>>2544702>Also, I got frostbite (twice!) From wearing wet boots in 20 degree weather. My doctor said if it happens again I'll most likely lose some toes. Shit still hurts when my feet are cold.That's because a fraction of the capillaries in the extremities of your toes were killed. This reduces circulation and makes it that much easier to get frostbitten again, since the toes are now less able to keep themselves warm than they were before being frostbitten. Nasty stuff.
Anyway, yes, when it's freezing cold, by all means wear insulated and waterproof footwear. The natives did it too, in the form of, say, sealskin moccasins. Keep that water out and off your feet.
When it's warm, in my opinion, everyone ought to stop being sopping wet vaginas and walk their entire shoe through the water. Select a very lightweight, breathable shoe, wear a merino sock, and leave the giant white man trail tractor mid boots at home. I have in fact actually done this, sometimes by accident; for example, I once went to step over a tiny little rivulet, and my foot sank ankle-deep into mud (disguised by duckweed), saturating my shoe. But because it was a breathable trail runner instead of giant tractor, I simply washed them off in the rivulet, put them back on soaking wet, and they were almost entirely dry by the time we made camp.
If you insist on taking off your shoes and using water shoes, look into the Xero Aqua X. I have a pair and I love them, wear them for fishing, boating, and light day hiking all the time, but you can tie them to your pack to use for crossings on more serious hikes.
It's not always a good idea to make crossings barefoot. There may be glass in there, it might be slippery, etc.
