Sole-less

Black Canyon, 5/31/09, 8.5 miles, 1730 elevation

Ushani sat on the side of the trail duct tape in one hand, a shoelace in the other staring at her boot. The sole had begun flapping and we were only 2 miles into the hike. There really was no to reattach the sole with what we had on hand. Worse yet, the other sole had begun to flap also. What to do? wee had only begun the hike. One of us could turn around and head back with her, but she said no. It would be ok and she ripped the vibram sole from each boot exposing the soft cushion underneath. We would continue on.

As Michael and Ushani discussed the plans, a young rattlesnake crossed our paths. We tried to give the poor thing a wide berth although a few stepped too close and she rattled a warning. A quick step backward and she was fine. It wasn't long before we reached the top of the ridge to experience the beautiful views of Mt Rainier, the Stuarts and the valley below. Different wildflowers were in bloom than when we first came 2 weeks earlier. But the views were just as stunning.

Up to this point, Ushani's boots were holding up ok. The soft undersole was a lot softer than we expected and was starting to tear away from her boots exposing the plastic boot form. By now we were halfway through the hike so there was no where to go except onward. With each step downhill, a little more of the soft sole came away from her boots. She kept going, slowly but without complaint until finally we reached the cars - just in time for her toes were about to slide out the ends.

Even afterward, she said that her feet were fine. And I get to tell people I hiked someone right out of her boots.