That said, I seem to have discovered that winter sports do indeed like to eat away at my heels with battery acid like ferocity...OK, I admit: I exaggerate; compared to friends of mine, most of blisters don’t compare, the exception being last year at the Snowgaine.
Last winter Abby and I raced in this terrific winter orienteering event, a two day winter race on the shores of the great lakes. 8 hours each day out on snowshoes left bloody craters on the backs of my heels that had my students gagging since I was forced to wear sandals to school for the better part of two weeks, as I let the raw, deep tissue slowly dry and heal. Since then, I have had nary a one, until this past week...
Abby and I arrived in western Massachusetts Monday evening, and after unpacking the car, I grabbed my snowshoes and headlamp and led the dogs on a short, welcome-home walk through the dark forest beyond my parents' backyard. The moon was out, and we spent the last half of our walk, plowing through foot deep snow by the light of the moon, my headlamp extinguished. Pure bliss for me. The next morning, Abby and I embarked on a longer hike, completing my famous circuit hike (pictures to come when I get home and can play with the images), and I began to feel the skin on my heels tighten and burn. When we got home, a quick inspection revealed hotspots, but no actual blisters. Well, walking in Boston that night, cross country skiing the next day and another snowshoe did the trick, and so now each trip into the woods or walk in town is accompanied by my new friends.
Now, as I have implied, I have this fascination for blisters. I really do. Managing them is an art. Knowing exactly how to prevent them is even harder. I do OK most of the time, but the winter sports clearly pose a challenge I have yet to overcome. I think it's the thicker socks that I wear, to be honest. But it may also be the fit of the ski boots and the motion of the snowshoes...Not having had to manage blisters often, however, I have my first clear lesson and tip from this trip:
Rule # 1: Lance them early...
I've heard some "experts" say to pop blisters immediately. I've heard others say to let them go on their own. Personally, I'd say pop the suckers. I developed two nice blisters this trip, one on each heel. The first one (my right) I ignored until it was too late and the dam had burst. Snowshoed, walked and skied through the pain without doing anything, and I'm left hobbling around with this open eye into the inner-workings of my heel. The left-sided wonder started a day later, but I lanced it last night, using a sterilized needle to pierce the blister at the top and bottom and then squeezing out the fluid. I have to say, I'm not feeling that one a bit.
Granted, today turned into an off-day so I was limited to hobbling around a mall, movie theater, basketball arena and little else. Tomorrow, Abby and I are thinking of taking our last hike of the trip and heading out toward Mt. Orient. I'll have to find a way to manage the bad foot, and I'll see how the "good" one holds up. If I don’t, I’ll be turning around mighty quick and heading home. Perhaps by tomorrow I'll have figured out Rule # 2 of blister care...
Disclaimer: The blisters portrayed below are a mere nuisance compared to others, but they still may leave some people questioning whether they will ever peruse the lines and images of this blogger ever again. More importantly, have you ever looked at feet and ankles closely from this angle before? Wow, are they ugly! At least these feet are. Proceed at your own risk. Beware the feet..........
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