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I was wondering if anyone has any advise on hiking in St John wearing sport sandals such as tevas or Chacos. I wear my Chacos on pretty much anything (except heavy scree crossings) here in Colorado, but how rugged are most of the trails? Any advice? I'm trying to avoid packing a pair of shoes. Thanks
Tevas will work fine
Two thumbs up on chacos.
KGK,
Tevas or Chacos may be fine for many people but you may wish to consider the following:
In 12/05 canoebase wrote, "Since we were staying at Concordia, we took advantage of the fact that we could actually walk somewhere and hiked the trail to Ram’s Head. The trail first takes you to the beach at Salt Pond Bay…The trail continues around the shoreline and then switchbacks up Ram’s Head…I’d estimate the trail’s length at about 4.5 miles round trip, and it took us about 3 hours to walk. We’re experienced hikers and the trail was steep, rugged, and rocky. Note: This trail is rugged and may not be appropriate for those who don’t enjoy physical exertion or are out of shape. Closed-toe shoes are a must. I hiked the trail in my all-terrain New Balance athletic shoes and they worked ok, but I wished that I had my Vibram-soled hiking boots. There were only a handful of other hikers, and a couple of those were wearing Teva or other sandals, and they had to frequently stop and remove rocks, cactus thorns, and other debris from their feet. All in all, it was an enjoyable hike…The second trail we hiked was the “Reef Bay Trail”. You can do this on your own, but the National Park offers a “guided” hike twice a week. We elected to go that route, not because we needed help in the hiking department, but because we thought that the Park Ranger who leads the hike might be able to offer some insight into things we’d see along the trail…The trail is mostly downhill, but again, is rocky and rugged and closed-toe shoes are necessary unless you’re the macho type and enjoy cactus thorns in your toes..."
In 11/05, Islander wrote, "Tevas are ok, but make sure they are comfy, already broken in. I wore a relatively new pair to hike the Lameshur to Reef Bay Trail and ended up with terriable blisters on my feet. I wear strickly sneakers to hike now (yes it was that bad that I won't try Tevas or sandals again). Hiking shoes or boots aren't necessary."
did reef bay trail in tevas w/o trouble and trust--much easier on packing with one pair of shoes. came back to mainland in winter with socks&tevas,simple!
