Shoes/boots

[Richard Ferguson]

There are as many opinions about shoes and boots on the camino as there are pilgims.  I
worried about what I would use for weeks, especially since I was having tendonitis problems.  I
ended up taking a pair of Rockport Prowalkers, which are a walking shoe, and heavy leather
mountaineering boots.

I took the heavy boots because I had confidence in them, they were old friends that had
covered all kinds of terrain.  They weighed 6 pounds per pair (almost 3 kg).  In one refugio they
had everyone take off their shoes/boots, so I looked them over and picked up some.  My boots
were by far the heaviest.  The heavy leather mountaineering/backpacking boots are kind of out
of fashion, but they still have their place, and their advantages.

I use custom rigid orthotics inside my boots and shoes, which provide extra support, built from
a cast of my foot taken by my podiatrist.  (The orthotics help my not so good ankle).

I walked the first two days with the walking shoes, mostly on pavement and road shoulders,
and by the end of the two days my feet hurt a lot.   They were just sore from getting torqued
around.  I switched to the hiking boots for the rest of the trip, and my feet were fine.  I
continued to use the walking shoes in town, whenever I was not carrying a pack.

For what it is worth, I am a larger than average man, so there is quite a bit of weight on my
feet.  My pack weight was probably average.  The total was over 200 pounds, even by the end
of the trip.

I did not experience slogging through mud, but I do remember the trail at one point being a kind
of rocky streambed with quite a bit of water, definitely boot country.

I cannot imagine walking the camino in sandals or even running shoes.  I suggest two pairs of
footwear, but make sure that one pair is substantial.

Richard