cotton socks and hiking do not mix

I went on a short trail hike at Huntington with my sister, yesterday. Our plan was to go for an hour.

I was wearing cotton socks and a pair of low-top Merrells. I had a pair of Thorlo hiking socks in my car, but decided "oh just one hour, why bother changing?". Regrettably, this question was to be answered soon.

After about 40 minutes of hiking, we got ourselves a bit lost and it became clear we were going to be out for more than an hour. Just about an hour after we began, the skin above my heels began to feel chafed. By the time we got out, I felt like someone had been hacking at that area with a set of razor blades.

This morning, I noticed that one of my cotton socks had a nice big scary blood stain on it! I took a look at my right heel - no blood, but the top layer of skin had been rubbed off in a dime-sized area that was looking rather oozy. The left heel is wounded as well, but not as badly.

Cotton socks and hiking do not mix.

I guess it would be sensible to avoid hiking for a few days. But sensible is not my middle name....