Re: Footwear strategies for Yosemite in May

I love my Salomon boots. They've seen me safely through lots of hikes and many miles.

I'm heading to Yosemite (and SEKI) in May and am not quite as confident in taking just my trusty Salomons alone given how wet I (and all my gear) is likely to get.

My suspicion is that they're going to quickly get soaked and water logged probably on the first day and then never completely dry out.

I'd be interested to hear people's strategies for their footwear in conditions like this. Do you take an alternate pair of shoes for the extremely wet portions of the hikes? Do you just give in to everything getting soaked and staying that way?

Right now, I guess I'm thinking I will take my Salomons and my pair of La Sportiva for the very wet areas. The La Sportivas are much lighter weight running / hiking shoes that will dry much quicker than my Salomons.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

D

Take two or three extra pairs of socks and a small towel. Take your boots off for stream crossings and go with just socks on which will give good non-slip footing. Wring your socks out after the crossing and hang them on your pack. Put on dry socks after drying your feet. Have a pair of Crocs or or other light boots for the end of the day. Having dry socks to put on is the main thing.

Snow Plots:

http://cdec.water.ca.gov/snow/current/snow/pillowplots/TuolumneMerced.html

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Old Dude



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/08/2017 12:37AM by mrcondron.

So you try to keep your boots dry when possible? How about hikes with lots of mist, splashing, etc. like is likely in Yosemite this year? I'm wondering if I should just leave the boots in the pack until I get out of range wearing a quicker drying shoe on those parts of the trail.

Alternate pair of shoes or sport sandals. But for creek crossings I take off my boots, socks (and pants) and use water shoes...for instance, crossing Tenaya, Dingley, Delaney Creeks...

(And the socks that I wore on Thursday still weren't dry on Saturday. Bring plenty.)

Are they actually waterproof?

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If you're asking about my Salomons, they are Quest 4D II GTX.

So, Gore-Tex waterproof but I've gotten them soaked before and they take a loooooong time to dry out.

If I go with my Salomon boots only -- which I was previously considering -- I suspect they're getting soaked on day 1 and staying wet for the duration.

I usually wear Balega Blister Resist (Mohair) socks but I'm trying to be a little proactive since I KNOW the going will be wet in areas.

D

Sorry, I'm confused. If they are Gore-tex... then why are they getting soaked thru?

Wear gaiters and avoid getting water INTO the boot. If they soak thru then contact
Gore-Tex and get a new pair. Supposedly they are guaranteed not to do that.
(we haven't done that yet... but that is what Gore-Tex rep said)
If you are fording or walking in water that goes over the boot... then bring a pair
of non-goretex for those portions...
That is what I did... neoprene socks... non-goretex shoes for the fords.
If you are staying in hotel... then use a hair dryer and dry the inside out after
your hike... again... if GoreTex and they are leaking thru... then contact gore tex.
If you have water proof goretex shoes then the only reason your feet
should be getting wet is because you are getting your pants bottoms wet...
get a good pair of gaiters to avoid that...

My preference is to not walk all day in wet shoes... but that can be done...
I just prefer goretex until the trails are dry where I am hiking.

If I didn't help a bit... please don't hesitate to correct me.

Best of luck

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chick-on
Sorry, I'm confused. If they are Gore-tex... then why are they getting soaked thru?

Wear gaiters and avoid getting water INTO the boot. If they soak thru then contact
Gore-Tex and get a new pair. Supposedly they are guaranteed not to do that.
(we haven't done that yet... but that is what Gore-Tex rep said)
If you are fording or walking in water that goes over the boot... then bring a pair
of non-goretex for those portions...
That is what I did... neoprene socks... non-goretex shoes for the fords.
If you are staying in hotel... then use a hair dryer and dry the inside out after
your hike... again... if GoreTex and they are leaking thru... then contact gore tex.
If you have water proof goretex shoes then the only reason your feet
should be getting wet is because you are getting your pants bottoms wet...
get a good pair of gaiters to avoid that...

My preference is to not walk all day in wet shoes... but that can be done...
I just prefer goretex until the trails are dry where I am hiking.

If I didn't help a bit... please don't hesitate to correct me.

Best of luck

It takes time but I've had success with getting my leaky gore-tex products replaced! They are pretty good in backing their product!

To the OP, for trips with a lot of crossings I tend to bring some water shoes. I also use the Salomon Quest 4D 2s and have not had a leak in it so far ...However, I do wash these things after every trip. Could the leaking just be your sweat not escaping/vent from the shoe?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/08/2017 04:33PM by KevinD.

Honestly, maybe I'm just not doing a good enough job of preventing water entry into my boots. I've used gaiters in the past but only my Outdoor Research Low Gaiters and they were topped a few times.

My experience with full gaiters is that they're constantly falling down and I've hated them.

Any suggestions on gaiters that people really like?

D

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DCHook
Honestly, maybe I'm just not doing a good enough job of preventing water entry into my boots. I've used gaiters in the past but only my Outdoor Research Low Gaiters and they were topped a few times.

My experience with full gaiters is that they're constantly falling down and I've hated them.

Any suggestions on gaiters that people really like?

