by balzaccom » Mon Feb 18, 2019 8:10 am
A lot of hiking shoes can handle water, at least for a few miles. I would worry more about fit and comfort that hiking in the water. I've used lots of different boots and shoes over the years, and very few of them really caused problems once they got wet. Get boots that fit well. That's the main priority.
Now, hiking in wet boots will bother your feet if you do it for a long time, unless you either switch to dry socks or wear at least two pairs of good socks. The inner pair should be synthetic to wick moister away from your feet. Again, this is more of an issue over a many day hike than it is for a single day-hike.
And like AT, I've hiked a few miles in Crocs--but the trail was flat and not rocky. Rocks can chew up Crocs quicker than they chew up Vibram soles.
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