Drymax Maximum Protection Trail Running Sock

Summary

Took my Drymax Maximum Protection Trail Running Socks for a long trail run on The Appalachian Trail across the Cumberland Valley in Pa. It was a beautiful sunny/warm day for January in Pennsylvania so I planned a mostly flat long slow run with a climb to start it amd finish it. I spent all day, 7+ hours over 32+ miles in my Drymax Maximum Protection Trail Running Socks and my feet thank me for the choice. Snowfall just prior to a thaw results in muddy wet conditions and the Drymax Maximum Protection Trail Running Sock did their job famously.

The day started to the north of Blue Mountain on The AT where it crosses Rt 850 in Perry County, Pennsylvania. The trail crosses farmers' fields and significant unavoidable mud and water was present in many of the lower spots, so I started my run with wet shoes (Mizuno Wave Cabrakan 3). The area had received decent snowfall to close out 2012 and recent January thaws had melted most of it, resulting in those muddy condidtions. The north side of the mountain apparently hadn't heard the news and the trail still had a good bit of snow on it, some of it packed and refrozen and quite slippery.

As I descended the other side of the mountain, the sun began to shine and the temperatures rose to the low 50's. After about 10 miles I was concerned that I was developing a hot spot on my left foot. I had chosen Boiling Springs, Pa., as my turnaround point (16-ish miles) because there's a mini-mart there with a picnic table, perfect for refueling/refilling, taking a break and checking my feet. By now my right foot seemed to be developing a hot spot too. I wondered if these socks were a bad choice.

Taking the socks off, it turned out the pain wasn't hot spots at all, but a couple of toe nails that were succumbing to the day's mileage. Had I done proper maintenance ahead of time, it never would have happened. I was quite impressed how dry my feet were after 16 muddy/sloppy/wet miles. With my hydration bladder refilled and candy bar and a coke, I was off to retrieve my Jeep parked 16 miles to the north.

The mud and water going back seemed worse and the descent down the north side of the mountain was now much muddier than snowy. The mud patches in the valley just before the parking lot were now huge and some were more than ankle deep. Returning home and peeling off my socks, I was pleased to find that the Drymax Maximum Protection Trail Running Socks had kept my feet dry and pain and blister free.

If you're going to spend any time at all in a trail running sock and you want to go free of foot pain and avoid blisters, I highly recommend the Drymax Maximum Protection Trail Running Socks.