Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Backpack Hunting Lightweight vs heavy boots?

We are approaching 600 miles in, and I just ran the numbers, we are averaging 15.3 miles/day for the last 36 days with (1) zero day in Grants for Cyn to rest an injury. Very tan, very skinny, trail legs are rockin’. The very sharp young lava south of Grants in Malpais (sp) monument tore the top mesh my right shoe pretty good- I’ll post a pic later. I repaired it with 120-lb braided fishing line from my halibut reel that I carry for just this reason, and first a fishhook, then in Grants a heavy duty curved needle, so now it’s Frankenboot. It’s been holding for, hmmm, about 150 miles across all manner of terrain so I’m hoping it can do the last stretch here w/o drama. REI won’t fast-ship to general delivery so I couldn’t get new ones sent ahead in time, then I had no signal for a week+….

Great community of folks here on the CDT. Some really impressive hikers- people doing way more miles/day than we are.

(sensitive types, read no further)

In a hotel room in north NM, gonna go hit up the weed shop. In a world where personal freedoms rarely win the day, by God this one DID, and since I spent my misspent youth avoiding getting popped here in NM with weed, buying some legally, here, is gonna be pretty sweet.

Got home yesterday. The summary is 600+ miles hiked, 15 miles/day average with one zero day, started 4/11 and finished a couple days ago. We went from the border at Crazy Cook monument to Ghost Ranch in northern NM. We weren’t able to do the last section to the CO border, roughly 100 trail miles, due to the massive snow load in the southern Rockies. We did get a good taste of it going from Cuba up and over San Pedro Parks Wilderness. Unbelievably wet up there. Postholing thigh deep. Got caught in a storm. Very cold, very wet. There’s a reason folks stay out of the high country during big melts- it’s miserable up there. Not much fun; we felt better about the decision not to proceed into the mountains north of Ghost Ranch.

As pertains to this thread and as promised, my shoe. I ended up using the same pair for the whole hike. I would’ve switched out after this damage but it wasn’t feasible. The logistics of gear problems on the trail are formidable. Will explain if anyone cares. So, this happened on very sharp lava and falls under the operator error category- with the obvious caveat that a more stoutly-constructed (heavier) shoe would’ve likely fared better. When it first happened I naively tried to reinforce it with Tenacious Tape, which is remarkable stuff, but not THAT remarkable.



When we got to the ranger station at Malpais we sat at a picnic table and I was able to use a #8 fishhook as a needle and reinforce that very important rubber “finger” with a single loop of heavy braided fishing line. This was really difficult. It held until Grants, about 40-50 miles if memory serves.



In Grants we did our zero day so my wife could try to get her injured toe to calm down (it did not) and I bought a heavy curved repair needle at Walmart and did this. The mesh isn’t really structural per se, but it still seemed wise to back up the loops I put in the rubber “finger”.



When we got home yesterday the grass was thigh-high so I mowed in them. The repairs are still holding. In total the repairs held for almost 200 miles over all manner of terrain and many water and snow crossings.



FWIW, nobody and I mean nobody was using anything other than low tops. Mostly Altras. One guy used them with an ankle brace because he “has had a bad ankle since he was a kid”…… make of this intel what you will.

I lost 20 pounds on this hike. Hit the scale at 186 yesterday. I never thought I’d see 180-anything again in this life! Got seriously tan. Pics upon request. It was an incredible adventure.

Happy trails everyone.

Congrats to you and your wife- sounds like a fun, but tough adventure .

Thanks! The hiking itself wasn’t as relentlessly steep and rocky as say the high Sierra Nevada’s. But on balance, we felt it lived up to its reputation as a difficult hike. Parts of it were certainly really hard. Not the least of which was over 180 crossings of the Gila which was in flood. Waste-high fast cold water with strainers downstream will get your attention… especially when it’s x180. That’s where Cyn hurt her toe (rock fall) and it’s a bit miraculous I never hurt or tweaked anything. It was hard to leave the trail after all those miles and all that time. You get addicted; it’s pulling you north..… We met a bunch of great folks, of all stripes and some as old as us, and are rooting hard for them to make it to Canada. Statistically, most will not.

On the flipside… our bed at home feels goooood, lol, and eating real food is da bomb.

I had major sleeping pad issues combined with major logistical issues resolving said problems and ended up with some informed opinions about several different setups. I’m gonna dig up the post I made several years ago about older guys/backpacking pads and update it with what I learned.

Gorilla tape.

I carry a few turns around a water bottle.

Never low tops on boulders, scree and talus.

Nice repair job.

I carry waxed floss for sutures (loose), repairs etc.