D

I mainly only use gaiters for winter. Have had a great run with the MLD Snow Gaiters made out of eVent. Durability wise, they definitely aren't as tough as say OR crocodiles

For very wet conditions, I like the Teva Terra Fi 4 sandals. I wouldn't use them in snow, but for crossing streams and swampy meadows they get the job done. They provide excellent traction in water and on and off trail.

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Leave No Trace

I get blisters with wet feet. I've found that with gaiters--I have a super light pair of Event gaiters that go half way up to my knees--it's not that hard to keep a gore tex shoe dry even in wet Spring conditions, if you're willing to wade when a crossing or a marsh would overtop the gaiters. I have a pair of 'pool shoes' (mesh netting attached to a thin sole) that weigh two ounces for the pair. I wear these for crossings. It does slow you down if there's a lot of changing out of boots, but it's worth it to me.

The other strategy is to just wade in everywhere with your hiking shoes and accept having wet feet. Many people do this. In Spring if you're in and out of snow, this might be a tad cold.

For me...

I often have to wade through creeks that are *well* over my ankle/calf, and knee! Mid-thigh is not unusual. No gaiter is going to keep water out of my shoes. Waders might, but.. i'm not gonna wear them.

So... If I'm worried about my feet getting cold and general "spring" conditions, I've probably brought my waterproof mids... which means I need to change into my crocs for water crossings. I prefer crocs because they protect my feet well and grip well and do not soak up any water and are dry almost immediately. And they make excellent camp shoes. Basilbop uses a lighter mesh-topped shoe with vibrate sole, too flexible for my poor feet. Chick-on has carried a full set of "summer" hiking shoes to change into! Too heavy for my taste.

I used to use the crocs with bare feet, but I'm getting old and don't want to be distracted fighting the stomach-knotting cold as I try to negotiate difficult water (and this year has already had difficult and promises more!). So I took a page from Chick-on and got 0.5mm neoprene socks and use those with the crocs! YAY! Extra benefit: the little debris that used to hurt me (I'm a tender foot, even though I'm used to many back to back ~20 mile days) don't hurt me because the neoprene socks offer a buffer.

When going is generally warmer with better chances to dry the shoes and socks out while hiking... I use well-ventilated "summer" mids and just keep walking right through the creeks without changing footwear. I foresee this being a common occurrence this year, given conditions, whereas the past couple of years.. I rarely had to get wet feet either way! (I tend to soak them whenever I can, so I'm still getting my feet wet..)

I do NOT recommend going barefoot through creek crossings. One wrong bit of wood or sharp rock can skewer you, or you could stub your toe hard against the rocks. Mind you, we do a lot of creek crossings where you try to find a good spot to wedge your foot in for stability. At least I do. A lot more of me is being pushed around in the water than the taller guys...

Also, I have flooded my waterproof shoes and continued to walk in them for miles.. and I can do it, but only for so long. Probably not a good idea on something like Waterwheel Falls in a day. At least for me. I use BodyGlide on my feet before hiking, btw, and reapply after drying my feet before putting socks back on, if I should change shoes.

Good luck!

eye taught ewe just putz ur snow shooz on to dodge the creekz:

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chick-on
eye taught ewe just putz ur snow shooz on to dodge the creekz:

But what about the toofs?

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basilbop

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chick-on
eye taught ewe just putz ur snow shooz on to dodge the creekz:

But what about the toofs?

PRO TIP: won toof nuff

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Last year I learned on the Tuolumne River that my La Sportiva GoreTex boots aren't perfectly waterproof anymore. I do highly recommend gaitors for reducing the water coming in from the top and keeping your legs a little warmer during the crossing, so you aren't tempted to rush through a crossing too quickly. If your boots take in water, you will need multiple pairs of dry socks to use unless you stop long enough for your boots to dry out (not likely). The problem I have with the idea of changing shoes for every crossing is there are so many of them in early season that you would have to stop and change shoes frequently, and that will slow you down a lot. Also many crossings don't have a good place to sit down, take off your pack, and change shoes. That said, I do carry a pair of light hiking shoes with me in case I can't use my boots for a while. Whatever shoes you cross with, make sure they have good tread, since the smooth, well polished rocks in creek and river beds are among the slipperiest you will find anywhere on your trip.

I've been using these flimsy waders for over a decade now that weigh just 10oz. We've crossed numbers of streams keeping totally dry as long as depth is not much above the knee. Also icy snow water can be really painful to feet. Better to buy a larger size to make sure even large boots fit down inside:

http://www.wiggys.com/clothing-outerwear/lightweight-waders/

Before use I fill them inside out with water and glue up any leaks that are certain to eventually occur as they are really light duty.

David
http://www.davidsenesac.com/2017_Trip_Chronicles/2017_Trip-Chronicles-0.html

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http://www.davidsenesac.com



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/15/2017 09:04AM by DavidSenesac.

I use $3 flip-flops from Walgreens because they weigh a few ounces. I buy them a couple sizes large to protect my toes from jamming into rocks. They're noticeably better than barefoot. But they're dangerous, worse than barefoot, if the creek bed is highly uneven, because they have no heel strap.

Otherwise I keep my boots on. But I usually have zinc oxide tape on to prevent blisters, so wet footwear isn't an issue.