Hi,

from many accumulated kilometres walked in rivers and creeks on whitewater kayaking trips over many years, I can tell you one thing:

Whatever you choose to do, do NOT go barefeet, on socks, in flip-flops or crockers.

Hiking boots are best, trail running shoes or running shoes can be ok if it's not too extreme and you're careful. Where you can clearly see the ground and it's not more than knee deep, well fitting Tevas or similar can be acceptable, but the fact that they leave your toes basically unprotected means that if your foot slips forward and crashes into something sharp, the rest of your trip may be problematic and painful.

Not using proper footwear during river crossings is one of the main reasons why people fall into the water with all consequences including injury, hypothermia and drowning, and also a good example of a seriously misguided lightweight approach, imho.

I wear Falke Trekking Coolmax socks which are medium thick; where I hike, with river crossings or without, I often have wet feet all day due to serious rain. My shoes fit really well and have been worn in for quite some time, and this combination allows me to walk for days in totally wet socks and shoes without getting any serious blisters, if any.

Everyone will have to find their own best combination of socks and shoes, but I can say from my own experience that that is possible - you may just have to experiment a while until you find your own best solution.

From my experience in river reading and in walking in rivers I can clearly say that more often than not I would rather walk in soaked shoes and socks, even if it means blisters, or even turn back, than walk through with inadequate or no footwear. I have simply seen too much carnage caused by that.

Just my 2c...

Cheers,

Matt