My 18 year-old Vasque Sundowners have finally given up the ghost. Three miles into a ten mile walk, the sole of the left boot came away from the rest of the boot, flopping about as I walked. I tied the sole back onto the boot with an old shoelace and finished the walk. Time for some new boots, I think.
In their time, these boots have:
- kept my feet warm and dry through a series of cold, cold Wisconsin winters.
- taken me to the top of the tallest mountain in the lower 48, and back down again.
- hiked a small part of the Appalachian Trail.
- carried me speedily away from a bear on the selfsame trail.
Bloody hell! Mount Whitney is BIG!! 14,505 feet!!! Phew… that puts Ben Nevis in it’s place!!!!
We did the summit and back in a single day, starting at around 8000ft. It was quite a walk – 13 hours if I remember correctly.
oi! I recall fondly both the Appalachian Trail segment and the bear. As I recall, the bear encounter left us with a rather sleepness night, especially since there were porcupines chewing on the lean-to all night. Good times!
Giant man-eating porcupines with razor-sharp claws, six-inch fangs and fiery eyes the size of dinner plates!