Don’t underestimate the pain and agony that having a small issue with your feet will cause when backpacking or hiking.

• Before any hiking trip, trim toenails using straight-edged – not curved – clippers.  Leave an extra bit of nail on the outside corner of the big toe (the side with no toe next to it) to avoid an ingrown toenail.
• Keep your feet dry by wearing synthetic socks since they’re cooler and wick sweat from your skin faster than wool.
• Change socks throughout the day as they get wet.
• Apply underarm antiperspirant to your feet  but try this at home first – to  check for an allergic reaction.
• Finally, add “trim toenails” to your packing list so you don’t forget at home.
• Add the book “Fixing Your Feet” by John Vonhof to your library. Talks about all kinds of foot issues.

Following these tips increase the chances of having happy feet – a good thing when backpacking or hiking.

I generally don’t get too bugged by bugs when I’m backpacking or hiking but here are a couple of tips to prevent the bugs from being interested in you.

• Wear light-colored clothing – it attracts fewer bugs than dark clothing.  Mosquitoes seem to like the color blue.
• Sweaty clothes release ammonia, a suspected mosquito attractant.  I don’t have any tips on how not to sweat but this is a fun fact to know and tell.