Hey, don't laugh. I represented this fashion well back in 1979 when I thru hiked the AT.
I had gotten into Vermont and parts of the trail were becoming quite quagmireish. Sometimes my boot heel would brush my calf, leaving a nice smudge of mud. At the end of the day it was a real pain to clean this stuff off before getting into the sleeping bag. My mom by mistake, had sent me long ski socks in my last supply box. They went well up to the knee and remedied the muddy calf condition, but looked so stupid with a pair of shorts.
I arrived in the fine college town of Hanover, NH and was soon roaming the streets enjoying all the shops. Passed by a ski shop with a mannequin in the window wearing knickers and ski socks. Figured if I was going to look like a dork, may as well have a bit of style about it. Bought one wool and one corduroy pair. Wore them all the way to the end of the trip. My summit photo on Katahdin shows me garbed in knickers. This outfit is actually very functional with a pair of gaiters.
On my next Whitney trip I'll be rocking one of these.
http://www.backpacker.com/hiking_kilt/blogs/daily_dirt/1338
