• We’re currently investigating an issue related to the forum theme and styling that is impacting page layout and visual formatting. The problem has been identified, and we are actively working on a resolution. There is no impact to user data or functionality, this is strictly a front-end display issue. We’ll post an update once the fix has been deployed. Thanks for your patience while we get this sorted.

My feet are cold.

REI+Merino+wool+socks.jpg


Merino wool socks, seriously warm.
 
Went out hunting tonight, stayed in my stand until it was dark. All of the smaller trees are bent over from the weight of the snow & ice. That resulted in losing my bearings a little bit. I wasn't lost - I could even see my house from up on top of the hill. However, there's only 1 place where I can make it down the hill & remain on my feet. The rest of the hill is too steep. How steep? - While walking my dogs a couple years ago, one of them went down over the bank & got stuck on a ledge. It couldn't get up or down from that ledge. That steep.

Unfortunately, I wasn't on the right "path" and instead, found myself sliding downhill into a much steeper section. If that's not bad enough, there's a foot of snow on top of muddy ground. Steep AND slippery. NOT fun. By the time I got down the hill, it was nearly pitch black out, except for the stars & milky way. I could make out more than 5 stars in the pleiades. That's enough light for me under most circumstances. Unfortunately, it's not enough light to make out the depth of the creek where I had to cross. Trees, a small waterfall, and the steepness of the terrain prevented me from getting to "my" crossing spot where I've set out some boulders to hop from one to the next. With all the rain & snow and flooding in Western NY, my creek was pretty swollen. I couldn't get downstream to my crossing spot, so had to wade across the creek - in my sneakers. It's ice water. I chose a wide area, because I knew it'd only be 6-8" deep in that section. My feet were soaked. Then, I had to trudge my way through the rest of the woods to my field, and walk another couple hundred yards through foot deep snow to get to my house. My shoes were bricks of ice by the time I arrived.

Nope, my feet aren't cold. You must just be a pansy.
 
Last edited:
DrPizza said:
Went out hunting tonight, stayed in my stand until it was dark. All of the smaller trees are bent over from the weight of the snow & ice. That resulted in losing my bearings a little bit. I wasn't lost - I could even see my house from up on top of the hill. However, there's only 1 place where I can make it down the hill & remain on my feet. The rest of the hill is too steep. How steep? - While walking my dogs a couple years ago, one of them went down over the bank & got stuck on a ledge. It couldn't get up or down from that ledge. That steep.

Unfortunately, I wasn't on the right "path" and instead, found myself sliding downhill into a much steeper section. If that's not bad enough, there's a foot of snow on top of muddy ground. Steep AND slippery. NOT fun. By the time I got down the hill, it was nearly pitch black out, except for the stars & milky way. I could make out more than 5 stars in the pleiades. That's enough light for me under most circumstances. Unfortunately, it's not enough light to make out the depth of the creek where I had to cross. Trees, a small waterfall, and the steepness of the terrain prevented me from getting to "my" crossing spot where I've set out some boulders to hop from one to the next. With all the rain & snow and flooding in Western NY, my creek was pretty swollen. I couldn't get downstream to my crossing spot, so had to wade across the creek - in my sneakers. It's ice water. I chose a wide area, because I knew it'd only be 6-8" deep in that section. My feet were soaked. Then, I had to trudge my way through the rest of the woods to my field, and walk another couple hundred yards through foot deep snow to get to my house. My shoes were bricks of ice by the time I arrived.

Nope, my feet aren't cold. You must just be a pansy.
Click to expand...

tl:dr
Hey, I'm no pansy:twisted:
 
dr150 said:
Curl them up underneath your balls.

You'll be good to go in 10 minutes.
Click to expand...

lol, our football coach always told us to hold our balls to keep our hands warm. Pretty much everyone did so it was a funny sight to see 30+ guys standing around with their hands down their pants. It worked though.
 
mcurphy said:
lol, our football coach always told us to hold our balls to keep our hands warm. Pretty much everyone did so it was a funny sight to see 30+ guys standing around with their hands down their pants. It worked though.
Click to expand...

arm pits first, balls only if necessary
 
Drink syrup instead of water; as you bloat up and your body stops handling the sugar your feet will undergo neuropathy, this will make them feel like they are on fire: BAM no more cold feet!

This may take a little while, but I believe in you!

Also... wool socks = awesome.
 
DrPizza said:
Went out hunting tonight, stayed in my stand until it was dark. All of the smaller trees are bent over from the weight of the snow & ice. That resulted in losing my bearings a little bit. I wasn't lost - I could even see my house from up on top of the hill. However, there's only 1 place where I can make it down the hill & remain on my feet. The rest of the hill is too steep. How steep? - While walking my dogs a couple years ago, one of them went down over the bank & got stuck on a ledge. It couldn't get up or down from that ledge. That steep.

Unfortunately, I wasn't on the right "path" and instead, found myself sliding downhill into a much steeper section. If that's not bad enough, there's a foot of snow on top of muddy ground. Steep AND slippery. NOT fun. By the time I got down the hill, it was nearly pitch black out, except for the stars & milky way. I could make out more than 5 stars in the pleiades. That's enough light for me under most circumstances. Unfortunately, it's not enough light to make out the depth of the creek where I had to cross. Trees, a small waterfall, and the steepness of the terrain prevented me from getting to "my" crossing spot where I've set out some boulders to hop from one to the next. With all the rain & snow and flooding in Western NY, my creek was pretty swollen. I couldn't get downstream to my crossing spot, so had to wade across the creek - in my sneakers. It's ice water. I chose a wide area, because I knew it'd only be 6-8" deep in that section. My feet were soaked. Then, I had to trudge my way through the rest of the woods to my field, and walk another couple hundred yards through foot deep snow to get to my house. My shoes were bricks of ice by the time I arrived.

Nope, my feet aren't cold. You must just be a pansy.
Click to expand...

You're old enough to know better. Hunting in the snow in sneakers?? You don't carry a good flashlight, either??
 
cardiac said:
You're old enough to know better. Hunting in the snow in sneakers?? You don't carry a good flashlight, either??
Click to expand...

From the time I got home until it was too late to hunt was about 20 minutes. Sneakers are fast and light, boots are heavier and slow. I made a big circle & approached my property from the rear; I wouldn't have even been in a good position to hunt within 20 minutes if I had boots.

As far as being disoriented, it was only from the sentence immediately preceding it. I would have been disoriented in broad daylight from all the trees leaning over. There's 1 path down; it's about a foot wide & requires holding on to a few saplings to keep from falling. You can't just walk down it. I held on to the wrong trees & wound up in the wrong place. The only thing a flashlight would have possibly (but not necessarily) helped me with is crossing the creek where it's 5 inches deep instead of 8 inches deep. I know the area well enough to avoid the 3 feet deep holes; and can see them anyway. Tonight, I could go for a 5 mile walk through the woods without a flashlight, without moonlight, and do just fine. Flashlight not needed. And, I frequently hike in the winter wearing sneakers, in the snow. It just depends on how long I'll be out. > 2 hours: boots.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Back
Top