What do I need to know about walking?

May 20, 2015 12:42 PM

I am planning on going on a week-long walking tour in Vermont in July. I know almost nothing about the practical aspects of such a trip. What should I know about taking care of my feet and body, what to bring, and what not to bring? What else should I know?

I have almost none of the details planned- it will likely be very spontaneous (i.e. just start walking). I will be interested in walking on all kinds of surfaces and roads, including trails and major roadways.

posted by zenja72 to Travel & Transportation around Vermont (14 answers total)

I do a lot of hiking and walking and was plagued by gruesome toe blisters between my toes (they slightly overlap so one toe would walk on the other, not from rubbing on parts of my shoes). It was suggested I try toe socks and I have never looked back. They are fantastic and so crazy comfortable. I haven't had a blister since.

Also, change your socks often. Sweaty feet will lead to all kinds of problems.
posted by cecic at 12:49 PM on May 20, 2015 [3 favorites]

Best answer: I do a lot of walking. I think you would want to take things slowly at first, to see how much you can do. Maybe 4 hours the first day? That's about 20km max. 6 hours of walking in one day is manageable, if a little tiring. 7 or 8 hours is pushing it.

I usually wear a pair of Blundstones if unencumbered, and if I'm not walking on trails. I've never had blisters from them.

You may find you back hurts between your shoulders at first if you are unused to walking for long periods of time.
posted by Nevin at 12:59 PM on May 20, 2015

How familiar are you with walking in Vermont? Be warned that most streets have no sidewalks, and drivers tend to be totally unprepared for pedestrians (or sometimes, even other cars). So, reflective vests if you're walking at night, and vigilance when walking on streets in general.
posted by redlines at 1:06 PM on May 20, 2015

Best answer: Carry more water than you think you need.
Always have cash on hand and enough nonperishable food to make a meal with.
Carry ID.
Bring moleskin, baby powder, and a small first aid kit including gauze, tape, and some antibiotic ointment.
Bring extra pairs of shoes- your main walking shoes, a comfy pair of sneakers, some flip-flops or crocs. give yourself many options because you will probably get blisters in whatever you wear the first day.
Don't let your socks get wet, and change them right away if they do, or if they get too sweaty.
Bring many layers of clothing including some light long underwear, a wool or good quality fleece sweater, and a waterproof outer layer. Also a hat with brim and sunglasses.
Think about wearing a bug repellent with DEET.

Most of this is general walking advice that you can get by googling "hiking advice" - like 7 Ways to Eliminate Foot Pain While Hiking or 5 Tips for Taking Care of Your FEet on a Backpacking Trip.

What I'm more worried about for you is that your trip won't be satisfying. At a walking pace you are going to be confined to one general region, so you won't get a lot of scenic variety unless you give some thought to picking an area. Yes, a lot of Vermont is storied, scenic, gorgeous, hip, and/or charming, but a lot of it is also boring roadsides between boring or workaday business areas and rural roads with a house every .5 mile and that's about it. Without planning ahead, you could easily get stuck covering 80-100 miles of relative dullness in a region that isn't all that interesting. Also, you don't want to be cutting across people's private property, which there is a lot of.

A little Googling can give you ideas for places to focus your walking, perhaps including the Long Trail or some of the amazing state parks, so you at least have some good country to experience along the way. You may also want to think strategically about what towns you want to walk through or start from. VT's towns are quite different from one another in character and services. So I just think the "at random" method could end up being disappointing, and that your greatest risk is not foot damage but boredom...or really, the worst would be to have both feet like hamburger and a feeling you didn't experience anything that was worth it.

It looks like you are familiar with VT so maybe you knew this already and are OK with whatever you run across - I just mention it in case it's helpful.
posted by Miko at 1:27 PM on May 20, 2015 [1 favorite]

Bring a pack of bandages. And let your walking buddies know they're available if needed.
posted by Coffeetyme at 2:27 PM on May 20, 2015

You should buy and read The Complete Walker, a book covering pretty much every aspect of this topic. Some of the specific gear recommendations are a bit out of date, but much of the advice is timeless.
posted by zachlipton at 2:29 PM on May 20, 2015

I recently read Bill Bryson's A Walk in the Woods. You might want to read that first. There is some useful information in there.

