is such a wealth of information out there.
Now that it is warmer, you can also toughen up your feet by walking barefoot as much as possible. Although that doesn’t solve the between the toe blister problem though.
Ahhh bella – that one I am very good at – I am a master at being barefoot.
Beautiful pictures!! There was a lot of paintbrush on our weekend adventure, too, and I noticed for the first time that the “flowers” are leaves that are green at the bottom. Cool! http://www.flickr.com/photos/helihu/7291329868/in/set-72157629945625920
I love it – that we took photos of the same flower – thank you so much for letting me know what it is called…
Beautiful photos, and it sounds like your endurance is really picking up. Good work.
Thank you Bill – I am afraid of next week 🙂
what gorgeous scenery. you must be thrilled at the increase in your stamina – awesome progess. REI for hiking boots. I think that chipmunk just might be pregnant!
I think we are pushing so hard Joss that we don’t notice the increase in stamina, but you are right – we are getting stronger.
I never realized it ould be pregnant – what a great thought!
Beautiful – and the chipmunk is precious!
Thank you Retiring Sort! It was nice to see so many of them running around…
I often have to wrap bandaids around my toes that rub between, especially when running. I have a friend who gets the fancy toe socks at REI and it takes care of the problem for her. I don’t think I could stand to wear them!
I did get good inner socks at REI a few weeks ago, but I would also be challenged wearing toe socks…
Actually toe socks are really cool! I got them and liked them, but went back to my sock liners.
I have sock liners that I picked up at REI – but with Hard leather boots, there is nowhere for the moisture to go…I am looking forward to new boots.
a beautifull photo is art.thank you
Thank you Princess1960 – what a nice thing to say!
What a wonderful hike you had this day, and super job on learning how to pace yourself.
For the in-between blisters, that means the toe bed is too small for you. It could be that you need a wider toe bed, and perhaps a 1/2 size larger. I ended with a men’s size Keens because they have the roundest toe bed. REI can help you fit correctly if tell them your problem.
I prefer ankle height boots to provide better ankle support versus the trail runners Gain without Pain suggested. This is a personal preference.
In the meantime, if you get blisters in the same spots, get some sports tape at the local drug store and tape those areas before you hike. You can also consider coolmax sock liners under your hiking socks to help reduce friction.
When you start getting stronger you’ll be tempted to take longer strides. Fight that urge as that will start friction on the balls of your feet. Instead more frequent smaller steps are better. Also going down hill can cause your foot to hit the front of the shoe – another source of blisters.
Hope this helps!
Really? I was thinking the opposite – this is such good information to have – it makes since that my toes are crammed too close together…
Thank you for the input on the ankle support, I have been back and forth about it – I am a clutz so ankle support may be a good idea.
Such a great comment, that you so much for the info! This is all so new to me.
You have no idea what I went through trying to figure out the blister thing. It took me over a year and a half and lots of asking questions with my hike mates.
Even now with my custom made boots I have issues. I’ve been stretching the heck out of them and still have problems. They’ll be good in about a year (leather.)
Wow – custom made boots…the good news is that once I solve the foot issue I should be set.