Looking for flammable footwear.

Flammable footwear, it's all the rage in Sweden, you should try it.

Basically, I am going to start going to the Black Canyon more. If there is one thing I hate more than ticks and poison ivy it's carrying damn shoes or sandals up routes.

I went down there in socks once, I made it but my feet were wrecked. Another time I went down there in wall shoes (hiking boots with approach shoe rubber, sized tighter than a walking shoe), it made walking easy but I was at my limit on 10+, I don't plan to handicap myself like that again.

My new plan, because I'm a genius, is to make shoes out of cardboard and torch the motherfuckers at the bottom. If you're at all familiar with the Tarahumara Indians in Mexico and their Huaraches running sandals, you know where I'm going with this. If you're not, look them up, they are a completely badass people in every way.

So, a sandal made of cardboard should last to the base of the black and I'd only have to drag some shoe laces up. Since I'm planning to torch them though, I would prefer to use as little duct-tape to reinforce them as possible. I also think they would be slick as snot (my snot is almost as sticky as Boreal Fusion).

I just can't think of a material that will burn without letting off crazy chemicals, that is durable enough to walk down rocks for 1/2 mile, isn't desperately slick, and is cheap enough to be disposable. Does it exist?

My only other idea is to have my climbing partner carry me down and he can carry his own damn shoes up the routes.

This seems like a crazy plan, but more power to you...I have made sandals out of Juniper bark before. Just look up how to weave baskets with Juniper bark...and make a flat, elongated basket. It took me about an hour though, so you probably dont want to burn them. I say this because perhaps you could coopt the technique and use something easier to weave? In any case they would be super light, and maybe not such a bitch to cart up the climb

you could coil some thin hemp rope and glue it to the bottom of the cardboard with regular white glue.

You can use organic burlap, which will burn fast, and is biodegradable.

johnL wrote: Racist!

This coming from the guy who's talking about burning souls at the Black Canyon.

Edit: Oh...soles. My bad.

He's just overly sensitive these days; like his feet will be when running on scree in his primitive sandals. : )

johnL wrote:The idea of using a racially neutral gluestick (I thing they are purple) and gluing burlap on the bottom sounds about right.

hahahaha this is a really funny thread. love it!

johnL wrote:Gigi, you just n00bed yourself. There is no running on the approach (deproach?) to the black. It's some steep walking, a couple scramble, and some raps off fixed lines.

D'OH!

Well, for your information...I did do a drive by once, but the damned place was covered with all that white stuff. ; )

Edit to add: If there's no scree, and you're so smart, then just get in a burlap bag and slide, hop, and slither, and lower your self in your potato sack down the fixed lines.

I'm done with your thread.

This reminds me of a plan I once had to build some disposable snowshoes out of branches to help approach an alpine climb I was gonna go up and over. I think it would've worked if my handiwork was better.

Just toughen up and go bare feet. Even for climbing, I found that a month of gradually increasing the time bare foot climbing should get them in great shape. I can climb a lot harder in bare feet than in aproach shoes by the way.

I've had good luck smearing the front of my Sanuks with Stealth paint. They got me to the base of Washington Column and down the N. Dome Gully. No burning though, I had to suck it up and carry them.

How far is the hike? Why not just hike down in your rock shoes. Just get some old man trad shoes and you will be fine.

sanuks, halarious. if you burn them at the base how are getting back to your car once done climbing, barefoot? or do the climbs top out near where you park?

Strap some Clif Bars to your feet. Hike in...eat...climb out.

Why not strap a couple slices of pizza on there? if that's the direction you're gonna go. Clif bars are to real food as cardboard is to shoes.

re: sanuks- I wasn't advocating burning them. They're light enough that they are virtually unnoticeable in a small pack and serve to pad your back a bit.

Lots of climbs in the Black Canyon do in fact top out 'near where you park,' so barefoot at the summit isn't such a big deal.

ha i was just thinking of the least toxic glue that might still burn. Didnt think of the purple glue sticks since the glue sucks.

Alternative to glue would be to use an Awl to punch through the carboard and essentially sew the hemp/burlap around the outer edge of the cardboard. I would fold the ends of the fabric up over the cardboard so it stays taught and doesnt just rip through the cardboard.

T

Might as well do some stone knapping in them shoes.

I got this. Get a bucket and a 2000' piece of cord. Tie the bucket to the cord, lower it down the cliff, tie the top end of the cord to your bumper. Hike down in whaterve is most comfortable, put on your climbing kicks a tthe base and put your hiking shoes in the bucket. Send, then drive 2000' forward, then 2000' in reverse, retrieve your shoes in the bucket.

Bunny slippers + stealth dot + trained falcon

No old man trad shoes - so these shoes are for all the young kid sport routes in the Black? Forgive me. I assumed you'd be carrying a rack, and the shoes would therefore be an unmanageable burden. With a dozen draws and a toothbrush, you can't clip some sneakers to your butt?

johnL wrote: What diameter of cord?

Why bother lugging your heavy-ass climbing shoes *down* the whole way -- stick 'em in the bucket! They'll be waiting for you after you've hiked down. Then swap hiking shoes for climbing shoes...Hell, you could even put other things in the bucket -- iced champagne to celebrate the send for example.