Water Crossings - What Works For You?

“Having crossed a few streams in my travels, I often carried a lightweight pair of water shoes, something I could slip on over my bare feet, so that I'd have traction and grip, without soaking a good pair of hiking boots I might regret sloshing around in. Never did that, and wonder if leaving the sturdier footwear where it works best is the better choice?

My well-worn yet still servicable hikers have never been soaked. They're water-tight, until, I'm sure, it hits the top of the boot, and so I've never allowed that to happen, and before water crossings of the past, I stopped, removed my boots, put on the water shoes, trekked the streams, stopped and reversed the process, having spent, it seems, a wasted 15 minutes or so several times a day.

Is there a better way?”

“In warm weather I have gone across boots on and waked them dry. However most of the time I do just what you do and it is a pain in the ass.”

“I just walk on the water.

Seriously, I don't have any brilliant ideas here. If I'm in trail runners on a hot day, I may risk getting them wet if I'm sure they will dry soon. if there isn't a way across that gives me a good chance of keeping my feet dry - I take the boots or (often) the trail runners off. If there is a way to avoid it, I almost always try it. Sometimes I'll grab a large fallen branch or a good sized rock and place or throw it to a place that will allow me to make a safe crossing. Trekking poles definitely help. Sometimes, there is also a bit of a herd path to avoid stream crossings (this is especially likely when the trail crosses over and back) or to get to an easier crossing.
last edited: 7/06/09 7:07:36 PM”

“Water crossings? I just assume at this point I'm going to fall in and get wet anyway so I jsut go ahead and get wet. Except of course in winter, as boots frozen over night are a real pain to hike in the next day.”

“I carry sandals and take the time to change in and out of them.”

“Anybody tried these?   I thought they might be worthwhile, esp. in cold weather.

http://wiggys.com/moreinfo.cfm?Product_ID=5&CFID=338459&CFTOKEN=99852967”

“Phil, that may do OK in boulder-less streams, but sandals aren't much different than the water shoes, in the sense that you've got to stop to take the boots off, put on the alternative footwear, cross, then reverse the process. Still the same thing...

If I choose to leave the boots on (sturdier, better grip, control, non-slip soles), then I'm faced with walking them dry, sloshing inside, which, I believe, could lead to blistering. Not a good result.

I'm not sure there's a good answer here. It would seem that it's still best to stop to make a change, but crossing a lot of water could make this option a real pain in the a$$, even if it IS the best choice...

I was hoping someone might offer a better solution...”

“those are kind of interesting Tilt. I don't encounter tough water crossing often enough to want to carry them. I'm not sure how much easier putting those on and off would be (as opposed to taking boots on and off).”

“i always wonder around looking for a better spot. if it's impossible then i take the time to change footwear. wet boots may lead to blisters. i always have sandals with me.”

“Now that I use trail runners, just hike on. They dry out pretty quickly.”

“Tilt, those look like the leg condoms jerbear is always talking about. I thought it was a myth.”

“Well, just buy three if they'll let ya,   LOL

I remembered seeing those things four or five years ago then forgot about them. The only thing I wondered about was whether they were actually waterproof (and would stay that way).”

“http://www.boundarywaterscatalog.com/browse.cfm/4,3331.html



Think of them as waterproof boots with built in Gaiters......
last edited: 7/07/09 6:10:15 AM”

“Try one of these

http://www.sportys.com/acb/showdetl.cfm?DID=19&Product_ID=10967


Barefoot or sandals if I'm somewhere I can't see the bottom.

Seriously read the description of that thing though. packs to 12" x7" and weighs 7 lbs. Would be awesome to hike up some river somewhere way into the backcountry, pop a bunch of those and a few cases of a beverage of choice open and spend a couple days floating back down to the parking area.”

“I walk through with whatever foot gear I'm wearing. It's safer and the inconvenience of wet shoes/boots is gone in a few miles. Sorta like hiking in the rain - I don't like to start out in it, but once acclimated it's sorta cool and refreshing on those hot August days. Not so neat in November.”

“Keeping the boots on is the safest way. I don't like sandals in a rough creek bed - stub toes, get caught on stuff, come off. If I'm sure to do lots of crossings I bring a pair of old running shoes for that (I'd really rather not walk my boots dry).”

“half the sandals out there are practically boots now anyway.

Glue a little felt to the bottom and you'll never slip off a slimy rock again.”

“Socks are the solution. Thorlos seem to wear well even when wet.

Two weekends ago, Opie and I crossed the Jacks River a dozen times. We lost the exit ramp on one occasion, and waded downstream "about a mile". Hiking Cohutta Wilderness (where we were [whoa! that's a buncha dubyas and ees! {not to mention a couple ares *and an aych*}]), one has to come to terms with river crossings. Two trails cross their respective rivers 40 times each.