Thanks. No tape was gonna hold that, not for almost 200 miles…. I also carry some Gorilla clear repair tape around a trekking pole. Had to use it on my Frogg Toggs ultralight* before San Pedro. Also, if you’ve never tried Tenacious Tape, it’s pretty amazing stuff for gear repair.

Cyn carries floss for that same reason. I carry heavy braided fishing line from one of my halibut reels. The problem here was that the needle she carries wasn’t touching the hard rubber of the Salomon’s. I now have a kit of much heavier needles- including curved- which I’ll winnow down to just a couple before the next big trip. Got it at Walmart in Grants.

We did a lot of boulders, scree, and talus. And everything else. The geological diversity of NM is off the charts. I do realize, I have awesome ankles, knock on wood, and not everyone does. I still believe everything I typed about these low light shoes for most guys for most backpacking.

*Frogg Toggs ultralight jackets are an amazing value and are very very light, and after 35+ years in a very wet climate i have an experience-based skepticism about the latest greatest waterproof/breathable wünderfabrics, and am loathe to spend the big bucks on them. However, they (Frogg Toggs ultralight) are very fragile.

Just gotta show this. We are on top of a big mesa here; I’m on the edge of a cliff. This is about 500 miles in. Now that’s a tan! My body knew just what to do in that sun- from growing up in NM I suppose. However it really trashed my skin on for example the backs of my hands. I have some pics that would make my dermatologist puke.

That REI sun shirt was awesome.

Yeah, used tenacious on a rainfly damaged in a windstorm.

Still Tenacious.

No mention by me that it would last the claimed """" 200 miles"""".

If you thought those crap shoes would last you 200 miles in that terrain...get some training.

Nice work, Jeff! Sounds like a fun trip.

They lasted 600+ miles total, and other than me catching the mesh on a sharp lava “gut hook” did fine even in the lava. And even THEN, they were structurally intact enough w/o any repairs to have gotten me to Grants where if I’d been willing to pay exorbitant shipping, or spend another day or two in a motel, I could’ve had a new pair waiting. They are excellent shoes and I highly recommend them, if they fit a guy. Full stop. I’ve been using them for several years now, both the regular and goretex versions. Over 1k miles of backpacking, from Hell’s Canyon to the Sierra Nevada to NM. I also have a closet full of “boots” and backpacking experience with them going back to the 70’s.

Put bluntly, in my experience what you describe as “training” is flat wrong for most actual backpackers. I do agree that there are *some* hunting conditions that warrant a more heavily-constructed shoe.

Horse/water and all that. Do as you see fit.

Hey Jordan! Been too long. Thanks! It was a remarkable experience. Still processing it.

Really nice trip Jeff, thanks for sharing. I've been using Salomon X-Ultras for the last ten+ years, and will NEVER go back to boots for backpacking. I think I have four pairs currently but I'm quitting them this year to try a pair of Hoka's (yeah I know, fuggly!). I'm curious to see if any of the hype is real - we'll see. There have been a lot of negative reports about the durability of the current X-Ultra you used, but I'd say yours did just fine, despite needing repair. Also, the idea that any tape would have fixed that shoe gave me a chuckle. Yours was the right solution, and is why I carry a super heavy needle/thread for just such a problem. Dental floss works too. I've also been carrying Tenacious tape for years. As you say, the stuff really works.

Any experience with 7-strand paracord?

TFF!

Brad, the Salomon’s (I also have some heavier mid-height boots from them) fit me like they were made for me… that, plus as you say it’s not like Altra’s or Hoka’s are going to get any traction (no pun) around here due to cosmetics, whereas at least the Salomon’s look “tuff enuff” that your basic ‘Fire denizen might at least consider them. So that’s why I’ve been pimping the Salomon’s in particular. Because truth is, the folks actually banging huge miles are using Hoka, Altra, and a couple others pretty much exclusively. Goofy-looking shoes, for sure. We had multiple conversations on gear with other CDT hikers as you can imagine… the single, overriding consideration is “does it WORK?”. It’s a reality-based endeavor. People backpacking huge miles every single day for months are not hung up on cosmetics.

On that note, I had to chuckle at SJ’s comment that I should get some training. Talk about being stuck in a mental rut and not even having a glimmer…. Training from WHOM? Why the heck would I listen to some “trainer” regurgitating decades-old pap? I’m in my late 50’s and just hiked over 600 miles with one day off in almost 7 weeks while averaging 15 miles a day. I’m all ears when it comes to intel from other experienced folks but, I mean, I are one.

