Many articles have been written about backpacks,loads, firearms,meals and other equipment a hiker/backpacker or a survivalist can put together for his kit;few had been written on feet care though. If you think it, the main transportation mean while travelling at the outdoors are our feet.
Many wilderness travelers or even soldiers, know that the feet need constantly attention. Blisters or nails penetrating the flesh are painful and prevent walking. Many information and advices can be found in a variety of books, from survival guides, Red Cross first aid books, military field manuals or even on books written by pioneers of camping and bushcrafting, such as Horace Kephart and others. Because, all of them understood how major role your feet can play in a simple camp trip, on a march or worst on a survival situation..
Very important role play the shoes, either boots or hiking shoes and the socks. The shoes must fit well and the laces (if exist) must be tighten well. Also the socks must absurd the sweat and leave air pass through the foot, to help it breath. The socks must be of very good quality; personally I have very good luck with Darn Tough socks followed by Wigwam socks. For cold weather i choose wool socks preferably with Merino wool and at least 70%wool; during summer season I use pairs of socks made for military by local manufacturers and can be easily purchased at any surplus store, which contents 55% wool and are more light than the other two pairs. These are just my preferences; it doesn’t mean that there aren’t any other quality products or brands out there.
Before the hike
If you are planning to walk some distance, your shoes must be ‘broken’, means that already had been worn and used in small marches and are not brand new, and must fits you well just like your socks. Also, it would be better to had made some smaller distance practicing marches to test your skill and stronger your feet, before you make a longer hike. Another good point is to keep in your first aid kit a gel for muscular pains .With a good gel and massage, tired muscles can be cured.
The nails should be cut square and close. Before you start your march in the morning, put some feet powder or talcum powder on your feet and same inside your shoes. While on camping is better to keep talcum powder with you, because you can use it on other body areas, while the feet powder is good only for the feet. The talcum is more ‘multifunctional’; any type of these powders will serve you great. If you make breakes during your hike, then changing socks would be ideal. Always keep a second pair of socks, at least, on your backpack. In case you have to pass through water obstacle (small pond, swallow river, creek) during your hike and your feet get wet, you will find the extra pair of socks very useful. Dry your feet as soon as possible (and also your shoes) and change socks. You must remember that feet should kept clean and dry.
The nails that penetrate the flesh should get immediate treatment. Without removal of the nail, the best way is to cut the upper central part of nail with a razor blade (small pair of scissors or nail clipp).Put a small plastic piece under the nail to avoid any potential injury. Use a file to thinner the nail from the base until the edge. Be gently while using the file. This procedure helps relieving the outer pressure. The fully removal of the nail must be avoided, because it will demand more healing time and will also prevent the walking for couple days.
Treatment for blisters
Blisters caused by bad quality shoes, narrow shoes or loose laces accompanied with long marches in hard terrain. In such case you must stop to heal the blisters. Cover them with surgical tape, the blister usually is filled with liquid, which can removed to make the situation more comfortable. One way to remove the liquid is to use a needle and a small piece of sinew. First you have to sterilize the tip of the needle by holding it on a flame (from a match, candle, fire, lighter, whatever is convenient at that time).Remove it and let it cool. When it has cooled, place the sinew on the needle and prick the blister from side to side, gently to avoid hurting the skin. Cut the sinew, but leave a small piece in both sides; this way guarantees the removal of the fluid without causing much damage to the skin. Make sure that the skin surface around the blister kept dry and clean.
Tricks that worked every time
When my brother was serving as a medic he has come up with a different style of treatment for the blisters. First he cleaned the area around the blister. He used a sterile small syringe to remove the fluid from the blister. Then he used another syringe, equipped with a small quantity (under 1mg, actually one or two drops) of povidone iodine 10% solution to inject it in the blister. After that he put an adhesive bandage on the area that the blister was and that’s all about. With this treatment, the individual was able to return to the march without feeling discomfort or pain. He has told me that one day he treated this way eight Marines who suffered from blisters during an intense march. After his care, the Marines returned to the march like they never had a blister on their feet before.
At the evening, before you fell asleep, you must wash your feet with warm water and soap, ideally. If this isn’t possible, I would like to share another trick from my passed military days; you can use non-alcohol baby wipes to clean your feet(and also other sensitive body areas…),use one wipe for each foot and a cloth(bandana or similar) to wipe the ‘residue’ of the baby wipe.
There is no need to reach at that point; having blisters or nails that hurting us. If someone follows these steps, he/she can prevent all these from happen;so to enjoy the walk in Nature and reaching the secret place, smooth and easy, without any contingency.
After all, is better to prevent than cure.
MountainRaider 