Great video Joe! Can't wait to see the other ones.
I'm extremely happy to see how much emphasis they put on foot care. I learned at an early age that foot care can be the difference between being perfectly fine and happy or being completely miserable and unable to travel.
When I was a little kid, I went on a trip to the mountains with a church group. Other than having a roof over us, we had very basic primitive conditions. The nearest structure was a cafeteria about two miles down a gravel road. The area we were in was gigantic, but other than the one gravel road that lead to our camp, it was just woods. We did a ton of hiking on that trip and everyday we had to hoof it down that road to eat if we didn't want to cook our own food around the fire.
The first couple of days we were there, I went without shoes most of the time, even making the trek down that road. At the time, it didn't hurt and I couldn't tell what damage I was doing. I found that this is often the case when you're wrecking your feet. You have no idea the extent of the damage you're doing until you're absolutely screwed. Then it's too late. The third day, I could barely walk around the camp. My feet were cracked, dried out, and in serious pain. It was like atheletes foot to the 666th power. That's when I discovered lesson number two, jungle rot brought on by wetness is not the only horror show you can get hiking. That trip was two weeks long. I was NOT happy.
If your feet dry out too much and you subject them to dust, rocks, and mountain dirt that might as well be 20 grit sandpaper, you'll get the other extreme, dry rot.
The point is, if you can't walk, you are done. Do everything you can to keep your feet in good working order. If they need to be cleaned and dried out, do it. If they need to be cleaned and moistened, do it. Take care of your feet. Clean your feet and take care of your feet. If you're on your own, taking care of your feet can even become a daily ritual that will keep your mind going and keep you from slipping into depression or having thoughts of helplessness. If your feet get jacked up, it will destroy your morale. Even if it's just moderate jacked-uppedness, your whole attitude and wellbeing burns to nothing. TAKE CARE OF YOUR FEET.
Any time I'm considering taking someone new with me out hiking or something, I always first check their footwear and ask them if they've had any problems at all with their feet within the past several months. The last thing I want to do is get out in the middle of nowhere with some green newb and have his feet give up on the trail.
Rant over. Sorry, there are some things I'm very passionate about. Hopefully this post helps a new young woods bum avoid the foot pain.
