Hiking Boots

I took my hiking boots back today. I was sad to do that. I had started getting attached to them. However, as I used them in the last two weeks I became more aware that they were a tad short and going down steep hills had my toes jam.

My children had given me a gift certificate at REI to purchase boots, so I got them there. I splurged and purchased the lifetime membership for $20. Boy, am I glad I did. This way I can return whatever I am not happy with or what doesn't fit for a full refund, EVEN IF I DON'T HAVE THE TICKET! How cool is that?

A couple of days ago I had called REI to see if they had a half size larger in the women's boots. What they had in the store was an 11, a whole size larger. They were too big, so I tried on men's boots in another style made by the same company, Keen, and found that the 8 1/2 in men's boots fit better. The toe space was wider so will address the issues I have. The men's boots are on sale as well, so it was an even trade. To get the style that was on sale, I had to order them and they will be in on Friday. Soooo, no major training this week. I think it is supposed to be hot and humid again this week, so not having hiking boots gives me a perfect excuse to not train.

Cowal Way

http://www.aboutargyll.co.uk/pages/cowalway.htm

I met a man on the mountain today.

I met a man on the mountain today.
He: Do you hike up the mountain often?
Me: This or other trails pretty often.
He: I have been hiking this section for the last three months every day, weather permitting. You see, I have five grandchildren. They are so full of energy. I started seeing how out of shape I am and how important it is for me to be more active.
Me: Yes, I know how important that is. My son has asked me to go hiking in Scotland with him in 15 months, so I am in training.
He: I really fear becoming disabled and my children having to take care of me. I think that if I take better care of myself they will not have to do that. I think that if I knew I would be disabled, I would drive my truck off a cliff rather than have that happen.
Me: I took care of my in-laws years ago, and assisted in the care of my parents as well. What was wonderful about my parents is that they were gracious enough to allow me to handle things for them and assist them when they could not do something. Sometimes my in-laws fought having someone assist them. For me, it was a profound privilege for me to care for them during the times I did. For them to resist did not honor the contribution I wanted to be for them.
He: I never thought of it that way.
Me: There are many ways to look at aging......... there are many ways to look at death......... there are many ways to look at life.........

Update 0607

My feet were screaming the last half mile, but I completed almost a five mile hike today. Parked at Cheatham Hill and hiked the loop trails to Burnt Hickory and back. I think what is happening is that my second toe is a tad longer than my big one and as my toes pushed against the shoe the middle toes are forced to bend and go numb. Anyway, it may be a lacing problem and it may be that I just need longer boots. I'll try the lacing option first.

I am quite proud that I am as far along as I am in my training. No blisters, either. But I always wear two pair of socks. It will be easier to hike some of these trails once I get hiking poles.

Please notice in the picture the beautiful vines at my toes. This place is full of poison ivy. I am grateful that the trails are well trod, and I can manage to avoid it. What I thought was cool about my boots is that the lace holders are reflectors and I did not know that before I bought the shoes. Cool, huh? Even though I thought they were really ugly when I got them, they almost grow on you.

Hiking Boots

Today I am talking about and reflecting on hiking boots.

When Scott was about three or four years old (BJ would have been 8 or 9) Bob and I took them to Pilot Mountain in N.C. for a picnic and hiking. Scott did really well in making it to the top of the mountain. Coming down he was pooped, so I carried him piggy back. I was wearing a pair of tennis shoes that were a tad large for me, and with about 40 pounds of wiggly weight on my back, the stress on my knees was more than I realized. The next day I could not walk at all. The doctor told me that the tendons in my knees had moved all around instead of staying in the groove that is meant for them, and inflammation was the result. He suggested hiking boots before doing any more hiking.

Soon after we moved to Atlanta with the plans of hiking, I bought a super duper pair of hiking boots. They were leather, brown, and hearty. Although I didn't do lots of hiking, when I did they did come in handy. My feet got wet only once, and that was on a Boy Scout camping trip with Troop 144. Mud came over the top. And alas, as I grew older, my feet got a bit larger and those did not fit anymore.

About 15 years ago I bought another pair. They were not as expensive as the first pair, and were men's boots. I could not find women's boots to fit me at the time. I used a variety of cushy innersoles and they served me well until I started training for this trip. The boots seemed to aggravate the spot on the ball of my right food and my toes would go numb. So, alas, time for new boots.

At first I was intimidated by even going into REI. Although I knew that would be a good place to look, I had the old, fat, why would they be willing to wait on me, view. When I went in, I found their staff to be helpful and encouraging. In fact, I went to two different REI stores on several occasions, and went to some other sporting goods places before purchasing the ones I got. On one visit, the employee suggested I take the extensive brochure they had available with a list of all the hiking boots they carried and information about them and suggested I research them online to find out what others thought about them. I did that and then went to more places before going to REI and buying a pair that I thought would be my third or fourth choice, but were more comfortable than the others. These were wider across the toes than the others, and I began to see what a difference that would make in long term comfort. They are not the color I wanted. I wanted gray. I don't wear anything in brown anymore. I used to wear a lot of browns, but since my hair has become gray, the browns seem to wash me out. However, these are hiking boots, not evening wear, and form must follow function. These will be functional.

I have had these for about two weeks and have hiked in them at least six times. No blisters because I wear two pair of socks. They are starting to feel like home. My toes went a bit numb today, but I can attribute that to extended my hiking distance by .8 mile and adding hiking time as well, and doing the more challenging section twice.

Life is good!

Update

Since my last entry I have been hiking a couple of times. The weather in the Atlanta has been warm and humid and we have been having some thunder storms, too. I have thought about just not going then, but what will I do when I get to Scotland? There will be showers unless the weather is very unusual for that area. So, I have gone anyway. I have only gotten a tad damp the last two times as the storms seem to have skirted around me.

My feet seem to adjusting to the boots well. When I am hiking and I think about them they seem a tiny bit short. But if I am not thinking about them I don't notice. The rest of my body seems to be adjusting to the distance and difficulty. I am breathing less hard and enjoying the hikes more. Legs and hips are tightening up. Feels good. I am thinking about increasing my distance. Since I am maintaining about a 20 minute mile (still doing 3.7 mile loop in 70 minutes). I may just double back on a trail to increase the time to 80 minutes would have me hiking 4 miles. I would have done that today had it not been raining. Oh, and I took pictures today that I will post withing the next day or two. The thought came today again that I do need to have a schedule of what I will have accomplished by when to work towards. Just a thought.... hehe

Today I saw the largest doe I have seen on these trails. I also saw the biggest snake I have ever seen in Georgia. I have seen much larger snakes, just not in GA. It was a black snake about four feet long. The last half of him was stretched out into the trail as he was headed into the woods. My fear for the snake was that someone might come along who was afraid of snakes and would kill him. So, I gently made my presence known with the intent that he would hurry along into the woods. I was surprised when he coiled up to strike. Then I was worried. He was far enough away from me that I was not is striking distance. I assumed he was just a regular old black snake and then I wasn't sure. He did not have rattlers. When my prodding did nothing but have him continue to be in a striking position, I left. The snake was out of the direct path and a woman who came up behind me would not have seen him if I had not pointed him out, so I guess I succeeded in my intention. I didn't remember until later that I had my camera with me and could have taken his picture. Too bad.