Boots on the ground

First, a shoutout to all my friends fighting the good fight in West Virginia. It’s weird to be so fat away with everything going on. Eight years or so ago I was out of the country when Upper Big Branch happened.

Must be my uncanny sense of timing.

Back to the Camino (since im here) ...

A friend asked about footwear on the Camino....tender subject.
At first I planned to go in trail running shoes, but reading suggested these would get eaten fast. I decided to take some hiking boots that seemed broken in but not too far gone....
They died on Day 2.

Good news: it happened near a shoe store in Zubiri. Bad news: they only had three pairs to pick from I my size.. and I have a ginormous big toe joint from an old karate injury. I went with a Columbia boot.

Any runner knows it’s not cool to do even a short race with new shoes, let alone a 500 mile walk.
Since Day 2 my boot and toe have been fighting it out. Sometimes the pain is really bad but they seem to be working things out.

Bottom line: if you’re going to try something like this, and I’m not sure I’d recommend it, wear some hiking boots that are broken in...but not too broken in.

The Camino is long. And rough.