Boots & Packs

Every hiker needs good boots. Today, Duane and I went to REI and tried on about 5 or 6 pairs of boots each. It's amazing how many different kinds of boots there are. Some have flexible soles, some are more stiff. Some are more lightweight than others. Some breathe more than others. Some of them are quite stylish and others are downright clunky.

REI has a pseudo-rock on which you can try out the boots you are wearing. You walk up one side and check to make sure that your heel isn't coming out of your boot, and down the other side to make sure that your toe isn't jamming at the front.

But it's not enough to just try on boots. You also have to put on the right kind of socks. I picked out a pair of silk liner socks, and then a pair of acryllic socks with the thickest padding. One saleman suggested I get wool socks. He was less eager to sell me wool socks when I told him that I was allergic to wool and the last thing that I wanted was foot rash while hiking up Half Dome. Once I picked out and put on the socks, I tried the boots once again.

I finally settled on a pair of Asolo boots. They came in two different colors: rust red or brown. Since the red ones were $70 less, I figured I'd continue to make a fashion statement. Duane picked out a pair of Vasque boots, in a nice earthen shade of brown.

Since our first hike is on Sunday, we also picked out backpacks. The packs need to be small for a day hike, but able to carry the largest hydration system possible, which is 3 liters. The packs are designed with air gaps between your back, so that your back can breathe, as well as a padded belt with pockets at the waist, so that you don't have to take your pack off for every little thing. We tried out the packs, loaded with 15 and then 20 pounds. I think I have discovered that the less weight I take on this hike the better. I'm aiming for 15 pounds total, and the water I take with me will be about half of that. I'll let Duane carry the new tiny Canon Digital Elph camera. We both settled on the same rust red color backpack, the only difference being size. Unfortunately, once I took the tags off the backpack, I wasn't able to tell them apart. Perhaps Duane can figure out which one is the medium and which one is the large. While there, Duane also found some hiking pants and I found a couple of shirts. And all of this just in the nick of time! Our first Tuesday night workout was this evening.

I dropped our son off at the babysitter where we also met up with a friend of mine, Victoria, who has also decided to join Team in Training and attempt to do the Half Dome hike with us. Way to go Victoria! Victoria, who is from Chile, was a South American champion in the shotput and javeline. Wow! I'm impressed!

We arrived at Foothill College at 6:30 pm. I had my hiking boots on and my pack on my back with some water, snacks and an exercise matt inside. It was enough to give it some weight but not much. Just right for a starting workout. We did a couple of laps around the track, then stretching exercises and up and down the bleacher several times. We did a team building exercise in which, every time one of us got to the back of the line, we had to walk fast to the front of the line while answering a question about ourselves. It was fun and we got to learn a little bit about our team mates.

After an hour and a half, we were relased for the evening. Best of all Victoria enjoyed her first workout! I'm really looking forward to the first hike this Saturday. By the end of our workout, however, my feet were killing me. The boots were too narrow across the foot. But this is the way you find out that you need to return them. Tomorrow they are going back! One of our mentors suggested that I buy a man's boot as they usually come a bit wider.

The diet continues to go well. I've leveled off at a 10 pound loss. Some of this is due to building muscle, which weighs more than fat. And some of this is just because I'm a pre-menopausal woman during that time of the month. Eventually, the scale will edge downward once again. I can't wait!