Changing shoes? LOL! If the stream is warm enough to wade, the air is warm enough to go wet footed - boots, Thorlos, and all.”

“comfortable hiking "shoes" Me and Gojo crossed the jacks river 12 times, and we just kept them on and kept going. Just test your wet traction. I had a pair of solomens that were slicker than spotted owl $hit on wet rock. My Vasque and Montrails handle wet mossy rock tonnnnnns better.”

“I did a section in the Smokies with 16 wet crossings in about 4 miles. I just hiked the whole section in my Teva's.”

“how about a friggin boat you dolt”

“OK, people, we're taling about an extended hike here...

Being weight conscious, having to carry waders is, well, just not gonna happen. Grippy sandals might work, if they'll strap onto every corner of your foot so they don't slip off... problem there is feet tend to slide in sandals, even if the sandal doesn't.

gojo, you may have something there... when the water's warmer. But when that water's coooooollllllddddddd, I think I'd porefer something that gave me enough grip that I could move quickly through it, without having to worry about ... slippage.

Opie's got a good pint, too, in that boots with the right texture of sole keeps you firmly attached right-side up.

We're gettin' closer, people... keep 'em coming...”

“Closer? Sandals? You mean those gravel-collecting son's of Satan. Can you say "cut-up feetses"? Pffffft. You wanna spend the rest of the hike with the predatory-animal-attracting gate called a limp.

So the water's c-c-c-ccccoooolllldddd. Would you like some cheese with that whine?
Your feet'll be warmed soon enough - in about a mile, I'd reckon. I was raised on a middle GA lake. I always made a point of swimming before my birthday - 3/23. Even down here, that's pretty early. So the water was cold? Getting out was the reward. It's amazing how an ambiant temp of 58 sunny degrees can feel ahhingly warm.

Weight conscienciousfulness merits one pair of footwear only. Boots, man - boots!

Oh... and Thorlos :)
last edited: 7/08/09 4:30:29 AM”

“Damn, I gotta proofread more thoroughly...”

“I tried trash bags one time. I would rubber band them around my feet. It worked the first time. By about the third usage you had holes in them which leaked which got you wet. Oh, if you try this use two. Otherwise it's like a sack race!”

“Obi, I've been in a toss up between Crocs and Tevas.

Crocs are really light, close toed, with plenty of drainage holes and a strap around the heel that keeps them on your feet in swift flowing water. You can wear them with socks or without around camp. The drawbacks I've found is that they're not so great for hiking around in as, say Tevas, because they have a lot of slop. I sometimes like to explore in shoes other than my boots and Tevas do a better job of that IMHO. However, if you're going to just use them for water crossings and loafing around camp, I think it's hard to beat Crocs.”

“I've banged my toes wearing tevas, had crocs float off my feet (mine don't have the backstrap and they rub holes in my feet as camp shoes, total crap IMHO) and I'll be damned if I try a crossing barefoot again.

I cross in my boots and walk them dry. I bring extra socks and swap them out.

Of course your mileage my vary but that's how I do it.”

“I hate wet boots. I used to use some cheap sandals to cross streams, but now I just do it barefoot. I did it during my A.T. thru-hike about 90% of the time. You have to be extra careful and go slowly.”

“Generally i just wade in with the boots on. They dry out well enough. I tried the sandals approach a few times, but never thought it was worth the effort.”

“Mildbill, going barefoot in streams one has to cross along the JMT ain't gonna happen. Not often, anyway. Most streams are boulder-strewn, and softball-to-basketball sized. And slippreeeeeee!!!!!

I can't see myself doin' the barefoot thing at all. At least, not through most of what I've already known to exist out there.

I'm not familiar with Crocs or Tevas, though I've seen the latter. The Crocs sound like a better option, although if weight becomes an issue, I might opt to simply wear the hikers, walk them dry, and make sure I always have a dry pair of Thorlo's. The comfort and convenience of a 2nd pair used just for crossings might be an extravagance my sense of lightness won't permit me to enjoy.

BY the way, I typically hike with a walking stick to aid in balance.”

“I use trekking poles, and I go barefoot. It may not work for you, but it works for me.”

“I use regular water shoes both for streams and walking around in camp. Mine are super light, probably as light as crocs”

“It takes some time but I like to build a small bridge over the water. Nothing fancy, usually just a simple suspension bridge.”

“This could work...”

“LOL!”

“obi - I mean teva type sandals that have solid bottoms. I have used water shoes also.

Another option. Wear some really good gaiters that you put on snug. Then cross fast to minimize the water that gets into your boots.

If we are only talking about a few water crossings, then I frankly like getting my feet soaked. They feel great after putting the socks back on. Also, I don't like wet boots.”

“I hate slogging in wet boots. I will take the time to put my sandals or crocs on. If it's a lot of crossings, I'll just hike in my Chaco's for a while. If I cross in my boots, I have to take them off to dump the water out on the other side anyway, so it doesn't take that much more time to change on the front side too.

