[pct-l] Keeping feet dry in the rain.

[Dan Africk]

I hate having wet feet. I've always brought gaiters when I go backpacking,
mainly to keep rain and mud out of my shoes. I was planning on bringing them
for the PCT, but then I realized that my shoes have a large mesh patch in
front of the laces, where most gaiters will not cover them. It seems like
unless I get some kind of gore-tex shoe, my feet will inevitably get soaked
in a heavy rain. That's fine for a while, but when it rains for several days
non-stop, that seems like it would be really bad and possibly lead to
immersion foot. So I guess I have 4 questions:

1- What if anything do you do to keep your feet dry in the rain?

2 - Do gaiters help much in the rain, and is there a certain type that works
well? (I've looked at dirty girls and SimBlissity levigaiters, but neither
cover the front of the shoe or claim to be waterproof. The Outdoor Research
salamander gaiter seems like it might cover the front of a shoe, although
its heavy and expensive.)

3 - Is it worth switching to Gore-tex for the really wet areas, like
Washington? I know your feet still get wet from sweat, but unlike rain that
can be addressed by changing your socks.

4 - What about plastic bags or tyvek booties used as cheap waterproof
socks(worn over socks and inside of shoes)? I tried this once with a pair of
soaked boots, and it worked pretty well, but I haven't tried that for
extended trips.