End of an era

I remember my first pair of hiking shoes. I had done all my girl guide-related hiking on soldier's boots. But then my father sold our house. He got a better price for it than he had anticipated, and let his daughters share in the profits. Nice! I bought a pair of Meindl Islands for it. I was 17. They served me for years.

Later I started wearing orthopaedic insoles. The Meindls weren't big enough for that, so I bought  a pair of Hanwag Yukons. I must have been in my early to mid twenties. And I still have them! They did lose, after a while, their waterproofness, and the inside of the heel wore out, so in 2008 I relegated them to leisure shoes rather than the ones for proper hikes. In their place I bought a pair of Hanwag Alaskas. These are still my hiking boots.

One day I was just sitting in my office chair and noticed something felt funny about my shoe. I took it off and had a look. The rubber sole was coming off! And what was worse; the layer between the footbed and the rubber sole was gone! It must have worn away without me noticing. (It did explain the funny sounds this shoe had been making!) But the sole was now hollow. That would be the end of the shoes!

 

Oh dear! Nothing there...

 And indeed... empty space!

I like having shoes that are not as clunky as my Alaskas but which are good for fieldworky things, or scrambling around looking for mines, or even just walking to work in the rain if I have had to leave my bike behind for some reason. So I immediately went into town to buy new boots in the first outdoor store I would be able to find. And now I can welcome a pair of Mammut Nova Advanced Lady GTXs in my collection. I hope I'll have fun with them!