[pct-l] going wet....

[darudiva at xs4all.nl (S Daru)]

On our hikes here in the Netherlands, we often hike for extended 
periods in the rain through soaked grass and over muddy dikes. On such 
days, if we wear trail runners our feet don't dry. On a bad day this 
creates blisters, even between my toes. Wet is fine, if you have a 
chance to dry out. A whole day of being wet (not your body, but your 
feet) is a problem. When our bodies are wet it is only a problem when 
it is cold, otherwise it is fine to put something dry on in camp. As a 
result I have recently bought gore tex soft boots as an experiment, 
hoping it'll keep my feet just slightly drier. By the way: sheep dung 
mixed with mud seeping into your shoes makes for interesting sock 
colours. Yep, hiking is a different experience in different countries.

Saskia

>> The issue is seldom wetness. After all, your skin is waterproof.
>> The issue is usually warmth, or the lack of it. Cold rain and
>> wind are notorious for sucking warmth out of you. Hiking
>> wet is perfectly acceptable as long as you don't leave yourself
>> vulnerable to hypothermia from evaporative and convective
>> cooling.
>
>
> Keeping your feet wet and cold for an extended period of time can 
> result in
> trench foot which is not pretty. If possible, you should try to avoid 
> feet
> being soaked for extended periods of time. I gave up keeping my feet
> completely dry, but I strive to keep feet reasonably dry over the 
> course of
> the day.