I was never really a fan of Vaseline or petroleum jelly in general. It always left my feet feeling slippery for far too long, but you see, that’s what makes it so great for hiking! When you’re on a long hike, your feet produce a lot of friction when they rub against your socks and shoes. That friction produces heat, and that heat burns away your skin, producing painful blisters! Ouch!
Petroleum jelly is not only a moisturizer; it is also a highly effective foot lubricant! When you rub it on your feet before a hike, your socks glide across your feet, rather than scrape. No scraping, no friction, no blisters!
I thought this was a pretty weird idea when my friend suggested it, but when I walked El Camino de Santiago de Compostela in March of 2012, I decided to give it a try. Luckily, “Vaseline” and “Vaselina” are both readily understood in French and Spanish! It felt really weird the first time I put it on my feet, even weirder when I put my shoes on. It was squishy, like I was walking through marsh mud, but I got used to it quickly!
Two days into the Camino, I compared feet with my fellow peregrinos. Now, you may say, “Bill, that’s not fair to compare your feet to a human’s foot,” but I tell you the principle is the same! I did not get a single blister on the Camino de Santiago, while my friends lost all the skin on the backs of their heels in the first two days of walking!
So if you’re planning a long mountain trek or a pilgrimage of your own, take a tube of petroleum jelly. Rub it on your feet, slip on a pair of liner socks and a pair of thin hiking socks, and you’ll find yourself blister-free with luxuriously soft toes by the time you return to civilization!