[pct-l] On hiking shoes and preparedness

[CHUCK CHELIN]

Good evening,

“Trench foot” is a military term originating from the unfortunate
experience of troops wearing heavy – and perpetually wet -- leather boots
in the trenches during WW-I.  The Army didn’t learn, and they had the same
problem in WW-II.  They still didn’t learn, so they had the same problem in
Korea.  Then, after experiencing the problem once again early in Vietnam,
they changed to lighter-weight, mesh-sided boots to allow for drainage and
air circulation to more quickly dry the feet.  The hiking sneakers of today
ventilate much the same as the mesh Army boots only without the high tops.

Leather boots, well waterproofed, will resist occasional ankle-deep water
at the expense of very poor ventilation all the time.  They will get wet,
and when they do drying them becomes a long and time-consuming process
which rarely can be accomplished on the trail.  The result?  Through days
of slop and fording the leather boots will never dry, while sneakers will
drain and dry fairly quickly so the feet are dry at least some of the time.

 Gaiters of any height will not keep shin-deep water out of boots for more
than about two steps.

Several layers of heavy socks will delay the feet becoming wet for about 5
seconds, at which point the hiker would then have lots of heavy, wet socks
rather than one thin-to-medium pair of wet socks.

I have nothing in general against boots -- I’ve worn them most of my life,
and I still wear them for certain work tasks – but I learned 50 years ago
that they are not the thing for me to wear hiking, particularly
long-distance hiking.

Steel-eye

-Hiking the Pct since before it was the PCT – 1965

http://www.trailjournals.com/steel-eye

http://www.trailjournals.com/SteelEye09/


On Wed, May 9, 2012 at 11:35 AM, <ned at mountaineducation.org> wrote:

> There is a time and place for lightweight gear. It depends on why you are
> going into the mountains. If we’re going in to film, our packs will be
> heavy. If we are going in for 3 weeks straight, our packs will be heavy.
> The quick weekend trip we know can be lighter (because prior experience and
> knowledge of the conditions ahead will teach you what you like, what you
> want, what you must have, and what you shouldn’t leave home without).
> Before your next trip, take the time to test yourself and your “systems”
> (food, clothing, and gear), even in your backyard, to learn these things.
> This knowledge will make for a safer and happier outing!
>
> Regarding wet feet, you have to consider the old problem of “trench foot.”
> http://www.nols.edu/wmi/articles/archive/cold.shtml (toward the bottom of
> the page)
>
> Many hikers in the spring, when they are on and off snow, wet, flowing
> trail, and mud, while being delayed by lots of downed trees and other
> obstacles like multiple creek crossings, simply say, “whatever,” and just
> keep on walking in their wet trailrunners. This is not good for the feet
> unless you can dry out between saturations.
>
> Solution? Lots of socks, frequent stops to dry out the feet and shoes, or
> just good boots and gaiters. You need to know yourself well enough and the
> purposes of your particular trip and decide which way you like to go.
> Actually, for us, all of the above works well for most of the time.
> Sometimes when we know that the trail will be a literal “creek between real
> creeks,” we plan ahead and bring the leather boots and tall gaiters. We’ve
> walked through mid-shin-deep creeks and not had any water get in our boots
> at all. The feet are happy.
>
> Unfortunately, the pressures of society are driving people into the
> mountains who have never been before. Since time is short, they rely on the
> words of others to guide their decisions on gear, food, and clothing (which
> is good), but they don’t test it all out for themselves before they launch
> themselves into the high country (this is bad). You’ve got to find out what
> “works” for you! As we know all too well on this forum/list, what “works”
> for one may not “work” for another.
>
> What’s the big deal? It’s simple, really. Take shoes for example. If I
> don’t know that I have weak ankles and take the masses’ suggestion to use
> low-topped footwear, I’m bound to get injured to one extent or another far
> from help. How about sleeping bags. If I don’t know that I’m a cold sleeper
> and take a lightweight bag to save weight, I’m bound to get little sleep
> and have to deal with the cognitive side-effects of that while trying to
> make decisions for my personal safety.
>
> We teach mountain safety and wilderness medicine. We’ve been at it for 30
> years. Since we joined two Lake Tahoe Search and Rescue groups a few years
> ago, we’ve had the “reality-check” of rescuing many hikers who didn’t know
> themselves nor the environmental challenges in where they were going well
> enough to be able to make wise decisions regarding their safety. Since
> safety directly relates to pleasure, we meet lots of folks on the trail who
> had such a miserable time in the backcountry, they don’t want to do it
> again—and this is tragic.
>
> With a little planning and pre-hike “test-runs” of gear, clothing, and
> food, your next trip into the hills will be a lot more fun for every bit of
> you and you’ll come out at the trailhead looking forward to your next trip
> in!
>
>
> Ned Tibbits, Director, Mountain Education
> South Lake Tahoe, CA
> www.mountaineducation.org
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