Pilgrimage On Shikoku Island

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Pilgrimage On Shikoku Island

Online forum for discussions related to the 88 temple pilgrimage on Shikoku, Japan.


    Footwear advice

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    Shikoku Henro Trail
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    Posts : 217
    Join date : 2018-04-12
    Location : Chicago, USA

    Footwear advice Empty Footwear advice

    Post by Shikoku Henro Trail Fri Apr 13, 2018 8:23 pm

    Originally posted by several members in 2017 & 2018.
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    Janet

    « Thread started on: May 24th, 2017, 4:39pm »
    dang that pavement is brutal! it's not just the paved surface, but the slope that it has for runoff that creates uneven wear and can mess up your gait.
    It seems most henro's boots/shoes are completely shot by Matsuyama. I met quite a few people who re-shod there. If you have giant galooty gaijin feet, your choices will be extremely limited.

    If I ever do it again I am going to ship myself a new pair of boots to have waiting at Sen Guesthouse (I'm guessing they would be willing to hold them for arrival, they are SO helpful in every way! but ask first).

    I wore waterproof Keenes: women's Durand mid waterproof. I was happy with them until they were too worn out to continue. Injinji 5 toe sock liners kept me blister free the entire way.

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    pissygaijin

    « Reply #2 on: Mar 1st, 2018, 9:25pm »
    > that pavement is brutal!


    It certainly is! Even though this means more weight, I think I'll bring two sets of shoes next time: running shoes for walking on pavement, and hiking boots for trails.

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    slc

    « Reply #3 on: Mar 1st, 2018, 11:27pm »
    I took La Sportiva Wildcat mountain running shoes (with all mesh uppers, NOT the gore-tex ones) and it was the best decision I could have made. They are extremely light, very cool, have excellent traction and great support. Almost all of the mountain climbing on the henro trail consists of various sized earthen steps held up by small retaining walls made of 1~4 fake concrete logs. It is nothing like hiking here in America. There's no benefit to using hiking boots on this terrain as far as I can see and the added weight would be punishing.

    I spent a lot of time planning and trying to find the right equipment for the trek, and my choice of these shoes was absolutely the best decision I made out of all my gear choices.

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