15 years ago I was a senior in high school and I worked in a shoe store where I was the bike mechanic. Working in a shoe store is much like working in a bike shop, you end up with way too many shoes. A good chunk of those shoes ended up in my dad’s closet as he would take them when I got sick of ’em. The ones he didn’t want are long gone, surely in the bottom of some landfill in the greater parts of ‘merica.
The pair you see above was the last pair I had. They were my go-to shoes for backpacking, heavy work and snowshoeing. They have been worn in both Americas, been through four girlfriends and two wives. The left one has a deep gouge in it from where a chainsaw came dangerously close to severing my toes. The laces are original equipment and one has been frayed for close to a decade, but I just dealt with it because it still worked.
Last year I noticed the waterproofing was getting a little not waterproof. The toe of the boot started coming off a long time ago and the kicker was the fact that the soles were completely worn out. After a trip to Pine Valley, I knew their time was close at hand as my feet were killing me, but I couldn’t bring myself to toss them. I just kept suffering through the hikes hoping that the end would never come.
Much like a cheating girlfriend, I bought a new pair of boots in January. And if you recall, that relationship has been a bit rocky. I couldn’t bring myself to toss out my old friends. They sat on the side of the house, covered in mud until KB passive-aggressively tossed them on top of my work bench in the Mooseknuckler Cycling Alliance Bicycle Repair and other stuff Shop. I spent a couple of hours cleaning out my shed yesterday and noticed my boots sitting there. Some memories flashed through my mind as I picked them up, took the insoles out, and tossed them in the garbage.
So long and thanks for all the miles…