[pct-l] Have South Africans done the PCT before?

[ned at mountaineducation.org]

This subject is, once again, highly volatile and based on personal 
experiences. One person can get across just fine while another may come out 
the other side all cut and avulsed.

It really doesn't take much to injure your bare foot while negotiating a 
creek bed. When feet spend most of their days nestled in humid socks 
surrounded by rubber, fabric, and leather, they can be pretty sensitive to 
anything rough, sharp, pointy, or all of the above!


"Just remember, Be Careful out there!"

Ned Tibbits, Director
Mountain Education
South Lake Tahoe, Ca. 96150
    P: 888-996-8333
    F: 530-541-1456
    C: 530-721-1551
    http://www.mountaineducation.org
----- Original Message ----- 
From: <chiefcowboy at verizon.net>
To: <ned at mountaineducation.org>; "Sir Mixalot" <atetuna at gmail.com>; "Frank 
Dumville" <fdumville at earthlink.net>
Cc: "pct-l" <pct-l at backcountry.net>
Sent: Tuesday, October 04, 2011 7:50 PM
Subject: Re: [pct-l] Have South Africans done the PCT before?


>I tried a barefoot crossing of Evolution Creek ONCE!  NEVER AGAIN!  Ned 
>your advice is right on target - wear sturdy footwear.
>
> -----Original Message----- 
> From: ned at mountaineducation.org
> Sent: Tuesday, October 04, 2011 6:02 PM
> To: Sir Mixalot ; Frank Dumville
> Cc: pct-l
> Subject: Re: [pct-l] Have South Africans done the PCT before?
>
> If you need to make the miles in a given day, taking time to figure out 
> how
> and where to safely cross a creek can be perceived as a negative. For 
> those
> who have it in their schedules to hike a bit slower, taking the time to
> stop, catch a bite to eat while surveying the creek for a dry and safe
> crossing, then making the crossing in a fashion that is warm and dry for 
> you
> and your feet is no big deal.
>
> Injury to your feet, whether it is chronic wet and cold or 
> trauma/laceration
> on an under-water rock, can lead to immediate danger and infection later.
> Consider the simple bang-your-toes-into-an-underwater-rock scenario. The
> first thing that happens is your sudden reaction (while mid-stream in
> thigh-deep whitewater) to the pain that may cause you to loose your 
> balance
> and fall into the creek. Immediate danger. Ok, you make it across the 
> creek
> on cut and numb feet only to walk on what little dirt there is and get 
> your
> cut infected. This may cause you to leave the trail for awhile.
>
> Wear sturdy and predictable footwear while crossing spring, snow-melt fed
> creeks in the high sierra!
>
>
>
> "Just remember, Be Careful out there!"
>
> Ned Tibbits, Director
> Mountain Education
> South Lake Tahoe, Ca. 96150
>    P: 888-996-8333
>    F: 530-541-1456
>    C: 530-721-1551
>    http://www.mountaineducation.org
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Sir Mixalot" <atetuna at gmail.com>
> To: "Frank Dumville" <fdumville at earthlink.net>
> Cc: "pct-l" <pct-l at backcountry.net>
> Sent: Monday, October 03, 2011 11:20 AM
> Subject: Re: [pct-l] Have South Africans done the PCT before?
>
>
>> This summer while doing trail work in the Sierras I was amused at how 
>> long
>> hikers (mostly JMTers) would take to find a rock-hop crossing or take off
>> their shoes.  I'd power right through the water at the trail crossing. 
>> By
>> the time they were hiking on the other side of the crossing, I'd already
>> be
>> a mile ahead of them.  Multiply that with all the crossings in the 
>> Sierras
>> and that adds up to many miles per day.
>>
>> On Mon, Oct 3, 2011 at 10:28 AM, Frank Dumville
>> <fdumville at earthlink.net>wrote:
>>
>>>
>>> Keeping dry at stream crossings
>>> In 2006 when I got to the Sierra I tried to keep my shoes and socks dry
>>> for
>>> maybe 2 stream crossing before realizing that it was just not practical.
>>> There were many places where the trail became a stream, twice I almost
>>> stepped on a fish while on the trail tread. It becomes impractical to
>>> take
>>> off your shoes. You'll also want something on your feet for the major
>>> stream
>>> crossings. Let your feet dry out at breaks and a night. This didn't 
>>> cause
>>> any problems for my feet.
>>>
>>
>>
>>> Snap
>>>
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