I COULD see your mashed up purple toenail and raise you one that replaced the one that got ripped off and took 6 months to grow in only to end up purple again due to rec league hockey...

But that would involve cameras and my taking off a shoe...

So, in sympathy, I say: OWWWWWWWWWWWW

yeowwwwwwch. That is spectacularly purple.

Toenails are devious little buggers. I had both big toes get stepped on with in weeks of each other (lesson: do not wear sandals to theater rehearsal), and even with the assistance of comfy shoes and boric acid soaks, it took about 2 years for them to look normal again. But the boric acid did make them feel better.

Hey, somehow I got that same sort of purple toenail from hiking around on MV. I didn't even climb rocks! So not fair! All I can think is that this is some sort of transmittable thing. ;)

My toenails were never the same after I started running. I expect that running plus rock climbing is even harder on them.

A fracking men.

I've never had issues with toenails (although I had a spectacularly purple foot after breaking my little toe), but I did get my left ring finger caught in the hinge of a very heavy metal door when I was eight years old. The nail turned purple, fell off, and then took ages to grow back.

I still have a scar there, but the nail is perfectly healthy now.

See, this is why I gave up on hiking boots. Every time I hike in boots, the downhill bits result in purple/black toenails. I do better in tennies, or barefoot, but it's a little cold these days for that.

I find that the best treatment for crunched toes is judicious application of singlemalt. Some say Speyside works best, but I think that's personal preference.

We are toe twins. Seriously. Except for the purpleness.

And yet, I think to myself "you know what would be a good idea? clicking on the two links to see pictures of abused feet".

Good call, Joe. Good call.