[Philmont]: Camp Shoes - Sandals not woth the rist of foot injury

I would think twice about wearing sandals at Philmont.

1. You must wear closed toe shoes while cooking. Aqua Socks and boiling
water don't mix well.

2. You must wear closed toe shoes while branding your boots. We passed my
mocassins around at branding time. I also got to brand my mocassins.

3. Your toes and the tops of your feet are exposed in sandals. If they get
injured, good luck wearing your boots and enjoying the hike, if you can hike
at all.

You do need camp shoes to give your feet a rest and to reduce the damage to
campsites. What a relief to get out of your boots at the end of the day!

I think that light weight mocassins/boat shoes are the best option. They
take up little room in your pack. Mine fit in a side pocket. I found that
rubber soled mocassins were better for rock climbing than my hiking boots.
They also protect your feet from rocks and spines. Boys typically wear
light weight athletic shoes.

On my first trip to Philmont as an adult I took my Teva sandals. Crossing a
stream, my foot slipped and I scraped the tops of my toes on rocks. I could
barely get my boots on the next day. I winced with every step. If I had
done any more damage I might have needed to stay behind.

Your feet are you transportation. Injure them and you don't complete the
hike. Even a slight cut or scrape can become infected. Foot care and
preventing blisters and foot injuries is your #1 first aid concern.

You simply can't afford to take that risk someone wearing sandals will
injure their feet. You will see lots of hikers and camp staff in sandals.
Most of them won't have any problems. If a back country staffer injures his
foot, he can probably still hobble to the activity. If someone who is not
in your crew injures or cuts or burns his feet wearing sandals, it's not
your problem. If you or your fellow advisor or one of your crew has to
leave the trail due to a foot injury, you do have a problem.

Our Troop's crews have had the rule that everyone wears closed toe shoes at
all times. No one ever walks anywhere barefooted (except in the infrequent
showers). If you need to cross streams that are deeper than your boots,
closed toe camp shoes work just fine. Tie the wet shoes to your pack and
they will probably be dry by the time you reach your next camp.

Risks that are acceptable at home may not be tolerable at Philmont. Minor
injuries to you feet can end your hike. In my opinion, wearing sandals vs.
closed toe shoes isn't worth the risk.

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Received on Tue May 25 09:05:10 2004