Me wearing my wet hikers, looking back on the swamp I ended up in.

My new hiking boots met their fate in a flodded out section of trail in Torrance Barrens Provincial Conservation Preserve. Although the weather was dry this late-fall day, the trails had many wet patches due to rains the previous week. My partner and I were trekking along a back country trail in this unique landscape.

I was wearing my Salomon Exit Mid GTX 2000 hikers. I can't rave enough about how great these boots are. Very comfortable, and well designed. The inside of the boots have only one seam, and a smooth inner lining, making them great shoes to wear without socks. My feet were working up a sweat inside, as we hiked about 4km through the preserve.

Upon reaching a flooded section, I attempted to cross using the logs and branches that previous trail-blazers had left behind. I lost my balance half way, and my left boot ended up in the foot-deep, swampy water. After getting over the initial shock, and uttering a few words that I won't repeat here, I regained my composure.

Knowing what I had to do to even things out, I of course dunked my right boot into the water as well. The water poured over the collar of the boots, and my feet were soon squishing around inside.

I continued crossing, and rested on a large rock after reaching the other side of the water. Off came the boots, and I squeezed out the water as best I could. I recalled that the box the boots came in described the colour as "swamp"--seems appropriate.

I put the wet, and now cold, boots back on my bare feet, and tried them out. A bit squishy, but we could continue the trek. The sweat from my feet adding to the moisture as I continued walking, and the boots quickly warmed up.

At the end of the hike, I decided to "clean" the swampy water from the boots by taking a walk in a nearby lake. Once again, my boots filled with water, as my sockless feet twitched inside. The boots, now double-drenched, were wrung out again. I then changed into some dry footwear for the drive on.

The boots survived the ordeal, and were dry enough to continue hiking the next day. But by the end, my sweaty feet had made them wet again, this time from the inside.

Dunked!

Algonquin Park, Ontario (the day after)