[pct-l] Boots

[chelin at teleport.com (Sharon & Chuck Chelin)]

Good evening, everyone,

Effective, lightweight footwear has been available for thousands of years in
the form of moccasins and sandals, but 50 years ago most kids hiked in
sneakers or, if you prefer, tennis shoes.  When the kids grew up most of
them switched to boots.  I used boots for a while, but when running shoes
started to be available in the late '60s I found that while I could run 20
miles comfortably I could not walk 3 miles in boots without getting tired,
sore, blistered feet.  After weighing the risks, I started hiking in running
shoes, and I pared the gear down to a 15 lb. load.  The big pack, big boot,
plodders used to give me some really strange looks when I passed them on the
trail.  They apparently thought I was a day-hiker who was either too dumb or
too poor to buy proper boots.  Technology has offered improvements over
time, but those improvements have been more in degree than in kind.

Many other hikers scattered around the country also separately evolved to
the same lightweight methods, but at the time most information sharing was
done one-on-one, among small groups, or through private correspondence
rather than via commonly available books and publications, etc.  Then
finally when Jardine invented lightweight hiking and published his book in
the early '90s there was a receptive core audience of people who already
understood.   The greatest advantage hikers have today is the availability
of noncommercial communication about hiking culture such as PCT-L.  Now,
everyone with e-mail can learn of, and discuss, the latest thoughts of many
very bright and experienced hikers.  If the experts do not totally agree on
any particular topic it is because there is rarely one fits-all answer.  In
fact, I usually start to push back whenever I hear, "Everyone knows..." or
"Everyone does it."

I, for one, would like to thank all of the participating experts for being
willing to share their knowledge and experience.  Where else can you post up
a question and receive a complete cranial-dump from the best minds in the
business?

Steel-Eye


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Garret Christensen" <garretchristensen@yahoo.com>
To: <pct-l@mailman.backcountry.net>
Sent: Wednesday, September 15, 2004 10:20 AM
Subject: [pct-l] Boots


> After doing the AT and the PCT, I cannot imagine ever
> wearing boots again.  I own about a billion pairs of
> semi-worn out trail runners and low-cut light-weight
> hiking shoes, but no boots.  I'm curious for other
> light+fast hikers thoughts on boots--do you ever use
> them?  If so, in what circumstances? Based on Jardine
> I wore a pair from KM to Tuolumne meadows on my
> through hike this year, but regretted it the whole
> way.  They got wet and stayed wet and heavy.
> I also want to know what you wear when you go
> snowshoeing.  Is it only because we hit the Sierra in
> late season that the snow is so wet and boots suck,
> and gore-tex vibram soled boots actually make sense
> for short shoeing trips in early powder?
>
> Thanks,
> the Onion
>
>
>
> __________________________________
> Do you Yahoo!?
> Yahoo! Mail is new and improved - Check it out!
> http://promotions.yahoo.com/new_mail
> _______________________________________________
> pct-l mailing list
> pct-l@mailman.backcountry.net
> unsubscribe or change options:
> http://mailman.hack.net/mailman/listinfo/pct-l