I'm looking for some footwear recommendations for the next trip. For the 3-week walk in September 2010 from Le Puy, I wore the Vasque Wasatch boots, which in many ways I was very happy with: they offer excellent ankle support, a right-sized toe box, a stiff sole, and good waterproofness. In fact I had no fit or blister problems on this trip at all. The sock system I was using was the Bridgedale two-sock approach: thin liners plus the thicker Trekkers.
However, due to the extraordinary stoniness of the footpath, every night the soles of my feet just ached (as though they had been beaten with a cricket bat all day, which wasn't that far from the truth). I started the trip with brand-new Superfeet insoles, and rather wished I had a spare pair to insert at the half-way point. Perhaps I should point out the boots have 500 miles on them at this point.
Any thoughts? Do I need new boots (with an uncompressed midsole)?Different boots? Different insoles? Different feet?