[pct-l] Boots vs. shoes

[jjolson at uwyo.edu (Jeffrey J. Olson)]

I came out from a JMT hike over Taboose Pass once.  When I hit the 
desert floor there were only a couple dusty cars at the trailhead, and 
the highway, where I was going to hitchike, was at least 10 miles away.  
I was wearing Vasque Whitney II boots, heavy leather things that I 
sealed well with Snoseal.  It was over 100 degrees and I'm sure the 
ground was hotter.  Good, waterproof boots. 

I wanted to stop and let my feet breathe, but intuited this would not be 
a good idea.  I reached the stream by the highway and took off my 
boots.  My feet were swollen to twice their size - literally twice their 
size.  My lymph system distributed water to my feet and hands, which 
were also swollen. 

The insides of the boots were slick/soaked with sweat.  There would have 
been no way to get my feet back in the boots, and if I'd stopped in the 
desert, I can only imagine the agony I would have gone through trying.  
I stuck my feet in the stream and passed out, to wake up an hour later, 
feet back to normal... 

Jeff Olson
Laramie WY