The presence of venomous snakes, boggy tracks and thorny shrub are among the most common reasons why esp. in Australia many people wear gaiters while bush walking. As I learned on my last hike, sand and sun are two more good reasons to use them.
The unforgiving Australian sun manages to burn your skin even at a cloudy day. If you (as I was) are too credulous to put on sun screen on your legs, you may easily end up like I did (see picture). That is no fun!
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| Could have been both avoided wearing gaiters: Sun burn and blister. |
Sandy trails and beaches are beautiful terrain but walking them for long distances is a bit of a hardie. Further more, the most extensively worn-in hiking boots and 2 layers of socks won't help avoiding blisters if sand is getting into your shoes. Walking long tracks or even multi-day hikes or even better through river and mud is no fun with big open blisters on your heel.
What do we learn?
Good judgement is a result of experience. Experience is a result of bad judgement.
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