I have horribly messed up feet. They're oddly proportioned, ten years of ballet did a number on my toes, and I have genetics working against me, since I seem to have inherited the foot problems my mother has. So I don't buy shoes very often, and I usually have to look pretty hard to find footwear that fits properly.I've been wearing the pair of hiking boots in question since December 2003. They've survived two back country trips, Ontario road salt, and walking what probably a few hundred kilometers around campus and various cities across Canada. They're probably my favourite pair of shoes, EVER.
They're not pining, they've passed on. That masking tape is covering the Vasque logo, which popped off sometime Monday afternoon, leaving a gaping hole in the heel. Now that I look at them, the soles are worn in my peculiar pattern of walking, the leather is stained with salt and swamp, and they need to be resealed and waterproofed if they're going to last much longer.But even taped up, unsealed, not waterproofed since Toronto, they're still my boots. And wading through ice water this morning, they still kept my feet dry and warm. The sole is worn but not gone yet.
So tomorrow when I get home from karate, I'll find an old sock that's too holey to wear any longer, dig out the sealant and the waterproofing agent and give my boots a good going-over. Glue the logo back in place. Maybe I'll find a new pair of laces.
Because I can't give up a pair of damn good boots that easily.
