Shoes for Buckskin Gulch

[Mudcat]

OK, this seems like a really stupid question, but ... I'm hiking Buckskin for the first time this month and trying to decide what shoes to wear. I've never liked having to hike in my 5.10's, and BG in a day is a long walk for uncomfortable shoes. I've got other closed-toe drainable shoes, but they don't have nearly the grip of my 5.10's when wet. My question--do you need a really sticky sole for Buckskin? Is it greasy bowling-ball slippery like The Narrows?

And since it's before Memorial Day, is it still proper to wear white? :haha:

Thanks,
Bill

[Corey]

We did Wire Pass and about 2.5 miles of Buckskin the last weekend of March.

Wire Pass was dry, just wore our hiking boots. Buckskin had 8-10 pools, maybe 20-50 feet long and knee deep at the deepest. We wore water sandals. They worked well for the water, but between the water holes the sand started to grind between the sandals and my bare feet. I was glad to get to the water to wash of the sand. The mud in the bottom of the water holes was slippery. My niece went down butt first in the first patch of water.

The floor of Buckskin was sand with some patches of rocks. There was a packed trail in the sandy spots. In the short distance that we were in the canyon, there were no obstacles that required sticky soles.

[Brian in SLC]

OK, this seems like a really stupid question, but ... I'm hiking Buckskin for the first time this month and trying to decide what shoes to wear. I've never liked having to hike in my 5.10's, and BG in a day is a long walk for uncomfortable shoes. I've got other closed-toe drainable shoes, but they don't have nearly the grip of my 5.10's when wet. My question--do you need a really sticky sole for Buckskin? Is it greasy bowling-ball slippery like The Narrows?l

Nah, not really slippery. And the one place you down climb a tad doesn't make it worth taking a shoe that doesn't fit so well. Mostly hiking on firm sandy type surfaces, I dimly recall.

We did Buckskin to the Paria and out in a day in just our normal trail/running/hiking shoes, probably Nike running shoes. I'd probably recommend a change of socks is all. For the short amount of water we had, I didn't consider any drainage type shoe.

-Brian in SLC

[Iceaxe]

Sticky rubber is not required for buckskin. Just about any shoe that is comfortable to hike in wet will work just just great. While I'm not a big fan of Teva's my wife hikes buckskin in neosocks and Teva's.

Buckskin can vary a lot, sometimes hard packed sand, sometimes soft sand, sometimes a thin layer of dry clay over hard sand.... and the worst of all... sometimes a thin layer of slippery wet snot over wet sand.

Sometimes I never get me feet wet.... other times I'm wading to chest deep....

Have fun, it's one of my favorite canyons.

Best Buckskin Route Description on the Planet
http://climb-utah.com/Escalante/buckskin.htm

http://climb-utah.com/Escalante/Files/buckskin3.jpg

[ratagonia]

OK, this seems like a really stupid question, but ... I'm hiking Buckskin for the first time this month and trying to decide what shoes to wear. I've never liked having to hike in my 5.10's, and BG in a day is a long walk for uncomfortable shoes. I've got other closed-toe drainable shoes, but they don't have nearly the grip of my 5.10's when wet. My question--do you need a really sticky sole for Buckskin? Is it greasy bowling-ball slippery like The Narrows?l

Nah, not really slippery. And the one place you down climb a tad doesn't make it worth taking a shoe that doesn't fit so well. Mostly hiking on firm sandy type surfaces, I dimly recall.

We did Buckskin to the Paria and out in a day in just our normal trail/running/hiking shoes, probably Nike running shoes. I'd probably recommend a change of socks is all. For the short amount of water we had, I didn't consider any drainage type shoe.

-Brian in SLC

Neoprene socks are big help in keeping the sand away from your skin. But, they add a half-size to your shoe, so make sure the shoes are large enough.

Tom

[Mudcat]

I thank you all, and my feet thank you. And Shane, Buckskin has been on my list ever since I read your description a few years ago.

[stefan]

one year i did the buckskin when it was totally dry, and we knew it would be totally dry. no cess pools, mud whatever.

i decided to wear chacos for the 5 day trip down to lee's ferry; i had been impressed by the comfort level of these shoes and i wanted to test them out with weight on a multi-day trip. my buddy loves to take photos, so we stopped alot on our way through the buckskin and at some point we were passed up by an older man and two older boys, one of which i assumed was his son. they were hiking in mid-weight solid leather boots.

we could hear them behind us, and while we were photographing one section of slot, they came marching through like soldiers. the older man was on point and i at the rear of my group of 3. he marched up and barely slowed down to a crawl, looked down sharply at my feet, then looked back up at me, and, with deadpan delivery, says "Expecting water?" Then proceeds to march forward with his boys. as i looked at his boys pass, his words replayed in my mind a few times, but i had added a word i had immediately expected with his hawkish tone, "Expecting water, soldier?" needless to say, it provided a humorous line to be repeated throughout the trip, after all, we were heading to lees ferry ... yes, we were expecting water, eventually.

we camped that night just before the opening of the terminal slot of the buckskin and didn't see the other group until the following day. very little water appeared in the wash near the confluence and it deepend a bit just below the confluence. after we started down canyon from the confluence, we met up with the man and the 2 boys ... they were wading up above their ankles in their solid leather boots, splashing around soaked in the water. it was slightly amusing given the curt exchange in the buckskin. before we might have even thought of saying anything, the now-extroverted older man flooded the canyon with loud explanations of where the springs downcanyon are, how they're flowing and what not. we said thanks and bid them a good day.

while i very much enjoyed the chacos in this canyon, my personal favorite shoe for hiking/backpacking, especially when wading is involved, is the La Sportiva Exum Ridge. hands down. some complain about the sand that gets in. mine get some, but that shoe feels as good to me wet as it does dry, it drains well, and it's the most comfortable shoe i've hiked with weight. it just tends to get quickly shredded in tight slot canyons.

[shaggy125]

I've been in Buckskin 3 times and all three it has been a horrible, slippery, muddy, full of quicksand, not even fun to walk in MESS... so others are luckier than I am. I don't think Sticky Rubber would stand a chance against the sticky mud so might as well wear something comfy.

[Cirrus2000]

My trip last year down Buckskin was really quite dry. Deepest water was just above the knees. I took along 3 pairs of footwear for the complete trip down BG and the Paria to Lees Ferry: Leather Meindl backpacking boots, a pair of old leather and synthetic Columbia approach shoes, and a pair of Tevas. Along with those, I had regular socks, and a pair of neoprene socks. Still haven't invested in "canyoneering" shoes, because I love those old hiking shoes so much.

Anyway, the shoes (with neoprene) were great through Buckskin, the Tevas & neo-sox were great on day 2 (first few miles through Paria - LOTS of wading), the boots/regular sox were good on day 3 (lots less water crossings) and back to the shoes with regular sox on day 4 (mix of calf-deep water crossings and cross country). May seem like overkill, but it worked out really well...

Post hike, in the parking lot at Lees Ferry:
http://kev.cirruswebsolutions.ca/uutah/0304/IMGP2900.JPG