Abbie Cheney is a volunteer Ambassador for The Cairn Project. This year, Abbie dedicated four rafting trips on the San Juan River and the Westwater canyon section of the Colorado river, AND backpacked the beautifully challenging Four Pass Loop in Colorado on a combined grand adventure to expand outdoor opportunities for more young women. While on her adventures, she tested out the Cairn 3D Adventure Sandals from Bedrock Sandals.
Bedrock sandals have truly changed the game for me. From rafting to backpacking, they have been my go to shoe when it comes to something lightweight, breathable that will also support and protect my foot. During my 3 day backpacking trip through the Maroon Bells wilderness, they were so easy to pull out during creek crossings (and there were many!). They didn’t add significant weight to my bag like other water shoes had in the past, and on those long overnight trips, weight really matters. Even when I needed a non bulky shoe to wear at camp when I needed my feet to breath, my bedrocks were it! They even work with socks if it’s a little bit chilly!
When rafting, I had some doubts going in due to the lightweight design, thin sole and center strap; a significantly different design than my typical river shoes. I found that this made rafting easier as my feet felt way lighter, and I was able to move with ease. These don’t slip on wet boats, they stay extra grippy when I am standing up to see an upcoming rapid, stretching to intercept a chip bag that’s being passed around, or tossing a beer to a nearby boat.
The center strap design results in less rocks that get in between straps, and makes hiking in side canyons during multi day trips a lot more enjoyable. During side hikes, I was jumping from rock to rock, hugging side walls, and walking across streams, these shoes have grip for any and all terrain. After a boat flip, swimming was way easier with the thin sole and lightweight design. They still protect your feet from rocks, and whatever else is in the water, but make it easier to move. My other river shoes are stinky, after wearing bedrocks for a straight 5 months, I can attest that these DO NOT stink. TMI? Maybe. But it’s the little things like that that make the sandals even better…
Abbie Cheney
Abbie’s love for the outdoors began at a young age being raised in the Roaring Fork Valley, in Colorado. You can find her wandering in wildflower-covered fields in the high Rockies, or rowing a boat nestled within the deep canyons of Utah, Arizona, and Colorado. For her, the outdoors is a place of self-reckoning, community, and inspiration to live and to love more courageously. See her ambassador page.