BLISTER IN THE SUN

Every walk is an opportunity to learn something, to try out a new article of clothing or a piece of equipment, or to encounter a new experience. This weekend was one such opportunity and to be honest my experience was one I had hoped to never have.

I got a blister on my little toe.

How did this happen?

I took all the proper precautions: shoes that fit well, socks that are moisture wicking and quick drying, not showering in the morning so that my feet would be very dry when I started on the walk.

We decided to travel to Hueston Woods to hike the 11 mile loop around the lake there. We had done this before on bicycle to get used to some hilly terrain. There’s a park road that goes around the lake, but just inside the wooded area there is a trail which also goes around the lake but on a less even terrain.

It’s been raining quite a bit lately and the trail was very muddy. We did well until we came across a patch of mud that we could not go around. Suddenly I was up to my right ankle in muddy water. So much for my dry feet.

When skin gets wet the water soaks in making the skin softer and causes it to break down. This is known as maceration. And when that thin softened skin rubs against a wet sock that’s when blisters happen.

We continued on to the lodge for lunch at our midway point. I took my shoes off to try and dry out my socks but there wasn’t enough time and I couldn’t find a hand dryer to expedite the process. So I finished the walk, a total of 8.62 miles with a small blister on my toe.

Lesson Learned

Carry an extra pair of socks to change into in case your feet get wet.

BLISTER IN THE SUN PART 2

The next day we took a longer walk, 11.26 miles. I carefully wrapped my toe in rock tape and felt confident that nothing would rub against the blister and I packed a thicker second pair of socks in case we got wet. We did have to cut our walk short (we had planned for 15 miles) as my toe was hurting and when I got home the blister was huge. Then it broke as I removed the rock tape. You can read up on all kinds of ways to care for a blister, but the most important thing is to maintain as much of the skin covering the blister intact. This will adhere to the wound and help the blister heal quicker. For now there will be no walking today so I will try a little cross training by riding my bike.

For more information about rock tape click here

Note: I have received no compensation for providing this information.