Wednesday, February 24, 2010

New boots, and I'm geting antsy

I got a new pair of boots on Sunday and decided to break them in by wearing them to work yesterday. They seem OK, but there may be a problem with them that could end up causing some problems. They are Asolo Flame XTs, and they fit my foot very nicely, but they have one of those tongues that isn't separate, it's one of those ones that is connected to the boot by a "membrane". Well, when I fold the membrane in to tie the boots, it presses against my ankle bone. I think I'm going to give them another day at least before I take them back to REI. Thankfully REI has on of the best return policies out there, so it shouldn't be a problem is they don't work out.

I'm starting to get antsy about starting out on the project. Partially because I've gotten a lot of my gear, and every time I get into my closet and see them I want to put them to use already. There are two things keeping me from starting on it right now. The first is that I have been buying gear with the expectation of doing all of this in the summer, so my gear is not really set up for winter use. The other is winter; I don't like being cold. At all. So the thought of intentionally going outside and getting away from a nice warm building just isn't very appealing to me. And since I don't ski, or snowboard, or snowmachine, or ice skate, or ice fish, etc., I don't really have any of the right clothing for any winter activities. Nor do I have any experience in how to take care of myself outside in the winter.

I might go to Thuderbird Falls if the weather gets a little colder so that the trail freezes up and isn't slushy. I've done that one enough in the summer that I'm pretty sure that I won't have too many problems in the winter. Plus it's only about 2 miles, so that shouldn't be too bad.

Until next time...

1 comment:

  1. Dear Mr. James: That membrane you're referring to is a gusset, it's there to help keep moisture out and strengthen the boot. Whether they're a good thing or not is subject to quite a bit of debate amongst hikers but if that particular pair is bothering your ankles, don't suffer it. There's a video series I found really helpful in selecting my boots: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_leePFYxm4 His other stuff on hiking is good, just keep in mind he mentions weight a lot, that's because he usually like's bringing quite a few items with him so that might not necessarily apply to you but I'm sure the weight concern will. - Kenneth

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