You’re the trip leader for a group of teenagers on a nine-day trip in the Bitterroot Mountains of Montana. It’s June. Winter hasn’t loosened its grip. The rivers are up and every crossing has been wet. A late spring snowstorm dropped several inches of new snow and brought cooler temperatures. This has kept the mosquitoes at bay, but at the expense of being generally wet for most of the trip.
You’ve encouraged daily foot checks, changing socks, and staying as warm and dry as possible – all relative to the reality of these conditions. At today’s midday rest break you realize that no one has dry socks and one of the participants says his feet hurt.