Hi Pebbles, this is Dorothy. I am SO happy that I could be part of this adventure! I am Ben(j)’s mother, and since I was very much there when he came into the world, I figured it was fitting that I should come along when he heads Over The Hill.
I’m starting to prepare, the passport is on the way, I bought Merrell hiking boots/sneakers (do I really need more than one pair?), special socks and sock liners (big sale at EMS right now), and a pair of convertible pants. Sounds like the whole shebang to me.
I could use some advice on the boots. Not only re: one or two pairs, but also how much to use them so that they are familiar and comfortable but still have enough miles left in them.
I’m very much looking forward to meeting all of you. See you in about 273 days!
Welcome Dorothy. I’m thinking the trip will be our version of Canterbury Tales!
Coincidentally, my step-dad, Killer, calls my mom Boots. We’ll see if she lives up to her nick name. 🙂 Psyched to have you here, Ma! And proud of you for making your first blog post. <3
Welcome!!! Let me try and help with your questions. I’ll probably bring 1 pair of hiking boots and one pair comfy shoes/saddles. There is no need for 2 pairs of hiking shoes or boots. Most hiking shoes/boots will last for 1K miles so no need to worry too much about wearing them out. I’d take them for as many nice walks/hikes before before the trip as you want to make sure they fit your feet , but I wouldn’t make them your daily shoe for more than a month since pavement might start to wear out the soles and you’ll want lots of grip on the trail. Try to do at least 2 day hikes that will be similar to what hikes we will be doing over there to see if they cause blisters. Modern synthetic boots don’t need to be broken in and I doubt you’d be going with the old heavy leather boots that still need a break in period. Bring some mole skin or something similar on your hikes and if you start to feel rubbing put the mole skin on immediately and it should fix the issue before it get’s bad.