[pct-l] how do running shoes tend to die, and when?

[greg mushial]

> Message: 2
> Date: Sun, 29 Aug 2010 15:37:14 -0700
> From: Diane Soini of Santa Barbara Hikes <diane at santabarbarahikes.com>
> Subject: Re: [pct-l] how do running shoes tend to die, and when?
> To: pct-l at backcountry.net
> Message-ID:
> <7BDC29D7-D4EC-464F-9D76-57DAD0BFCE61 at santabarbarahikes.com>
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>
> On Aug 29, 2010, at 2:04 PM, pct-l-request at backcountry.net wrote:
>
>> But I'm wondering...  really how important is quick drying?
>
> If you are a regular thru-hiker there is a several hundred mile
> section through the Sierras where you are mainly walking in snowmelt
> all day. The whole trail is under water. Your feet are constantly
> wet. It is nice not to have all the sloshing of waterlogged shoes. It
> is also nice not to have to put on cold wet shoes in the morning. In
> Southern California where it is hot and dry and thru-hikers are
> getting their skin toughened up, the open mesh is nice for keeping
> feet dry from sweat.
>

Diane - again, thanks for the reply.  But here's my confusion, or maybe 
simply lack of insight on my part...  if one is going to spend 3 weeks 
walking in wet terrain, does it really matter if one's shoes are capable of 
drying out in less or more time, since they're continually going to be 
"re-wet" anyway? I guess my naive answer would be to wear neoprene socks, 
put a clothespin on one's nose (or never take the socks off), and three 
weeks later, finally come to appreciate them (the shoes) drying out; at 
which point, if they take an extra 3 hrs to dry, I'm not sure I'd notice the 
difference. [neoprene socks are a real godsend in Nepal up high, where it's 
either cold and frozen, or cold and wet, and as nice as wool is, neoprene is 
10x better (way warmer)...  though one can't wear them for too long - the 
skin gets too soft (always wet), and fungus grows like weeds - about 10 days 
at a time was about my limit...  though being "rubber" they make hours upon 
end of front-pointing less lethal on toenails...  also are spoonge in terms 
of walking - frozen double boots tend to be pretty unforgiving - the 
neoprene, at least as cold as I saw (-40F), never got hard.]

TheDuck