Stream crossing and washing your socks – at the same time :)

Sounds like a good idea, Kevin!

What shoes do you wear? Think it'd work well with Roclite 295s?

If doing the Lost Coast Trail you will need WAY more socks if you expect to have a dry pair on. Creek crossing every 20 minutes or so.

What if your route ONLY goes by lakes?

Wet feet are NOT a problem.

To add to this: before putting your wet shoes on over your new dry socks, stuff the shoes with a pack towel or bandana and squeeze. It gives the drying process a pretty significant jump start.

To quote Steve Stiffler – " I don't know man, sounds like a lot of work".

On a recent 8 day trip through Marin County, my shoes and socks didn't dry out for two days after crossing the Olema Valley swamp. Even the second pair of socks on top of my pack didn't dry out.

And backpacking in wet shoes and socks for two days created blisters in places I'd never gotten them before. Not recommended.

Your system must work in warmer, dryer settings.

— Rex

yes. I don't have that problem at all in the summer. In fact my socks seems to be somewhat dry a few hours later.

If your feet are going to be wet constantly I think it's worth wearing some 100% wool socks. Wool soaks up a lot of water, but most of the water is sucked up into the hair cells in a way where it's not contacting your skin. This is why wool feels dryer when wet and insulates better when wet. So wool socks will keep your feet happier. The anti microbial part of wool also helps for extended periods of wetness. Of course the take much longer to dry – I usually wear wool socks for rainy weather where dry times don't matter.

I've noticed that, too. Really fast water is quite effective at washing socks, even inside of one's shoes.

I also like the just-cross-it approach because it is faster than picking your way trying to find shallower / narrower water. And potentially safer – I'm not teetering over the water on a log. I'm in the river, with less far to fall and often uses a found stick for a third point of support.

Yeah, well, sounds like a bit of a hassle.

If we have ONE crossing to do that day, then we wade barefoot.

But if we have lots of crossings – or are going to be walking down the bed of the river for a few km, then we just keep going, with no changes at all. Wet socks, if thick wool ones, don't do any harm. (I dunno 'bout wet cotton ones – sounds very iffy to me.) Sometimes have to flush the sand out though.

Cheers

Yeah, it does sound like a bit of hastle. Funny how many people just wade through whatever water they cross, I know I do. I usually just empty my shoes of any water, wring out my socks and go. If I get anything wet, it will be at about 12-24 hours before it gets dry again. Wool socks seem to be about the best, as others have said. I usually carry three pair: two for hiking, one for sleeping.

Wool takes a bit longer to dry than thinner socks, but my feet are usually damp (from sweat) anyway. Wrung out at a stream side leaves them only slightly wetter than normal.

If it is an easy rock or log crossing I will usually opt to stay dry, however there were several crossings last year on the JMT that did not warrant this opportunity. I went to simply plowing through and then wringing out my socks and getting going again I used wool socks and had no chafing challenges, however i did notice that my shoes (Brooks Pure Grit) seemed to not fare so well and started to delaminate and separate in places that they should not have, leading to a quick trip into mammoth from Reds to buy new shoes to finish my Northerly journey.

YMMV

Jeff

"Yeah, it does sound like a bit of hastle. Funny how many people just wade through whatever water they cross, I know I do."

Also, when there are lots of people around, winking at the folks wearing heavy leather boots as you zip past them while they slowly and awkwardly try to negotiate dry rocks or a narrow log – priceless!

If you do it right, you can wash your underwear at the same time as your socks.

I just returned from New Mexico where a partner and I hiked
up the Gila River for about 55 miles from the confluence with
Sapillo Creek all the way to Snow Lake.
Didn't keep count but I'd estimate that we crossed the river
somewhere around 20 times per day over 5 1/2 days. Easily.
Your shoes, assuming you are wearing some sort of fabric Trail
Runner, drain pretty quick and feel "sorta" dry. They do pick
up and amazing amount of crud though. Dry Sand , mud, dirt etc.
So it's kind of refreshing to get back in the water again and
wash away the crud that has built up. Even if you wear gaiters
as I did sometimes, Dirty Girls, you get all kinds of silt and gravel
inside your shoes. We didn't stop unless there was an especially annoying
rock that was killing us. Hell, I even had sediment inside a large
blister on the ball of my right foot. Couldn't wait to tear that sucker
open in a shower when I got out to a Motel and clean it out good.

So. I'd say to just keep walking. Shoes and socks will dry out
if it's warm and dry. Cold and wet I have no experience with, yet.

Larry

plus without much effort you can dip your drawers in the water, and wash your underwear at the same time. I'm tellin ya.

I do almost the same thing. Only I dont wash out my socks, or change them.

Reading this thread has convinced me that I should always filter my water.

:)

Bob, what is this underware you keep talking about?

I agree with Rex Sanders on this—it's a system for warmer locations. It's a terrible system at 0F in that the boots/shoes and socks must be kept dry at all costs—ergo I carry a pair of crocs for creek crossings. If there are 12+ crossings I just stay in the crocs and backpack the trail normally. It's tough in the snow so perhaps a pair of thick neoprene socks would help although I haven't tried them yet.

Even in the summer I do not see the point of intentionally getting your shoes/boots and socks wet for no reason unless you have no choice (ie: hiking in a rainstorm). I try to keep my boots/socks dry for as long as possible, and my second pair of socks remain bone dry for in-tent sleeping. These stay dry no matter what.

I can pull a 21 or 24 day trip with just two pairs of socks (smartwool) and in the winter the hiking pair never gets too foul to necessitate washing unless it's already wet from snow, etc so then I just wash them out in a creek.

Just another perspective: My socks get washed pretty good in the stream (and my feet too) w/o taking them off:). Saves time. :) And they just dry on my feet. This is for 40ish and above weather. When it’s hot and humid, wet socks become paradise.

At freezing, I take off the socks and put the sandals back on. Wade (and its cold!). Dry the feet. Put on the socks and it feels like I just put on a warm dry blanket. Amazing. At 0F, just walk on the water :)

Here’s my son’s girlfriend carrying my 6 year old grandson through a creek in the Tetons. He was too scared to wade. She backpacked in sandals for the first time and adapted instantly. The stream was perfect for cleaning socks and sandals.

Here’s my brother and nephew drying off in the flooded tetons. Sorry you can’t see their sandals (they’re buried underwater). This was a perfect trip for sandals. The trails were too muddy so we just sloshed through the flowers.

May everyone find their foot zen.

-Barry
-The mountains were made for Tevas