Dayhiker, thanks for the visual of you potato sacking it across the creek in a garbage bag.”

“I've never had a problem with water not wicking out of my boots as I walked. So when I have crossed water higher than my boots I just keep walking and soon enough my feet are as dry as they usually are when they are sweating inside my boots. But I like water shoes the best. They are light, they don't come off in the mud, they protect your feet from scratches and they dry super fast.”

“I used to have a pair of water shoes, hyway, and it musta been the fact that they weren't exactly the right size, 'casue if they were, they wouldn't have slipped off as easily as they did. Funny thing was, they gripped the rocks fine, but my feet move around on the inside, slipping left or right, and as a result, the shifting often caused my feet to move, and they'd slip right out of the water shoes.

I'm thinking a nice, lightweight pair of water shoes, with non-slip soles, a snug fit around the ankles, and on the inside, a surface (what might it be?) that won't allow your feet to slide around, even when they get wet....

Hmmm... I see a patent coming...”

“My water shoes are nice and snug, so I can't hike with them far or I will be banging my toes against rim.”

“Best wet rock grippers ever?

Dude! I just remembered something. I was fishing the Anastasia Island jetty in St. Augustine, FL several years ago. All the while a father and son were darting around the drenched-and-oft-awash boulders like mountain goats.

Their secret? Heavy socks on the outside of their sneakers.”

“I usually walk it then when I get to a stop I take off my boots and socks, change socks and put some "seal skins" on the outside of the regular socks till my boots dry”

“Gojo, that's a great idea!

Never would have thought of that, but as you say, they were "darting around like mountain goats".

Makes perfect sense, assuming you hike frequently in sneakers, or some such footwear. No point, of course, to putting socks over your boots... and wearing boots - at least when hiking areas like the Sierra's (i.e., the JMT) - aren't like tenny's that don't offer the support and stability of hiking footwear, even though they'd be more comfortable and lighter than boots.

I'm really tempted to try this with less substantial footwear, but the bottom line is, crossing water will most often require a change of footwear, along with the time it takes to change into, and out of, that option.”

“Its odd that you asked "what works for you" then when people say they do it you say it doesn't work. I am sure that the JMT and the AT are not the same, but you seem to think the AT is nothing but a gravel path in a city park. I haven't hiked 2000 miles of it like mildbill and others, but I know for a fact that it can be rocky (big rocks, pebbly rocks, loose like shale, sharp, wobbly), muddy, wet, steep, and flat. There are people who hike it barefoot and would probably hike the JMT barefoot as well.”

“Field Report: Outer Socks

I just came down from my brother's roof. I replaced the numerous shingles that were blown off a while back. A roofing company gave a reroof estimate of $12K - I did it for supper.

The pitch is 9/12 throughout. It has no gables - only hips. And more hips. It's more cut-up than a bobcat invitro fertilization specialist.

I wore my heaviest socks (turned inside out) over Vasque boots. I was a gardarned goat, I tell ya - a goat!”

“Little Johnny comes home from his first day in Sunday School. His mother asks him what he learned.

"Well Moses was being chased by the Egyptians and when he got to the Red Sea he called in his engineers who built this huge bridge. Then after the people crossed his demolition people blew the bridge up and killed all the Egyptians."

His mother thinks for a minute and says,"Johnny is that REALLY what happened?"

Johnny replies,"No but its a heck of a lot more believable than what they told us."”

“Whoa, there, hyway... settle down there, fella...

I asked what works for people, hoping they would contribute something, and amongst the ideas offered, look for something I haven't tried yet.

Just as people need to be comfortable in their own skin, the analogy works for footwear as well, and whatever works for people is what works for them. THEM, I say. Not hammering them, but since I'm not the Oracle of Delphi, I felt it wise to tap into the mighty experience of TTr's - you among them - for something I would consider trying for myself.

As for my thinking the AT is a walk in the park... you were serious about that assumption, right? Nawww... you MUSTA been kidding.

Now, can we get back to the subject at hand?”

“HOW DARE YOU QUESTION the ATers....why Governors have chosen the AT as an excuse....(ROTFLMAO)

Obiwan truthfully I really don't know. I do carry some crocs for camp shoes (don't weigh nothing and are ultra nice at the end of a long day). BUt I have never had trouble with getting my feet wet.”

“What major chain carries Crocs?”

“Obiwan, it was actually this post that prompted my comment:

“Mildbill, going barefoot in streams one has to cross along the JMT ain't gonna happen. Not often, anyway. Most streams are boulder-strewn, and softball-to-basketball sized. And slippreeeeeee!!!!!

Bill hiked 2000 miles of trail. I'm pretty sure he faced streams like the ones found on the JMT. If you were just saying that you personally don't want to cross streams like that where ever they may be, then I apologize and withdraw my complaint.”