High Sierra Topix

When I was young an not leading a group, I would do most anything to avoid wet feet: rock hopping, walking downed trees, even long jumping (with the belts unstrapped) streams up to 7 feet. Now I'm too old for that stuff and have gone back to the way I was trained. In 2011, streams were so high that I found myself pulling off the socks, putting bare feet into unlaced boots, crossing wet, and socking back up on the other side. I'll put my water shoes on if it doesn't look too problematic, but if it looks like a foot could get stuck between rocks, I go with the unlaced boots and no socks. If the boot gets stuck, the foot can come out. The water shoes are only a few ounces and I can wear them in camp with a thin wool liner-way more comfortable than keeping those boots on all evening.

When I was a guide, I worked for an organization started by a NOLS graduate. We always forded bigger streams in loose boots, sockless. Part of it was liability and part of it was the need to teach novices how to do the technique correctly and safely so that when the need arose, they would know how. Did I expect them all to do it that way every time in the future? No, just like I didn't do it when backpacking without a paying group. But in those cases where there was no log, where there were no rocks, I knew how to pick the best fording spot, and get across safely, and so did those I taught.