Annapurna short tracks - Road & Shoes

Hello all!

I have had a big expedition already in search for good shoes to do a small Annapurna trekking. I can't decide what category my shoes have to be (a,b, a/b). I have small feet and it's quite hard for me to find comfortable trekking shoes. The facts are:

I am going in July/August.
The route is as following:
From Minlanchok we hike to Lwang a village on 1400 meters height.
Then the next day to the basecamp for stop (2100 meters) and back down to Tolka (1700 m).
Third day to Landruk (2000 m) and fourth day we go back through Naya Pul (1070 m) and have a bus back to Pokhara.

Not very heavy, but I am totally NOT an experienced hiker. I was recommended to wear ankle height.
Who has done this track/can tell me something about this? And what does the road look like? (lots of stones, slippery etc.). I have no idea what to imagine even though I can read a lot, it's much more on hardcore hiking and the 'real' Annapurna circuit.

Thanks!

July/August is monsoon. It will be very wet on that side of the Annapurnas. Slippery stone stairs and muddy trails. What ever shoes you have will likely get soaked. Leather you can treat to waterproof, but after 2-3 days they may still be wet and difficult to dry. Goretex fabric boots may keep your feet dry for 1-2 days. At least these boots dry easy.

Some are happy in trainers (sneakers) provided they have good treads. Others want better ankle protection so get boots. Others still seem happy with Teva-type sandals (these do have benefits when it rains). You have to decide.

Whatever, be sure to bring a 2nd pair of some sort of footwear to keep dry and wear in the lodges at night, as well as several pairs of socks. It will not be cold, so that is not an issue.

Good and proper shoes are insurance. I'd strongly suggest boots with ankle support and thick soles. One slip and your ankle goes and there you are on the ground in the middle of nowhere. And your first few hours on a trail with lots of small sharp rocks will convince you of the need for thick soles. Of course many people get by with less, but as I said it's important to view this as insurance against trouble, not what you might get away with.

But most important of all, you need well-broken-in shoes. If you're heading out in July and August -- not that I'd suggest heading out in July and August -- then you should be wearing those shoes starting today on a daily basis.

Now talk about overkill! Most locals have, for hundreds (thousands?) of years, hiked these low altitude trails barefoot. Now with Chinese slippery sneakers at best. I have hiked the Annapurna trails during the past 30+ years, over 1000km total from 600m to 5420m altitudes, with joggers or trail runners without ONE slip.

Get trail runners, like these: http://www.salomon.com/us/product/xa-pro-3d-gtx-1.html?article=393320

or feel like a fool waring heavy, clumsy boots for months at home, lugging them to Nepal, and actually clomping along the trails in them while others nimbly glide along with lighter, more comfortable and gripper footwear.

And those locals and you have experience. By the OP's own statement she's a novice.

It's never a mistake to be well-prepared when heading into the mountains, particularly with regard to footwear.

Even 30 years of experience is no guaranty that you won't take a fall in year 31. Things happen. And good ankle support can save you from a disaster.

That's what the truly experienced hiker knows.

I agree that a fall can happen anytime. Indeed I was wearing full support boots (as I always do... I have problem ankles) and fell on stairs on way to Bamboo last Fall.... Boots vs sneakers don't guarantee no falls. Each to his/her own.

I'm experienced; Petrus is experienced. We have different footwear needs. That's the point. Being a novice doesn't mean full-on boots are best - - especially for a 2-4 day trek in the middle hills in the midst of monsoon.

Why would a person who has never hiked be safer with heavy and clumsy boots se has never used before in her life?

Hey!

Thanks everyone for your (divided) opinion. I have bought some big shoes, however they are not comfortable, so I am forced to bring them back. I guess this is my first priority.

I understand that ankles are important to protect and as I am going in the monsoon time, I have to get Goretex or something like that.

As I understand, this is so personal, so it might be that as a novice, I take shoes that later I might regret on. Perhaps this is part of the inauguration of me as a hiker :)

I hear little pointy rocks, muddy tracks, shoes that dry easily, I think you gave me a lot of information already! Thank you all!

Ankle support vs. no ankle support - you'll find plenty of people on both sides of the fence on this. I used to wear heavy, mid-to-high hiking boots in my 20's, when I started hiking - I didn't know any better and just took the advice I got from a local shop when I started buying outdoor equipment.

I have since learned that I do far better with less support and more comfort. Several reasons why:

1 - high support hiking boots don't actually give you much extra support. Sure, actual mountaineering boots do give support (but take away almost all comfort), but typical hiking boots do not. You can try this for yourself, just put on a decent weight pack, and carefully roll your ankle out while wearing both high support boots and typical trainers. While it may feel more secure having material around your ankles, you'll notice that there's almost no amount of tension on your laces that will prevent the sensation of painfully rolling your ankle when presented with the load of your body weight and pack.

