Growing up، I was kind of indifferent to the matter of socks. To tell you the truth، I was sort of indifferent to footwear in general. My socks all had holes in them، which made them the perfect match for my shoes. I was what you might call artfully disheveled. It didnt matter to me. I was pretty athletic، although never part of one of the teams. I ran around with the best of them، and had a lot of fun doing it despite my slovenly footwear. But the first time my dad took me hiking، I realized how important good footwear could be.
I had just gotten a blister on my foot. Usually I ignore such things، but my dad would not hear of it. He made me get moleskin to put on the wound، and good mens support socks for the trip. I have always thought that mens support socks look rather silly. I prefer ankle socks instead، and I told him that، but he insisted. He told me that I needed the mens support socks because they were the only thing that would keep my feet healthy while we were on the trail. Foot health، he told me، is the most important thing in the world for a hiker.
Of course، being the stubborn person that I am، I put on my customary worn athletic socks and packed my boot socks. Halfway through the end of the first day، I had learned my lesson. My feet were swollen and painful، especially where I had that blister. When I had to stop and take off my boots to put on the socks، I thought my dad would be angry at me. Instead، he just laughed as I changed into the mens support socks. He understood what it was like to be stubborn. He always told me that he was the same when he was my age. He even helped me to find the mens support socks stuffed in the bottom of my bag.
Those socks made a world of difference. I wouldnt have thought that mens support socks provided enough cushioning for it to even matter، but by the end of the second day my foot was much better. By the end of the week، the injury was totally healed – and that was with 20 miles of hiking a day. Between my mens support socks and brand new boots، what could have been a really serious foot problem healed quickly. I wouldnt go so far as to say that I will never doubt my dad again، but I will be prudent enough in the future to wear the correct footwear.