Start walking now, in the shoes that you will be wearing with the pack that you are planning on using. Always wear a hat to keep the sun off your head. Plan on peeing somewhere you wouldn't normally think to go. Carry rain gear, even if it isn't supposed to rain. Bring a good map with you, that you have looked at ahead of time. Bring extra underwear and socks, even just for a day hike. There are some places that just don't like to stay wet.
posted by myselfasme at 2:43 PM on May 20, 2015

Best answer: I found the pricey blister specific Band-Aids to be worth the money. If you don't walk regularly now (and by regularly I mean like 5 miles most days of the week), you really need to get yourself going. Start now! The more walking you do before your trip, and the longer and more regular it is, the happier you will be. Walking just 10 miles a day for a week can become seriously uncomfortable if you're not used to it. The more that you can replicate your trip conditions (shoes, pack, terrain, walking surface), the better.
posted by mollweide at 2:56 PM on May 20, 2015 [4 favorites]

Best answer: Make sure whatever shoes you wear are in good condition but NOT brand new - that is a recipe for blisters & a miserable time.
posted by mr vino at 3:50 PM on May 20, 2015

Best answer: I was glad I packed these for a multi-day walk:
Extra socks, wet wipes, Motrin, rain gear, SATISFYING snack (like, GORP or Snickers bar and an apple, rather than power gel), bandana/large handkerchief, "Body Glide" for chafing really works, and shearling-lined clogs or slippers are very comforting at the end of the day.

If you have an REI near you, they will know exactly what you need.
posted by hiker U. at 4:19 PM on May 20, 2015

Best answer: I walked for two weeks last summer in England on the Coast to Coast trail. It was a 200 mile trail with ~28,000 ft elevation gain and I walked every single day, from 8 miles to 20 miles a day.

I trained as of April last year, for the September walk. I trained for distance, I trained for elevation gain, and I also trained for "time on feet". Most importantly I had several sessions, every month, whereby I would walk long distance three days in a row, so as to teach my mind and body what it would be like to 'walk tired'.

I bought new shoes a few months before traveling, and ensured that I had ~100 miles on them before landing in England. In my bag I carried enough water for the day (2.5 litres, or three Nalgenes, two big and one small), a light lunch, a wallet for a stop at the pub, a jacket and pants in case it rained. I used my iPhone for photos, and carried an external battery to recharge it, in case the phone would get depleted (useful on 20-mile days).

I was most concerned about two things. First, my stomach, eating unfamiliar foods. Second - my feet (blisters). Neither gave me trouble during the walk. I trained to walk 4 to 5mph, whereas my actual walk was about 3 to 3.5 mph. It was physically easy.

So my advice to you is start training your feet, start training your mind re multi-day walking, and start wearing in the gear that you will wear while on your lovely walk in Vermont. It's a gorgeous state, and I am certain you will see beautiful and inspiring views. Walk well, may your journey be safe and wonderful.
posted by seawallrunner at 6:29 PM on May 20, 2015 [4 favorites]

You do need to have another pair of shoes to change into at the end of the day. Your feet and your shoes need a break after a long day of walking. I think it might be helpful if you could explain how familiar you are with walking/hiking and if you're going to be carrying everything you need on your back, or if your luggage is going to be carried for you.

(on preview, seawallrunner, I want to do that!)
posted by mollweide at 6:33 PM on May 20, 2015 [1 favorite]

Best answer: The best preparation for a lot of walking is - walking. You [and the shoes you plan to walk in] need to be used to walking for hours at a time.
posted by HiroProtagonist at 9:54 PM on May 20, 2015 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: I'll be carrying everything on my back, hopefully as little as possible, probably erring on the side of too little. I'm not worried about being bored.

Thanks everyone for the advice. Keep it coming if you feel you have things that haven't been mentioned.
posted by zenja72 at 4:47 AM on May 23, 2015