[pct-l] Camp Shoes and Such

Sat Feb 28 21:00:59 CST 2009

Stephen,

By the end of your post you were able to talk yourself into the same quandary I feel when thinking about the comfort/weight ratio. I'm leaning towards bringing them and mailing them home like you concluded.

One of my rationals for taking them: What was the point in reducing my pack weight to 12 pounds if this doesn't allow for at least a modicum of comfort, ie. a luxury item or two. Assuming that you stop there, no sense carrying a 20# base weight after all the money I spent to get it down to 12.

jason

> From: reddirt2 at earthlink.net
> To: jmmoores at hotmail.com; Pct-l at backcountry.net
> Subject: Re: [pct-l] Camp Shoes and Such
> Date: Sat, 28 Feb 2009 18:40:26 -0800
> 
> Hi Jason,
> I rarely bring anything but what I am wearing but have occasioanlly, maybe
> twice in ten years I think, my Teva sandals, and to be honest, when it was
> hot and flat trail it was pure luxury to be able to walk in these for short
> spells since Iwas hiking in heavy boots then to trail crew work.  I tried
> Chacos and they feel like walking a on a roll of quarters and are really
> heavy, but I just got a low end pair of Tevas again and they are actually
> quite light, so if I get out on the trail with you all I'll be sending these
> in one of my resupplies.  I just weighed one sandal and it is 9 oz. So 18 oz
> for the pair.  Yeah, walking around barefoot is sort of asking for trouble
> if you don't have real tough feet already.  Ussually if I just have the pair
> of whatever I walked in on I just wear 'em loose around camp.  In the Sierra
> high country there are a lot more opertunities Ithink to run around barefoot
> on polished granite slabs and by lakes, but not so much in the forrest.
> I've walked barefoot in the late day on some of those soft cool Utah canyon
> trails along the rims and stuff.  So nice, but I wasn't far from the TH and
> my vehicle either and not a thousand miles onfoot from the end of my hike.
> Different mind set completely.  I'm also thinking sandals might be nice
> around re-supply stations or little towns. Just a thought, and I'm still
> kicking around the idea of carrying the extra pound.  I just got my new G4
> pack and haven't had a chance to walk with it yet.  It seems to carry well
> though.  Nicely made and my sandals drop right in the big pockets.  Too
> easy...but it's more crap too carry and hard to grapple with after chopping 
> and trimming to get to ten pounds.  If I were heading out for the entire 
> thru-hike I might bring them with the thought I can always send them home if 
> I decide it's redundent.  I didn't help your decision one bit did I.
> Stephen
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "jason moores" <jmmoores at hotmail.com>
> To: <pct-l at backcountry.net>
> Sent: Saturday, February 28, 2009 5:26 PM
> Subject: [pct-l] Camp Shoes and Such
> 
> 
> 
> I've carried camp shoes on and off over the years (crocks, flip-flops,
> etc.). On the trips that I have not taken them, I often regret my choice.
> There's something to being able to remove wet shoes and socks in camp, and
> still having foot protection. I've found it very unpleasant to walk around
> the desert, or on pine needles, barefoot.
> On 3-5 day trips I'm usually tempted to leave them at home, to reduce pack
> weight. I consider them a luxury, but a useful one. I'm allotting myself a
> pound or two of luxury items and am thinking of  bringing my crocks.
> 
> My hesitation is this: Will I ever really have time to wear them? Will they
> be worth the weight.
> 
> I usually hike until the edge of dark. In normal situations I'm active doing
> choirs and hanging out for an hour or two before bed. From past experience
> and what I've read, I'll probably spend less time "camping" on my thru. It
> seems that your level of exhaustion demands an earlier bed time. I can
> envision other times that the crocs would be useful such as on zeros, desert
> breaks when I'm airing my shoes, bathing, public showers...
> 
> While I am more than able to make this decision on my own I often find that
> the responses I receive on the list can provide me with new insight. I did
> not have computer access before my '06 section hike and I knew only one
> distance hiker. New to the sport I found myself massively over prepared gear
> wise and woefully unprepared in general knowledge. I knew little of
> lightweight hiking. I had read Jardine's book and thought him a cook. I hit
> the trail in Mojave in good shape, with full leather hiking boots, a 65
> pound pack and guide book pages. My feet were hamburger by Whitney. If I had
> been able to ask these kinds of questions in Feb. '06 I may have made it a
> few more miles down the trail. Perhaps not. Who can say. When I hiked out
> over Trail Crest and down to Whitney Portal I vowed to learn from my
> mistakes, unlearn my 1970's notions of camping, and to return to the Sierra
> prepared to enjoy myself.
> 
> In the hopes of being better prepared I find myself openly asking strangers
> for advice. This is very strange for me. I consider myself confident and
> self aware. I'm not above asking advice. I'm just not used to asking
> strangers. This is an area of growth that I hadn't anticipated. I might as
> well get used to asking for help along the way. I have too much of myself
> invested in this trip to let my ego get in the way.
> 
> All this being said, what are yall doin' 'bout camp shoes this year?
> 
> jason
> 
> 
> 
> _________________________________________________________________
> Hotmail® is up to 70% faster. Now good news travels really fast.
> http://windowslive.com/online/hotmail?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_WL_HM_70faster_032009
> _______________________________________________
> Pct-l mailing list
> Pct-l at backcountry.net
> http://mailman.backcountry.net/mailman/listinfo/pct-l
> 
> 

_________________________________________________________________
Windows Live™ Groups: Create an online spot for your favorite groups to meet.
http://windowslive.com/online/groups?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_WL_groups_032009