A few more pics. Look at my hand. Zoom in. That spot on my index finger would re-split every day. That’s a trekking pole callous on my inner thumb. My skin is a disaster. There wasn’t much to be done about it other than, maybe, even MORE sunscreen and lotion. I don’t know. It was so dry and the sun was so intense…



Water was a major “thing”. It was over 120 trail miles from the Mexican border before we hit the first actual creek. Prior to that, it was water caches in the desert maintained by the CDT association and other “trail angels”, and cow water. Lots and lots of cow water. Here’s Cyn getting some. We- and everyone else- used a Sawyer filter. There’s a hint. Also, Smart Water bottles. There’s another.



There’s a lot of old stuff in NM. This was at the TLC Ranch; they maintain a water cache and let hikers camp on their land.



Water was NOT a problem in the Gila canyon, other than crossing the river over 180 times. Stunningly gorgeous. The tree is an Arizona Sycamore and is huge beyond the photo’s ability to communicate.







Yours truly, so that Mike can make fun of my “classic” old capilene leggings! Actually he’s off doing huge things of his own right now.

More shoe stuff. This is at the Toaster House in the tiny non-town of Pie Town. That’s the Wall of Shoes. Sorry for the bad pic. We ate major pie in Pie Town. It’s what you do. If you google Toaster House there's a lot there. Very cool story & place. If you dig around (early May) you’ll find a pic of Cyn and I in front of a really old truck.



These are my shoes/socks day 3 in the Gila canyon. It froze hard that night. My shoes and socks are stiff as boards. Had to put them on… and wade back into the icy river. This brings up another comment. Shoes/socks used on a hike of this type need to be able to a) function wet and b) dry quickly. Gore-Tex or leather would be a disaster.



And another comment. My Salomon’s were incredibly durable- everywhere except that top mesh. Many was the time I’d scrape them hard against something really sharp and look down expecting damage and there was nary a mark. In other words, absolutely zero “chunking”. My wife’s Altra’s were a different story. They are made of much softer rubber and kind of “eroded” as the trip went on. I’ll find them and take a pic.

Our filtration system. Dirty bag, Sawyer, clean bag. Requires a cheap adaptor- details on request. You can also use a Smart Water bottle to squeeze through to another one. You will not wear out the very light, incredibly durable Smart Water bottle. Big hint. . Geez, I sound like Larry. First pic is the Chama, where that water came from… I was carrying a Tenkara rod and planned on catching some trout there- which I used to do in the 70’s there as a kid- but obviously that wasn’t happening. You can see Cyn getting water if you look closely.



The Sawyer is awesome. Look at that. That’s after 6+ weeks of filtering god only knows what. Same filter… Never so much as funny-smelling farts from bad water.

Jeff, looks like you're using a cnoc bag for your dirty? In over 25 years of backpacking here in Montana, I've never treated water. One of the benefits of living here. Even on a 3 mos long Appalachian Trail trip in 1977 I think I treated water only twice (back then it was Halazone). But much of the CDT is another story, and there's no way I'd be drinking in cattle country without a Sawyer, BeFree, et al.

Yeah, goretex in hiking shoes is a zero. I quit buying them with it a few years back. I still use my goretex ones for spring snowshoeing, but that's about it. Same here on the Ultra's, they fit me great and I love the lace system! I'm just wanting to try something with more cushion, and the Hoka seems like the ticket. We'll see. Both the Altra's I've seen on trail, and those of friends, have left me unimpressed durability-wise. I'd like to see your wife's.

Yeah, CNOC for dirty and EverNew for clean and then the blue adaptor you see. Hang it, set up the Duplex or whatever, gravity does the work and there’s 2 liters clean water.

We tried a BeFree and it was the BEST…. Until it stops working. The Sawyer is field-maintainable but the BeFree really isn’t.

FWIW, the goretex X-Ultra’s are really good shoes. I toggle between those and the regular ones depending on the season; we have very wet winters here and they do a good job of keeping my socks dry on day hikes and around the property in the wet grass and weeds and so on. But for through-hiking type stuff, no way. They’d never dry out. They’d get really stinky.

I’ll track down her Altra’s and snap a pic—

The erosion I was talking about. These were new at the beginning so this wear is after the same 600+ miles as my Salomons.

As folks are looking at this, and judging the brand, please contemplate what 600 miles really means in this context. 600 miles is considered solid mileage to get from shoes in a through-hiking context.



The treads:



Turns out, one can buy a decent set of heavy repair needles for just a few bucks at WalMart:



And this is my dog, lol. My new phone keeps spitting these slideshows at me from my pics and I went “awwww!” and screen-shot this as it went by. She was pretty happy to see us when we got back.