Next in the series of "shake-down" hikes for our Collegiate Peaks Loop came a lovely little 6 mile day hike up Deer Mountain in Rocky Mountain National Park. It wasn't really a shake-down hike because we didn't use all our gear, but this hike had a specific purpose: to test blister prevention methods, and further break in the new boots! We also hiked with our full packs, because it's good for us and the more used to them we are, the smoother our big hike will go. This also marked the day that I tied my green bandana to my pack as a symbol to other women on the trail that I am member of our awesome little group, "The Women of the Colorado Trail." Those ladies have given me so much insight and inspiration in the past weeks, and I'm proud to be one of them!
Nicholas learned on the Little Matterhorn Loop/Day Hike from Hell that his boots were in no way waterproof or fit to be used in snow. His feet were sloshing around so badly, and although it didn't give him blisters, putting them back on the next day would have been miserable. Our Collegiate Peaks hike is sure to present snow on the Western side, so new boots had gone on the list with new trekking poles for him. We had since accomplished both missions, so it was time to check them out. Nicholas ended up liking the same pair of boots I had recently bought - Oboz Sawtooth Mid-height boot.
I preferred these over the Merrell's I had been wearing because the arch support is so much better for me, but you heard my blister horror story from them last time. On this hike, I was using several methods of blister prevention that I hoped would work, but I wanted to make sure on a shorter hike so I wasn't stuck with my mistakes for a long hike (again). I warned Nicholas about the heel blisters with this particular boot, and that maybe he should wear bandaids just in case, but of course everyone's feet are different and respond to the same boot differently, and he needed to see where he would get them before using any prevention methods.
He got a nasty blister on his heel.
As for the blister prevention I used on this hike, I used super tough band-aids (the kind that won't come off for DAYS even if you wanted them to, and when you eventually peel them off they take a little bit of your soul with them), coupled with silk sock liners under my thick SmartWool socks. I dared those band-aids to rub off this time!
Well, about halfway up Deer Mountain, I start feeling the familiar sting of the hotspots starting on my heels. Are you kidding me?! What else do you want from me! But, it did not feel near as intense as last time, so I didn't even check them. Also, funny story, given that we had our entire lives on our backs for this day hike, I had failed to bring the two items we could have actually used: the ibuprofen and more bandaids. Derp.
We got up to the top, where we were swarmed with chipmunks and little mountain squirrels. They were certainly not shy, and one was crawling all over Nicholas.
As we were about to leave the summit, we heard the thunder, and dark clouds were rolling in behind us. Normally, I get a little bummed when rain rolls in on a hike, because I'm not as big a fan of rain as Nicholas (or most people) are. Probably three times a week in random places, I hear "Oh I love the rain." Yeah, I don't love the rain. Never have.
But, since we were on a low mountain and were leaving the summit, we weren't really in danger of lightning strikes, so this was a good time to embrace the rain and test our rain gear out for the first time!
We put on our rain jackets and pack covers, and the sprinkle commenced.
Side note: We are aware that we look like we tried way too hard to match, but we actually tried NOT to match - our jackets are different brands and were both on clearance, they just look the exact same. We were actually across the store from one another when we picked them out separately on the same day. The pack covers are the same brands as our packs, which also accidentally match. Add this to our accidentally matching boots, and we just look spectacularly derptastic. But we love our gear and it works, so whatever!
Though it wasn't a torrential downpour, which we expect to see on the Collegiate Peaks multiple times, the rain gear did work well! I wish my hood had a little bill to keep it from falling in my eyes, but it's nothing I can't live with. Mine is a Kuhl jacket, and Nicholas has the REI rain jacket. Both are very lightweight, and mine felt very breathable! The number one complaint I've heard from other hikers about rain gear is that it's almost not worth it to wear it because you sweat so much underneath it that you might as well just get wet from rain. That was not my experience - I stayed completely dry and happy! I also love that my jacket comes down to my thighs instead of ending at the waist. It doesn't get all bunched up under the pack when I move around or bend over, protects more of my body, and just looks much more flattering 😋.
The pack covers also seem to do their jobs well, but I do have very slight reservations about that somewhat unprotected place between back and pack. The pack cover cinches down over the top and bottom of the pack, but I wonder if, in a serious downpour, the rain will make its way down my back and into the uncovered part of the pack that lies against my back. Because of how our particular packs are built, with that epic mesh suspension system, I sort of doubt it. The actual pack doesn't touch my back, just the wide mesh that makes carrying it so much more comfortable. It shouldn't actually touch a pack wall, therefore keeping all my gear dry. Just to be safe though, I will bring a trash bag liner for the inside of the pack as well. Just in case. The last thing I want on a 15 day trip is a wet sleeping bag or something.
Nicholas, whose camera has panoramic capabilities, took this sweet picture:
Now, back to those blisters...
After we returned from the mountains, I finally took off my boots and socks and assessed the damage. The apocalypse band-aids stayed on - yay for small victories! So I was like... why do my heels still hurt? I took the band-aids off and saw that I still got blisters under the bandaids. Not the kind that rub your skin clean off, like last time, but the slightly bubbled kind of blister. I've never seen that happen before. At that point, I declared war on my new boots. It is on. Next time, I'm wearing apocalypse band-aids and silk sock liners, I'm lacing my boots differently to eliminate heel movement based on this video, and will also put Vaseline over the top of my band-aids so any slippage that does occur does not pull so brutally on the band-aid, and thus my heel. There are many ways to tie your boots to reduce slippage, but my boots are only mid-height, not whatever the word is for "really tall" boots, so I only have two hooks instead of three. This seems like a more realistic approach for my boot type. If it doesn't work, I'll try something else!
Think all those blister prevention techniques will work? We'll find out about a week from today, when Nicholas and I go on our final, and longest, shake-down trip on the Lost Creek Loop! We plan to spend three days on about 35 miles of trail in the Lost Creek Wilderness. I have read and heard from several sources that this loop should be pretty snow-free at this time, as it lies at a much lower altitude, so fingers crossed that's true, and we complete our first backpacking loop together! After we return from Lost Creek, we will only be home for a week and two days before we set out on our Collegiate Peaks Loop!!
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