Re: [Paddlewise] Footwear? How about none?

From: <knelson_at_captivasoftware.com>
Date: Tue, 27 Aug 2002 07:01:10 -0700
wrote:

"I paddle barefoot. With my feet directly in contact with the pegs, I am 
more
in tune with the vibrations of the hull, allowing me to feel every ripple 
of
water as it laps against the boat and know before hand how the kayak is 
going
to react. Just kidding about that last sentence! However, I do like the
comfort of being barefoot, as long as I have a pad under my heels." 

Dang you must have tough feet! I went years and years barefoot against 
foam extensions on the front bulkhead but my new boat has pegs. I like 
footpegs well enough but I wear Chota river boots to pad my tender soles. 
I walk barefoot a lot but the pegs are just too much.Yea the Kenyans run 
barefoot marathons too, so what, I wasn't raised in Kenya. I don't like 
the water that Chotas invariably bring into the boat, or the smell. or the 
corpse like condition of my feet at the end of the day, but I haven't 
found anything better. I love sandals on flat rocky beaches, or after 
working out after work on my local lake. As far as paddling in them or 
walking tougher country , I suppose if you had the right boat they'd be 
fine, and a large portion of the world goes into some real nasty country 
wearing only sandals so it's experience not necessarily a design flaw. 
Unfortuanately my boat are too tight for sandals.

Kevin








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Received on Tue Aug 27 2002 - 07:00:36 PDT

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