Camping and woodcraft - Scoutmastercg.com

156 CAMPING AND WOODCRAFTbut they do not grip on slippery roots,on footlogs,or on leaf-strewn mountain sides.Boots.— By boots I mean any soled footgear withtops more than eight inches high. Engineers whodo more standing around than walking m.ay be allright in high-topped boots that lace up the legs, andhave buckles besides, but there are mighty few placeswhere a sportsman should be seen in such rig. Theimportance of going lightly shod when one has to domuch tramping is not appreciated by a novice.Let me show what it means. Suppose that a manin fair training can carry on his back a weight offorty pounds, on good roads, w-ithout excessive fatigue.Now shift that load from his back andfasten half of it on each foot — how far will he go?You see the difference between carrying on yourback and lifting with your feet. Very well ; a pairuf single-soled low shoes weighs about two and ahalf pounds. A pair of boots with double soles andsixteen or seventeen-inch tops weighs about four andSI half pounds. In ten miles there are 21,120 averagepaces. At one extra pound to the pace theboots make you lift, in a ten-mile tramp, over tentons more footgear than if you wore the shoes.Nor is that all. The boots afford no outlet foihot air and perspiration. They are stiff, clumsy,and very likely to blister your feet and ankles.When they are brand new, you can wade shallowsin them and keep your feet dry; but soon the seamsare bouna to open and no dubbing will ever closethem again. Anyhow, if you fall in fording, or stephalf an inch too deep, it will take five minutes toremove those boots, pour out the w^ater, and put.them on again. Then if they dry out overnightyou are uncommonly lucky.And how are the boots in warm, dry weather?They keep the feet and legs wet all the time withstagnant perspiration. No — take six-inch shoesand light leggings, with a pair of waterproofed" pacs " in reserve for wet going. If you hunt in a