A little education with that Hike Please!

Todays hike was the same that I have taken dozens of times. A 3 mile hike, cook lunch over campfire, brief nap in a hammock, return 3 mile hike back. Kit weight approx 10 pounds including food and water.

This time it was different, with a little educational moment added in. Basically one of my boots fell apart. I have never had this happen before. I wasn't wearing my usual stitched sole boots, but I was wearing a high quality; name brand boot for wet environments. The entire sole delminated from the boot. Now you say oh well big deal. That is the same thing I thought, and really it was no great life threatening event. but it did affect my 3 mile hike back and got me thinking about "What If" this were really in the remote wild; miles from home.

The noticeable affects were:
1. Feet get wet now....DUH!
2. One boot is higher than the other now, talk about knee and hip pain in just 3 a mile hike.
3. Pack seemed heavier and somewhat unbalanced.

Now as I say these were not unsurmountable odds, and I did have Duct Tape that I could have repaired the sole with, and I even had a pair of moccasins with me that I wear in camp and in the hammock that I could have changed to. But I wanted to experiment a little, and it did get me wondering about my longer more remote hikes about packing a light weight extra pair of shoes. This same event in a more remote area..... miles from home or car; could affect my mobility drastically which in turn could have been the trigger to a survival type event. Rolling Eyes

_________________
SURVIVAL..........it's all in your head

interesting find. I would not have thought of that. I'll have to remember that. thanks tfisher! and good to see you man!

_________________
"Wish I was an English muffin" - Punky's Dilemma by Simon and Garfunkel

A adventure to say the least. Its crazy how something as little as the sole of your shoe or boot comes off seems like not a big deal. But when it happens on a outdoor adventure it can turn into a possible Big problem.
Like you said; what if you were 8 miles into your hike and this happend ?...would make for a really crappy hike back.
You could slip & cut your foot, or bash your toe on a rock making the already tough hike even worse.

If you cant walk, your screwed Shocked

Like in Vietnam, in the jungle all the time, guys would get " trench foot " if not treated can turn really bad.
To the point they can no longer walk. Not a good thing in a battel field.

Glad you got out with no other problems on top of your floppy sole Wink

_________________
A Knifeless Man is a Lifeless Man
Canadian To The Core
Carry Less by Knowing More
Knowledge Weighs Nothing

Last edited by Drummer Dave on Sat Sep 12, 2009 11:37 am; edited 1 time in total

Like you said you can't walk your screwed.

I guess I need to inspect my gear more often and not take some gear for granted. I have spent many hours putting my kit together, and the one thing I take for granted fails.

_________________
SURVIVAL..........it's all in your head

Yeah, now that you mention it, boots really do seem taken for granted.

I have some duct tape, though!! I'm safe!! Laughing

A good thing to keep in mind, for sure. Thanks for posting. Cool

_________________
Using dial-up is like riding a tricycle at Indy.

In addition to duct tape, my kit includes a roll of picture frame wire. The idea was for it to be used for snares or for shelter building. But now I'm thinking that duct tape used to repair a boot might not last long enough in rocky terrain. (Limestone can be very abrasive.) If it was reinforced with wire, though................ Wink

_________________

"The monkeys are throwing stuff at me again."
-Survivorman in Costa Rica

	tfisher wrote:
	Like you said you can't walk your screwed. I guess I need to inspect my gear more often and not take some gear for granted. I have spent many hours putting my kit together, and the one thing I take for granted fails.

I have a really good pair of Hiking Boots, i paid liek $ 450 for them, there awesome. But again i dont really " inspect them " even something like the lacing, if one my laces broke, thats no good either Surprised

i would have 1 boot thats lose & floppy, that again would suck on a big hike.
So now that you have brought it up, im going to buy another pair of laces & and it to my kit as well. They weigh nothing & take up zero room Cool

Good post, got everyone checking there shoes / boots now, LOL. Cool

_________________
A Knifeless Man is a Lifeless Man
Canadian To The Core
Carry Less by Knowing More
Knowledge Weighs Nothing

Last edited by Drummer Dave on Sat Sep 12, 2009 5:24 pm; edited 1 time in total

	BushRat wrote:
	In addition to duct tape, my kit includes a roll of picture frame wire. The idea was for it to be used for snares or for shelter building. But now I'm thinking that duct tape used to repair a boot might not last long enough in rocky terrain. (Limestone can be very abrasive.) If it was reinforced with wire, though................

Ya thats another good thing to have a s well in your kit. I have about 20 ft of wire for snares & now i think of it, its not in my Kit Embarassed

....
So that as well will be added Cool

_________________
A Knifeless Man is a Lifeless Man
Canadian To The Core
Carry Less by Knowing More
Knowledge Weighs Nothing