[pct-l] Camp Shoes and Such

[Stephen]

Hi Jason,
I rarely bring anything but what I am wearing but have occasioanlly, maybe
twice in ten years I think, my Teva sandals, and to be honest, when it was
hot and flat trail it was pure luxury to be able to walk in these for short
spells since Iwas hiking in heavy boots then to trail crew work.  I tried
Chacos and they feel like walking a on a roll of quarters and are really
heavy, but I just got a low end pair of Tevas again and they are actually
quite light, so if I get out on the trail with you all I'll be sending these
in one of my resupplies.  I just weighed one sandal and it is 9 oz. So 18 oz
for the pair.  Yeah, walking around barefoot is sort of asking for trouble
if you don't have real tough feet already.  Ussually if I just have the pair
of whatever I walked in on I just wear 'em loose around camp.  In the Sierra
high country there are a lot more opertunities Ithink to run around barefoot
on polished granite slabs and by lakes, but not so much in the forrest.
I've walked barefoot in the late day on some of those soft cool Utah canyon
trails along the rims and stuff.  So nice, but I wasn't far from the TH and
my vehicle either and not a thousand miles onfoot from the end of my hike.
Different mind set completely.  I'm also thinking sandals might be nice
around re-supply stations or little towns. Just a thought, and I'm still
kicking around the idea of carrying the extra pound.  I just got my new G4
pack and haven't had a chance to walk with it yet.  It seems to carry well
though.  Nicely made and my sandals drop right in the big pockets.  Too
easy...but it's more crap too carry and hard to grapple with after chopping 
and trimming to get to ten pounds.  If I were heading out for the entire 
thru-hike I might bring them with the thought I can always send them home if 
I decide it's redundent.  I didn't help your decision one bit did I.
Stephen
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "jason moores" <jmmoores at hotmail.com>
To: <pct-l at backcountry.net>
Sent: Saturday, February 28, 2009 5:26 PM
Subject: [pct-l] Camp Shoes and Such



I've carried camp shoes on and off over the years (crocks, flip-flops,
etc.). On the trips that I have not taken them, I often regret my choice.
There's something to being able to remove wet shoes and socks in camp, and
still having foot protection. I've found it very unpleasant to walk around
the desert, or on pine needles, barefoot.
On 3-5 day trips I'm usually tempted to leave them at home, to reduce pack
weight. I consider them a luxury, but a useful one. I'm allotting myself a
pound or two of luxury items and am thinking of  bringing my crocks.

My hesitation is this: Will I ever really have time to wear them? Will they
be worth the weight.

I usually hike until the edge of dark. In normal situations I'm active doing
choirs and hanging out for an hour or two before bed. From past experience
and what I've read, I'll probably spend less time "camping" on my thru. It
seems that your level of exhaustion demands an earlier bed time. I can
envision other times that the crocs would be useful such as on zeros, desert
breaks when I'm airing my shoes, bathing, public showers...

While I am more than able to make this decision on my own I often find that
the responses I receive on the list can provide me with new insight. I did
not have computer access before my '06 section hike and I knew only one
distance hiker. New to the sport I found myself massively over prepared gear
wise and woefully unprepared in general knowledge. I knew little of
lightweight hiking. I had read Jardine's book and thought him a cook. I hit
the trail in Mojave in good shape, with full leather hiking boots, a 65
pound pack and guide book pages. My feet were hamburger by Whitney. If I had
been able to ask these kinds of questions in Feb. '06 I may have made it a
few more miles down the trail. Perhaps not. Who can say. When I hiked out
over Trail Crest and down to Whitney Portal I vowed to learn from my
mistakes, unlearn my 1970's notions of camping, and to return to the Sierra
prepared to enjoy myself.

In the hopes of being better prepared I find myself openly asking strangers
for advice. This is very strange for me. I consider myself confident and
self aware. I'm not above asking advice. I'm just not used to asking
strangers. This is an area of growth that I hadn't anticipated. I might as
well get used to asking for help along the way. I have too much of myself
invested in this trip to let my ego get in the way.

All this being said, what are yall doin' 'bout camp shoes this year?

jason



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