1/10/26
Hello fellow 2026ers!
How is your year going so far? Some good, some bad? Withholding judgment? Valid, valid, you and your thoughts and
feelings are most certainly valid. Just
stand up where you can against the oppressors and try not to get too stressed
please.
I have been doing a little more walking than bicycling so
far this year. That is because my friend
Todd mentioned he was interested in hiking up to the top of Longs Peak over in
colourful Colourado! I am very excited
about this prospect! I am not one to
avoid an alpine excursion, it’s just that (as you may be aware) I don’t live
very close to any mountains here in Omaha.
I now have a goal and an excuse to purchase some new hiking/backpacking
boots. So, as you can tell, I’m very
excited about this. Let me calm down by
taking a few deep breaths. Fyew! That’s better. Let me put this into a somewhat reasonable
sequence:
Speaking of footwear and walking, here are a few photos from a recent walking expedition over at Fontenelle Forest. It was last weekend and the weather was unseasonable warm so I decided to head over to ye olde FF to get a few steps in. This was shortly after Todd had mentioned the Longs Peak mission so I was anxious to get a few trail miles in ASAP. I got a brisk 2.5 miles or so in and about 1.5 pounds of mud on my Altras.
Alright, that photo only contains a few ounces, but a lot of it fell off on the way across the parking lot.
I have been enjoying the Altras (Lone Peak 7) since I forked out about $140 to REI for
them about 2 years ago. Footwear can be
pretty important, especially for moderately active individuals and the value of
the products can vary substantially. So
here are a few thoughts about some of the footwear I’ve been associated with:
Altras: I love the
feel of these shoes. When I bought them
I was looking for a minimal-type shoe for trail running/walking. More or less a more focused version of my
older Oboz (Sawteeth Lows, if I remember correctly) that I’ve had for 10+ years.
I wore those Oboz for general purposes, but the Altras have been pretty
much limited to the trails. I think the
Oboz were waterproof or at least water resistant. However, the fact that I’m not sure about
that made me decide that I don’t really need a waterproof shoe. The Altras aren’t waterproof, but that hasn’t
bothered me so far. They are unique
looking, comfortable, and secure on the trails.
They have a wider toe box than the Oboz and any other shoe I’ve had,
which is a good fit for me. I don’t
really like lateral pressure on the side of my forefoot.
Asolo boots: I’ve had these since around 1998!
Another REI purchase. They have been great and have seen a lot of miles: desert, mountain, snow. They’ve been reliable, supportive, and comfortable for a stiff backpacking boot. I don’t think they were advertised as waterproof, but they’re made of good leather and I was pretty good about waxing on a regular basis. They kept my feet dry on a snowy expedition out to Rocky Mountain National Park a little over a year ago, but the tread was getting pretty thin
and I noticed I was slipping around and falling (nothing dramatic and the snow made for a pretty good landing) a fair bit during the descent. So, maybe a pair of new boots with some new thicker tread would be a good idea.
Prior to ordering boots I looked at a few options and
discovered a few things:
·
Polyurethane midsoles, well generally durable
and supportive, can separate from the sole if not worn fairly regularly and
especially if left in a damp condition.
·
There are a lot of poly- and perfluoro aromatic
substances (i.e., PFAS / forever chemicals) still being used in boots. It seems especially common in synthetic boots
or ones with a lot of seams. My
understanding is that a solid leather boot (like ye olde Asolos) shouldn’t
really need a PFAS coating for waterproofing (or at least water-resisting?).
Just wax ‘em up from time to time and you should be good.
Oboz Bridger Ridge Mid GTX (waterproof) – I ordered these
from Campmor shortly after getting super amped about the Longs Peak
venture. However, once they arrived I
noticed they had a GoreTex tag on them.
One thing I should have figured out prior to ordering these boots:
·
If I had paid attention I would have noticed
that they have GoreTex in their construction.
GoreTex used to have a lot of PFAS in it, and it turns out that it
probably still does. There are some newer
versions of GoreTex that probably have fewer PFAS, but I’m not yet convinced
that the newer formulations are fully PFAS-free or that whatever replacement
chemicals are being used are any better.
So now I was left with a pair of boots I wasn’t too crazy
about. I’ve got ‘em packed up and ready
to send back; however, according to Campmor’s return policy I’ve got 90
days. So I figure I may as well keep
them until I can find a suitable boot to meet my preferences. I’ll be sure to let you know once I find the
best boots I can. Don’t worry, price is
not a major factor. As Mrs. Snot will
attest, I’m not typically a big spender so I’ve got enough scratch saved up to
get a reasonably good pair of hiking/backpacking boots. Please feel free to let me know if you have
any recommendations.
To summarize, choosing a pair of boots is similar in some
regards to choosing our political representatives where that is an option. I’d say it’s a good idea to avoid PFAS in
boots and it’s also a good idea to avoid leaders who support our continued
fossil fuel addiction, US-ian expansionism, and ICE idiots gunning down people
on the streets. That is probably enough
soapboxing for now, since I doubt that’s why you are perusing my semi-annual
column.
So what else has been happening? Today I made it out to the old climbing gym
to get a good workout and to discuss a potential Longs Peak trip with
Todd. We also discussed nutrition and
fitness a bit and he gave me a book called Superlife that he credits
with turning his life around and getting him into good shape. He’s definitely in good shape and much leaner
than he used to be. I think he said he
lost 40 pounds in 6 months or so, which is pretty damn impressive! I am sure I could benefit from losing a few
lbs, especially around my gut, but it’s not currently one of my main
priorities. Surely being moderately
active is pretty good, right?! We’ll see
how ambitious I get once I’ve perused the book and thought about it for a
while.
1/16/26
So it’s been a few days since I started typing this up and
quite a few things have happened since then:
· Bob Weir of the Grateful Dead passed on. He was an avid bicycler in addition to a musician.
· I purchased a pair of Keen Durand II hiking boots. They seem pretty nice from when I wore them in the shop for 5 minutes or so. I’ll let you know more once I get them out for a nice hike. They also don’t have any PFAS that I am aware of. Thanks Keen!
So I got the boots!
Now we just have to give the boot to all the toxic thugs who are trying
to pull the rest of the world with them down into their oily pit of
deception. It’s a new day.
One way or another,
BSO
