Barefoot Hiking (Involuntarily)

Well that was one of my more adventurous hikes.

My dear friend Michelle came down from Toronto to go for a hike. Decided to wander along the north shore of Cootes Paradise.

Opted to wear my old Bates M-6 boots. I think about 8 or 9 years old by this point. I’ve been really happy with them, and they’ve seen a lot of clicks. They’ve largely been relegated to back up duty, but decided to wear them today.

(The aforementioned boots about 5 years ago.)

Lake Ontario is at its highest level in a century. Several wooden board walks sink a bit when you walk on them, getting them wet. Couple that with old foam, some steep inclines and declines, I started to notice that they weren’t doing so well. By the halfway point it was obvious they were completely disintegrating. To the point of the whole bottom on the left one coming right off. The right one was well on its way to being there.

I’m usually always really prepared on hikes. On longer trips I’ll have a pair of paddling shoes for wear around camp or for crossing streams. Usually have a repair kit. Today? “Meh. Casual hike, not too far from home. I’ll be fine.”

So...opted just to ditch the boots altogether and walked back to the car barefoot. (Not before saving the laces though, since they were fantastic.)

Kinda sucked, those little pebbles especially. But there was a margin of grass at the edge of the trails that made it doable. Just shy of 2½ kilometers.

Adapt. Improvise. Overcome.

I know what I’ll be buying with my next pay cheque.