Hiking boots needed for Mendenhall?

[Darr83]

Hi folks,

Due to back problems my husband gets his shoes by prescription from an orthodics store. They are quite expensive.

 

The only hiking we will be doing is to the falls at the Mendenhall Glacier, which from reading here is about an hour walk.

 

We are doing the Chilkoot tour in Skagway as well, but I do not see where there is any hiking involved or long walks.

 

My question is. Should we go through the expense of getting waterproof hiking boots just for the hike at Mendenhall to the falls?

 

I have read where people say their feet got wet on this walk.

 

Any direction anyone can give would be greatly appreciated!

 

Thanks!

[Yukon]

Most days I wear sport sandals. There's no need for hiking boots - the new trail at Mendenhall has eliminated the wet spots.

[Darr83]

Thanks! That saves me a bucket of money to spend on other things on the cruise!

[Jen1000]

When we were there in September 2010 it was raining and puddles had formed. I am not sure if we were on the new trail, old trail or both. But we did need to walk through water several times and my Mom turned back because her feet were getting wet.

 

Jen in SoCal

 

Hi folks,

Due to back problems my husband gets his shoes by prescription from an orthodics store. They are quite expensive.

 

The only hiking we will be doing is to the falls at the Mendenhall Glacier, which from reading here is about an hour walk.

 

We are doing the Chilkoot tour in Skagway as well, but I do not see where there is any hiking involved or long walks.

 

My question is. Should we go through the expense of getting waterproof hiking boots just for the hike at Mendenhall to the falls?

 

I have read where people say their feet got wet on this walk.

 

Any direction anyone can give would be greatly appreciated!

 

Thanks!

[NHsnowpup]

Hi folks,

 

My question is. Should we go through the expense of getting waterproof hiking boots just for the hike at Mendenhall to the falls?

 

I have read where people say their feet got wet on this walk.

 

Any direction anyone can give would be greatly appreciated!

 

Thanks!

 

Waterproofing spray or rub in, depending on the shoes you already have, should work fine for all your walkabouts. Check at an outdoor sports shop and see what they have and reccommend. It is a fairly level hike/walk with some option choices to negotiate around most wet spots. We were there last July. One of the highlights of our trip.

[Putterdude]

Any decent pair of shoes are adequate, the trails are all compact and well groomed. There are any number of waterproof sprays that can be applied to leather shoes to make them waterproof. Last fall as an experiment I took a pair of low cut Columbia hiking shoes that had a lot of fabric, gave them 3 sprays of waterproofing then turned a hose on them...the water just beaded.

[chipmaster]

The trails at Mendenhall are all flat and not ones that will run you the risk of turning your ankle or worst. Hiking boots are must when the going is difficult and you are miles from civilization.

 

If it is raining good footwear to keep you dry and warm is important but beyond that tennis shoes or other comfortable walking shoes will be fine.

 

 

Hi folks,

Due to back problems my husband gets his shoes by prescription from an orthodics store. They are quite expensive.

 

The only hiking we will be doing is to the falls at the Mendenhall Glacier, which from reading here is about an hour walk.

 

We are doing the Chilkoot tour in Skagway as well, but I do not see where there is any hiking involved or long walks.

 

My question is. Should we go through the expense of getting waterproof hiking boots just for the hike at Mendenhall to the falls?

 

I have read where people say their feet got wet on this walk.

 

Any direction anyone can give would be greatly appreciated!

 

Thanks!

[PennyAgain]

If your worry is that your husband's very expensive custom shoes could get ruined at Mendenhall, I can see your point. The waterproofing spray will help, but if his shoes are mission critical, I would investigate some sort of overshoe to keep them bone dry.

 

If your husband is diabetic and needs to take great care with his feet, I would consider choosing another, dryer trail or going the overshoe route. No point in risking harm to his feet.

