“You’re Going Canoeing...But What About Your Feet! ©”

 

 

What should you wear on your feet when you go canoeing?  Photograph by the Author.

 

Did you ever give any thought to what you should wear on your feet on a canoe trek?  Probably not, since why should you worry about your feet when you’re canoeing, I mean your arms and shoulders are doing all the work, right!

 

Well, one of the quickest ways to take all the fun out of a canoe trip is to hurt your foot!  An open wound on your foot will not heal during a canoe trip because it will be constantly wet, since you should always step into the water when getting into or out of a canoe and you should always load or unload your canoe while it is afloat¹.

 

So, what to wear...

 

The Author’s Teva® sandals, never, ever wear open toed shoes in the wilderness, it is a recipe for foot injury.  Photograph by the Author.

First off, never, ever, ever, go barefoot, in camp, when swimming or when canoeing, there could be leeches, broken glass, sharp rocks, mussel or clam shells, pointy sticks, and who knows what else, that could cut, puncture, scrape or slice your feet.  And don’t wear opened toed shoes or sandals!  Wearing open toed sandals and shoes is simply a decent way of going bare foot.  Wearing open toed anytime in the wilderness, but especially when wading through a marsh to reach a portage path or walking over and around rocks to reach a shoreline, is a recipe for cuts, gashes, split toenails or even getting a splinter between your toes or under a toenail!

 

A pair of KEEN® style water shoes, photograph by the Author.

Most canoe guides that I know wear, KEEN® style water shoes, although you don’t have to buy KEEN® brand water shoes, since I have found that the models sold at Cabela’s® and other big box stores work just as well.  I prefer Palladium canvas boots, because they offer superior ankle support and protection and I like the way the heavy tread of the molded rubber outsole grips slippery rocks and logs.  You could also wear a pair of sneakers; they will work just as well.

 

The Author’s Palladium canvas boots, photograph by the Author.

Always wear socks...

 

And no matter what shoes you decide to wear, always wear socks with them, because mud and silt will get inside your shoes and if you are not wearing socks, it will rub your feet raw.  The socks work as shields, keeping the abrasive sand and mud between the inside of the shoe and the sock and away from your skin.  Some guides like to wear wool socks, but I prefer wearing a cheap synthetic sock, inside my water shoes, because the sand and silt rubbing on the sock destroys the sock over time and I would rather ruin a pair of cheap synthetic socks than an expensive wool pair!

 

Check your feet at night...

 

Pictures of the author’s right foot after canoeing all day on a windy 70^oF/21^oC day.  Note in the first picture, the blanched appearance of my foot and how the area below the sock line is whiter than the area above it.  Also notice how my toenails are white and not a healthy pink.  Both of my feet were in the early stages of immersion-foot.  Pictures by the Author.

 

You should always change out of your wet water shoes and into a dry pair of camp shoes at night or when you come off the water, after first setting up the bear-bag, tarp shelter and your tents, of course!  Again, your camp shoes should be closed toed, no open toed shoes in the wilderness!  I like to bring a pair of wool socks which are my dedicated “dry” socks that I only wear around the camp, because I find that the wool socks help my feet to dry out and warm up.  If it is raining, or otherwise wet, I leave my dry camp shoes and socks in my tent and wear the wet water shoes until I can keep my feet dry.  By allowing your feet to warm up and dry out, you can prevent any immersion foot, from getting worse.  Immersion foot is a cold injury which can happen at any time but is common in the summer.

 

A pair of swim shoes, the Author’s favorite type of camp shoe, light, quick to dry if they get wet and inexpensive, photograph by the Author.

You should also inspect your feet for signs of damage, red marks, abrasions, cuts, etc., and treat them when you change into your camp shoes and socks.  Also, you should keep your toenails trimmed, this can help to keep them from being damaged.  Cut your “toenails short and square, and straight across (Figure C-1)”².

 

An excerpt from Foot Marches, Field Manual No. 21-18, by the Headquarters, Department of The Army, page C-2

Don’t forget to come back next week and read “Could You Survive Hiking in the Desert, Sunblindness or Dehydration ©”, where I will post an article from the Spokane Daily Chronicle, August 9, 1977, on survival in the desert.

 

I hope that you continue to enjoy The Woodsman’s Journal Online and look for me on YouTube at Bandanaman Productions for other related videos, HERE.  Don’t forget to follow me on both The Woodsman’s Journal Online, HERE, and subscribe to BandanaMan Productions on YouTube.  If you have questions, as always, feel free to leave a comment on either site.  I announce new articles on Facebook at Eric Reynolds, on Instagram at bandanamanaproductions, and on VK at Eric Reynolds, so watch for me.

 

That is all for now, and as always, until next time, Happy Trails!

 

 

Notes

 

¹ This is called “wet-footing” or “wet foot” entry or exit and this is important because canoes can be damaged by waves slapping them onto the shore or onto obstacles, or by being loaded on the beach and then being dragged into the water or by being pulled onto the beach to be unloaded.

 

² Foot Marches, Field Manual No. 21-18, by the Headquarters, Department of The Army, pages C-1 to C-2.

 

Sources

 

Headquarters, Department of The Army; Foot Marches, Field Manual No. 21-18, [Washington, DC, June 1990], pages C-1 to C-2.