Читать книгу Afoot & Afield: Atlanta. 108 Spectacular Outings in North-Central Georgia онлайн

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Clothing

Another important step in the planning process is determining the clothing and gear you need. And there may be no more important piece of equipment than your footwear. An ill-fitting pair of shoes or boots can quickly ruin a day in the woods. Whether you choose to wear a lightweight pair of low-cut hiking shoes, a midweight pair of boots, or heavy, all-leather boots, get your footwear well in advance of your hike and test it before hitting the trail. You don’t want to find out halfway through a long day’s journey that your shoes don’t fit. For cold, wet conditions, people often seek out a shoe or boot with a waterproof membrane such as Gore-Tex. That’s a good idea, but keep in mind that, in the South, high levels of humidity limit the ability of waterproof footwear to breathe. Some people prefer to buy a synthetic or leather shoe without a membrane and then add topical waterproofing agents. Also, if you wear shoes while crossing streams, water will flow in through the top and they’ll get completely soaked. In this case, water can escape more easily from a shoe that is not waterproof, and it will dry more quickly. Usually, I carry sandals or water shoes for stream crossings, so that I can keep my main hiking shoes and boots dry.