2 - heavy hiking boots actually encourage more rolled ankles, trips, and slips. They're heavy, which means your feet are less nimble. They're higher center of gravity, which means your feet are more likely to roll if placed off center. They're wider, which means you're more likely to trip on roots and rocks. They have thicker soles, which means you get less tactile feedback on your terrain. Basically, heavy hiking boots need to claim extra support since they're practically setting you up for the fall.

3 - heavy boots actually create much more load then just their weight. Most articles I've read about this state that an extra pound on footwear is like 5 extra pounds on your back. That's a serious weight differential, and another factor in both comfort and agility

4 - No waterproof boot is actually waterproof. And once a waterproof boot is wet, it will use it's waterproofness against you to slow down the drying process. Far better, in wet weather, to have shoes that drain and dry quickly. The only situation that you need waterproof boots is when hiking in unpacked snow, but even then only if you don't have proper gaiters

But these are just my opinions based on my hiking style and how my feet respond to different types of shoes. Once you actually gain experience hiking and trying out different styles of shoes, you'll figure out what you prefer.

However, for a novice that doesn't know yet what works best for them, there's no question in my mind - go with something comfortable, not heavy and clunky. Trail runners are a perfect compromise, but I would even rather go with running shoes over heavy hiking boots.

I suppose if you were right about all the dangers of boots, we'd see the armies of the world outfitting their soldiers in light trainers. Their quartermasters must not read this forum. But what do they know.

In any event, let's be clear about what good ankle support does: IF you take a fall, and you can always take a fall no matter what your footwear, good support reduces the risk of a sprained or broken ankle.

And yes, boots can slow you down compared with flipflops. But there's nothing bad about that, nothing bad about enforcing a bit of take-your-time-and-watch-where-you're-going discipline on the trail, especially for a novice hiker like the OP. The last thing she should be doing is zipping along the trail as if she were jogging in Central Park.

Finally, experienced hikers, especially in Nepal, know that it's not unusual to encounter a detour that takes you around a recent landslip or such through some treacherous ground, often on a sharp slope. At times like that you appreciate good footwear.

I agree 100% with Skyline1 in post #8. Being quick and nimble with you feet is going to protect you more than having them wrapped in heavy and clumsy armoury. What comes to military footwear, there has been a clear trend towards trail runner -type shoes, usually "hi-top" versions, from heavy leather boots recently (I have been there, Mosul in 2008). In any case comparing a 4 day middle hills trek to a military manoeuvre is quite pointless. If one can hike the trails near home with sneakers or trail runners, one can do that even when the country name is changed to "Nepal" also.

Interesting opinions from very experienced hikers.
I don't tent to twist ankles and I did very rarely when I played some basketball.
I thought that trekking requires some heavier shoes for better traction support and stability and about 5 years ago when I started doing more serious trekking I got myself a pair of Lowa Renegade at REI and was very happy from day 1 when I hiked 20 km. I am now on the 2nd pair and recommend the shoes to many and they all bless me.
I now realize that despite being happy I had no base for comparison. In the past when I had crappy hiking shoes, I had to take a rest from them after a few days since I was not comfortable and walked with good trail sandles and was fine.
I always have trail sandles with me as a backup in Nepal and sure use them after taking my shoes off or going to take a shower but I know that I trek heavy.
Maybe I should try once trekking with trail running shoes but for now very happy with my Lowas. Very comfortable and not to heavy and I even ran with them when I needed to.
Just my thoughts

Hello
If you are traveling in July/August this is the rainy season in Nepal. Especially when you are going to do lower part of Annapurna trek it will be wet, slippery, muddy and quite stones so better to have good ankle height trekking boot and at this time some part of Annapurna is leech can make more interesting one.
If you have enough time at this time better to try real Annapurna Circuit Trek because higher part of this trek is perfect for rain season. And this is one of the most beautiful and world widest pass Trek in Nepal.
Cheers

Thank you so much for your advice. I think that the shoes are very personal, when it comes to trademark etc. I have very thin and long feet and I have felt the qualitz of Lowa however they cannot grab my foot in the right way so I have pain from the beginning.

What do you experience as great trademarks , not only how they are to your feet, but more quality wise and most important in Nepal in the rain season: Waterproof wise!

If you buy leather boots, make sure they are not made in China. (I had 2 pairs of Merrels fall apart on me: one after 15 days hiking; the 2nd pair, replaced free by MEC, fell apart after only 5 hrs hiking....) Europeans make the best leather boots. (I love my Italian Scarpa leather boots that replaced those lousy other boots.)

Nothing really will stay dry after 1-2 days of monsoon hiking (from my experience in the Annapurnas monsoon trekking in August 2014). So something that dries faster woukd be better in monsoon. (Thus leather at a disadvantage in monsoon.) A fabric boot or trainer/sneaker/trail runner likely best.

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