Man, THAT's disgusting!
Here are my feet at the end of a section of the JMT.
No matter what I do or what I wear, it seems that after three days, my feet get hot spots. My remedy is to use that athletic tape to stick a pad on the bottom front section of the foot, with a wrap going all the way around to the top.
Since I get welts from the adhesive on the top part of the foot, I help that by laying a piece of gauze on the top to keep the tape from sticking in the tender area.
I also run sections of tape from the bottom, up between the toes to the top section, but cutting out half the tape to make room for the toes. Then another layer of tape around the foot to hold down the toe-sections.
I also may need to tape up my heel, and sometimes wrap my little toes -- they often lose the toenail after the hike.
I am effectively building a glove for my foot out of athletic tape. If I do it before blisters actually form -- as soon as hot spots set in -- this method usually prevents blisters from forming. I don't remove the tape at the end of the day; just leave it on for the remainder of the backpack.
I have heard of people using duct tape in a similar manner. It sticks well, and the backing provides a slippery surface so it takes the abrasion, and the skin no longer needs to flex.
