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As told by Leila B., customer and creative partner ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
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| This is part 2 of our Foot Care Guide—the rugged, outdoorsy, adventure edition with Leila, a Soft Services customer and creative collaborator, who recently completed a 300 mile (!!!) hike through the Appalachian Mountains. If you missed Part 1, we covered day-to-day foot care here. |
Hi, my name is Leila Bartholet. I live in New York City, but every year or two I disappear to go for a very long walk. Over the past decade, I’ve done four long-distance solo backpacking trails: the French and Portuguese routes of the Camino de Santiago, the Abel Tasman Coast track in New Zealand, and most recently, 300 miles of the Appalachian Trail through Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania.
I solo hike because it brings me clarity—mental, physical, spiritual. But what never disappoints is that, even in solitude, the most meaningful part ends up being the people. I’ve waited out a rattlesnake with a thru-hiker1 from North Dakota, screamed at a bear with a trail angel2 from Nashville, walked 24 miles in a rainstorm with a retired detective from Wisconsin, and got lost—then hitchhiked back to the trail—with a traimly3 member from South Africa.
Trail bonds are weird and deep: you sleep beside strangers in the woods, shit in holes, gift each other trail names, and talk about your feet like they pay your rent. |
1 Thru-hiker: Someone who hikes an entire long-distance trail from end to end in a single season.
2 Trail angel: A person who offers support to hikers on long trails—giving rides or a place to rest, leaving water caches, sharing food.
3 Traimly: The group of fellow hikers you meet along the way who become your surrogate family on trail. |
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| Let me be honest: beauty habits lose their importance when you’re hiking 16 days straight. You will smell bad. You will look bad. No one cares. You don’t care. What you, and everyone, does care about—obsessively—is foot care. Because the second your feet go south, your entire hike is on the line. Everyone on trail knows: wreck your feet, wreck your hike. |
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| After my fourth trek, I’m proud to say I have my routine really dialed in. I thought I’d share this knowledge in case anyone is a novice hiker, looking to get into it, or is just curious. |
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DAILY |
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AM: Slather on Hiking Goo (blister-preventing magic) and put on fresh socks. Injinji toe socks are non-negotiable.
Midday: Air out insoles, swap socks if sweaty/wet. If possible, elevate feet over lunch break.
PM: Rinse or soak in a stream, if I’m lucky! Spray for bugs. Massage arches with a small cork ball + moisturize with Speed Soak to rehydrate skin and treat any cracks on heels and toes. Hydrated feet are more resilient to friction, meaning fewer blisters and raw spots. Feet also swell 0.5-1x their size after walking 15-20 miles per day, so massaging them with lotion helps increase circulation, reduce inflammation, and minimize soreness. Lastly, sleep in dry toe socks. |
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WEEKLY |
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| Whenever trail conditions allow: Buff heels with Buffing Bar. Thick/bulky calluses can cause as many issues as soft skin. Epsom salt soak if toenails or joints are angry. We were lucky enough to stop at a hiker hostel with a bathtub in a thru town. Treat any hot spots with Leukotape and Neosporin. Cleanse and treat with Comfort Cleanse + Calamine Lotion for chigger bites. Don’t Google them. |
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ESSENTIAL PRO-TIPS |
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Dry socks!!! I learned the hard way and got early stages trench foot on week 2. |
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Sawyer Permethrin Spray on your socks. Keeps ticks and others away. |
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Drink water. Staying hydrated helps circulation, muscle recovery, and yes—even your feet. |
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| After hiking ~20 miles a day for 2 weeks, my body is wrecked—but in a good way. My feet, though, demand reverence. They’ve carried everything I own (all 25 lbs when on trails) across the Appalachian mountain ranges, and I’m reminded to take good care of them when I’m back home in NYC. I still use Speed Soak, Carea Cream, and my little cork massage ball regularly. |
| “On trail, your feet are your gear. Doesn’t matter how nice your pack is if you can’t walk.” |
| If you’re thinking about doing a big hike—do it. And if you pack nothing else, pack Leukotape and Speed Soak. Your feet will thank you. |
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| — Leila B. |
| P.S. Shout out to my trail family who made this walk enjoyable (and to be honest, possible): Shorty, All-Day, and Sting. Sooo much love—and wishing y’all good luck on your way up to Maine. <3 |
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ULTIMATE FOOT CARE KIT TRAIL EDITION |
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| Hiking Goo |
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| Injinji Toe Socks |
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| Cork Massage Ball |
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| Speed Soak |
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| Buffing Bar |
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| Epsom Salt Soak |
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| Leukotape |
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| Neosporin |
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| Comfort Cleanse |
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| Calamine Lotion |
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| Sawyer Spray |
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| Platypus Hoser |
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