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So I made my first stream (small/creek) crossing the other day, where I could not safely cross without walking in the water.

"No big deal," I thought. I see people walking in water all the time in backpack videos.

And I thought that my wool-ish socks (Darn Tough) and my shoes (a lot of fabric) would dry out quickly. Especially in dry Arizona.

(GORE-TEX wouldn't have helped, since the water was ankle-deep, and filled my shoes from the top.)

But I was surprised to find, at the end of a long day, that both my socks and shoes were still wet.

My feet weren't chilled. So I didn't even realize that they were wet. But I did notice my feet burning, in a blister-like way, while navigating technical terrain. (That I had no business being on.) And I could barely pull my shoes off that night.

Thankfully no blisters. But I'm wondering what is the Best Practice for shoes/socks/feet after walking through water?

It's humid right now so nothing will dry out if enclosed in a sweaty environment. I walked in water for the last couple of days and at camp dumped the water out of my shoes, wrung out my socks, took my orthotics out and if sunny will put them out in that environment or it windy that helps dry things out. But my hoka's never dried out and I did not worry about it. I had extra socks so I didn't care. If it's cold I will sometimes take some neosocks. I also generally take some sort of camp shoe ( minimalist running shoe that weighs a few ounces) so I can let my boots dry out or if my boots fall apart can serve as a back up hiker. I carry gorilla glue that has saved me on some sole failures after wet exposure. Some people will switch to a water shoe or cross bare foot if it's one crossing. I have never bothered with that.

@RedRoxx44
Thx. I bought a 2nd pair of Darn Toughs. (Not as good quality as my 5 year old pair.) But didn't think to switch them out since I didn't know that my feet were wet.

I suppose changing to dry socks would help. But shoes were still wet.

(Maybe I should pull small 13 gallon draw sting trash bags over my feet next time? (And then slip and fall?))

I very rarely wear waterproof shoes. Lightweight, breathable trail runners most of the time for me. Wool socks 100% of the time. This combo dries pretty quickly for me. An extra pair of socks is helpful if you know you’ll be crossing water.

I have been known to cross barefoot with my shoes tied over my neck/shoulders.

In colder conditions, or multiple water crossings, I frequently opt for waterproof socks. They come in different warmth/insulation, and heights, and some aren’t too warm.

This is what works for me. Others likely have different preferences.

LindaAnn wrote:I have been known to cross barefoot

what about rattlesnakes and scorpions and cactus needles!!!?

@chumley
I can safely say that none of those three hazards have ever been an issue for me while crossing water while barefoot.

Trash bags over your feet will likely get holes quickly. Lots of options for minimalist sandals, I've got a pair of Bedrock Sandals - Vibram soles, very secure, 1 pound. Good for water crossings and also nice to wear in camp and give the feet a breather.

Many personal preferences on this subject. True wool socks and GoreTex is the best. Water may enter GoreTex boots over the top but squeezes out as you hike.
If the hike has a single crossing early in the hike, I may remove shoes/socks. Depends on the stream bed. Flat grippy stone - shed the shoes/socks. Round, slick river rock - keep them on. Learned with one mistake, slipped off the round smooth stones, only to jam toes into a crevice. OUCH!
Hikes like Araviapa with wet feet for hours, wring out the wool socks, boots upside down on sticks to drip dry and dry wool socks / camp shoes for the evening. Next morning same wet socks / shoes and hopefully not a frosty morning. On frosty mornings the brave pull socks/shoes on and hurry to the water to warm up. The weak head to the creek for a pre-dip warming, then pull them on. Same wet socks/shoes and same dry socks/shoes for the trip.

@LindaAnn I've never had a bad experience myself, but I HAVE encountered a diamondback swimming (which I'd be quite happy to not ever see again), and regularly find scorpions in the rocks adjacent to streams in the desert. At a minimum -- for me, anyway -- it's probably worth an extra attentive looksee if I'm doing anything barefooted near a stream.

After asking I thought about trying barefoot crossings. But my feet are too tender. Even walking on Arizona grass (dry) hurts. So walking on pebbles/sharp rocks would hurt more.

I thought about taking thongs along. But I can see myself slipping in those, either from no tread or lack of capture. (Don't know what term to use - not having your foot captured in a shoe.)

The shoes I use as camp shoes are the New Balance Minimus; weighing in at about 7.2 oz per shoe. Of course larger foot and different models will be heavier. I can fit a slim orthotic in them and they are designed to be worn with no socks or very minimal thin socks. They have pretty good traction on off trail terrain, but not much protection.

For easy trips: get your feet wet and keep hiking, your feet may not dry off for the rest of your hike.

For most backpacks: Carry and change into light sandals for easy water crossings. Carry something a bit more substantial like tevas, chacos, etc. that provide toe protection and more strapping to your feet for more difficult crossings. If it is deep enough take off your pant legs or your pants entirely, otherwise your pants will get soaked and the water will run into your hiking socks and shoes after you change them back.

For certain hikes where you are constantly in water: plan for your shoes and socks and feet to always be wet and plan enough time to change socks and dry off your feet at the end of the day and take care of blistering/rubbing sores before going to bed. Add additional stops to clean up and treat damaged feet during the day as needed.

I usually just take my shoes and socks off and cross barefoot. If the current is swift or the rocks are too pokey or I'm in a hurry or there are several fords or my feet or already wet, I'll just walk across in my shoes. Once they're wet, there really isn't much to do except clean any sand and gravel out and keep walking. You can change socks, but I wouldn't bother until most of the water has been squeezed out. I use trail runners so they will dry after a couple hours here in AZ (people say 45 minutes, but I've never experienced that).

Get ready for the monsoon season, where your shoes and socks will soak through from the sweat dripping down your legs. That's when you'll welcome a creek to slosh through to cool the dogs off.

Thanks all! More things for me to think about.

My approach varies according to conditions. If I can do so safely, I'll cross barefoot. If there are a lot of crossings on a trip, I'll bring Crocs. In deep, fast water with sharp rocks I cross in boots without socks, but the socks I put on afterwards will get soaked.

Even in a hot dry climate it can take a day or more for them to fully dry. In cold weather, my wet boots have frozen totally solid overnight (even in the Superstitions).

Hiking in wet boots and socks requires more attention to possible blister trouble spots.

It's one of the less pleasant aspects of backpacking, but getting where I want to go is worth a little discomfort.

Duplicate

I've decided that Waterproof boots really aren't worth it anymore. I've switched to all non-waterproof but try to stick with a mesh type shoe or boot. If water is deeper than your waterproof boots/shoes, than you're wet anyway and waterproof boots/shoes take forever to dry out. Non-waterproof with mesh will dry out, at least enough, fairly quickly. With that said, places where you are constantly in water, like Aravaipa, I go with more of a canyoneering shoe that is designed for wet trips, has a sticky sole and actually drains.

@outdoor_lover
Yeah, even if you don't top your boots, the waterproof liner often develops leaks before long. In my case it usually happens very fast because my orthotics wear into them.

TooOld2HikeQ wrote:I thought about taking thongs along.

You mean flip-flops or sandals?
I may have been too sheltered but I hadn't heard them called thongs... which only brought to mind, "I can think of better ways than having to drop my pants and put on a thong to cross a creek."

@CannondaleKid
Yes. We called them "thongs."
Maybe it's a term from the NE - like "pop."