 

For myself I save my oldest walking shoes for glacier area walking as the glacier grit can really imbed into shoes. I haven't worn real hiking boots in a great many years and I walk many places that are much wetter and more slippery than Mendenhall.

[Jen1000]

Good point about waterproofing, it is not a hike where you need hiking boots, just something water proof. My cousin wore after ski boots and was fine.

 

Jen in SoCal

 

Waterproofing spray or rub in, depending on the shoes you already have, should work fine for all your walkabouts. Check at an outdoor sports shop and see what they have and reccommend. It is a fairly level hike/walk with some option choices to negotiate around most wet spots. We were there last July. One of the highlights of our trip.

[Darr83]

Great information and suggestions folks, thank you so much.

 

We are not worried about harm to his feet. He has a very bad back (spinal disease) which pains when he does alot of walking. so the shoes he has makes it less painful to walk longer distances (long for him). Which will be required even on the ship. I didn't want him to get half way there and his back start aching so much that we had to turn back. It is time for him to get new shoes and sneakers, which we will be getting next week. If we needed to add hiking boots to the list we would have. but I think I will jut waterproof his walking shoes.

 

He is only 51, but walks like he is 101. If he ends up with alot of backpain because of the amount of walking, i will never get him on another cruise!! So I am trying to make sure he is as comfy as possible :-)

 

Again, all the info was great. Thanks!

[PennyAgain]

Darr83, message received! My husband got 'creaky' at an early age as well.

 

May I suggest that you consider getting husband a good walking stick. I have a Leki brand that telescopes so it can be reduced in length for packing and increased in length for walking.

 

Also if you don't mind packing the extra weight, I would waterproof an old pair of husband's shoes for Mendenhall so you don't to worry if they get dirty on the trail.

[Darr83]

Great idea on the walking stick. I will mention it to him and see what kind of face he makes :-)

 

I will definitely be bringing the old shoes just in case. the man wanted to wear his work boots, since according to him, "they are the most comfy"!

[Wildblue]

Yeah, I know people get preconceived notions about "walking sticks", but I'm a healthy 36 year old that enjoys hiking, and I routinely use my Leki trekking poles on hikes over ANY type of terrain. They're quite handy, and very useful for many different reasons like stability and anti-fatigue. If you plan on hiking hills, poles become even much more beneficial for control and reducing wear and tear on your body. If needed, they can also serve other purposes, like fending off the very rare wild animal, or as a camera mount to take a nice, stable, pic.

 

The poles I use are similar to these. Fold up very compactly for travel. Great products.

 

[Wildblue]

(sorry, double post) But I was just going to edit that I do even use my trekking poles for hiking on paved trails. I have these little rubber feet I can pop on the end of the poles that make them great for a hard surface.

[Darr83]

Awesome! Thanks so much!

[PennyAgain]

My 'pet' Leki pole is similar to the above but decades older. It has been with me to Asia, Africa, Europe (including hiking on Iceland) and North America. A few islands as well.

 

I use it to help with stability and all the reasons listed so well above. One great use for it is to stick it in a puddle to see how deep the water is and if the bottom is stable.

 

Haven't had to use it on bears (yet).

 

Some of the newer models have a screw off handle that reveals a tripod connection for your camera.

[Putterdude]

The cost of some of these poles have got completely out of hand (IMO) but a guy came by our house here in AZ the other morning and stopped and showed me his poles. They were simply a second hand pair of fiberglass ski poles, he had cut off what we used to call the baskets and attached a rubber chair glide to each pole...worked like a darn..

[Potstech]

As has been previously stated I would look into a pair of waterproof overshoes for his existing pair of shoes. This way the expense for this one trip would be kept to a minumum. Get something from Totes or an outdoor store that would come about 8' to 16" high. Many of them are very light and would not add weight or bulk making it harder to walk. The path is gravel/dirt so there should be nothig to tear them up and then they could be used for some other purpose like around the house when it rains/snows. That would be the most economical for the walk to the glacier then you could re evaluate their need,