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We did some back packing in my youth. This was in the high sierras so elevation gain and rough terrain was unavoidable. Oh yeah, we trained for it and my buddy and I were in great shape from bike racing still the long hikes in thin air kicked my azz. No matter how rough the sleeping situation was, we slept well.
OUr training was to walk between 3-4 miles daily and gradually increase the mileage. 5-10 min walk from our house, we have great hiking trails and hills so we hit those loops often. Loaded our back packs to add to the suffering. Boots were a must. This was a time where boots looked like a lifted 4x4. I had to break in my shoes but that only took a few weeks of wearing them daily. We learned stiff shank shoe kept our feet a lot less tired. As we climb with our toes the stiff shanks helped with fatigue still have the flex in it for comfort.
If you are doing that much walking, talk to someone about getting your boots fitted. I have problem feet, low instep and flat feet, so an insole and heel lift was added to keep from chafing causing blisters. I have a pair of Asolo medium duty (no longer need the heavy boots) hiking boots. They requires little break in period. I have no idea what this section of the boot is called. The top section of the heel. Many light weight or even mid weight boots have this section lower for flexibility or comfort but to me, it only invites small rocks and dirt to enter the shoe. No fun having the hitch hiker in your shoe on a hike.
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