Any accounting of events is incomplete, so it was with my Nanaimo trip. A small detail limited the trip, shoes. As things usually do it made sense at the time. In mid July, my footwear options included nearly dead black leather boots, steel toed shoes, and sandals with shredded soles. Something more seasonal in order, it was shopping time, and GST rebate time. On a hot evening after work I went shopping.
Shoe shopping is an a distant second place after pants shopping for least favorite form of consumerism. Compared to pants there are more known shoe brands that fit, but this does not always translate into easy shopping. It took nearly three shops for me to find the right thing. In reality just two shops, I never set foot in the second shop I approached, their bike rack was so badly designed I could not lock up without risking damage, they did not get my business.
So the footwear I ended up with was a snug slipper like bundle of synthetic material. It fit good, and after 10 hours on my feet I knew they would be more relaxed after a rest. That my feet were soft and pink at time of perchance was largely ignored. They had been stewing in my work shoes. The default assumption is that my feet are hard and calloused, that several months of stewing in hot shoes could negate that assumption never occurred to me.
Fast forward, a few days, I have confidently boarded a bus and a ferry while proudly wearing my Darmok and Jalad T-shirt and new shoes.
Shoes which logged at the best 8 km. Shoes, which after three repacks of the luggage were decided to be the only foot coverings for the trip. Travel from my house to the ferry took a scant 8oom of walking. The hike at the Nanaimo end was close to 6 km, in sweltering sun. It was 3km into that hike that I concluded that my feet being soft and pink, was not just an artifact of being fresh off work. The snug fit of the sneaker like sandals and my copious perspiration made quick work of my pinky toes.
So I wince my way into downtown* Nanaimo, my toes bandaged up. *Downtown Nanaimo, a place where my first thought was, where is the rest of it. I knew better than to take untested shoes for big adventures, but on this occasion I failed at wisdom. It lead to buyers remorse, a state that took a little time to recover from. For my first evening in that town bandages were the best I could do, they kept my bits from getting mangled. Socks would have been a good thing to pack.
It was just past nine, the next morning, I was on my way to wonder around Newcastle island. A large but poor quality breakfast, with half cooked hash browns gave me the option to take as long as I liked. Walking the waterfront it became clear,that neither shortages of food or water would ruin the hike, a foot skin shortage would. There was but one choice, double back to the economic centre of the city, the Dollarish* store.
*Dollarish stores are like Dollar stores but the prices are only near a Dollar or two or three, rather than at a dollar.
It turns out Dollarish stores, do sell socks. A few rows of pegboard held the garments. On the left the mens socks, thick, long, and in some cases argyle. Now some people can pull of knee socks with sandals, those people might be German. I can not even keep up knee socks, these were out of the question. That left the lady's socks, which come in lengths other than long. There is nothing worse than a long socks falling down the leg because it has failed to cling to my calves. Thus I selected a pair of lady's turn cuff socks, in an inoffensive grey, stopping short of the ankle.
Once out of the shop I peeled off the foot abraders and slipped on the woven polyester membrane for instant relief. I could walk freely again, and I did, logging an estimated 9 km on my round about stroll on Newcastle island, and another 6 km that day alone. My feet were still tender, and the damage had been done, but the erosion had been halted.
Not much use has been made of the +3 Socks of Adventuring since I that trip. After things healed up a bit, my feet gained enough toughness to not need the aide. One exception was made this week, they were packed for my hike up the BCMC trail on Grouse mountain. On this occasion the sandals did as instructed, say on and provide abrasion protection. The socks used their powers on the way down, saving the tops of toes from the pressure that comes with a steep descent. The socks may add a few hit points but they don't add any stamina, as my legs are stiff from the doing of things.
Now I feel I have to restore some balance to my life. Hiking up Grouse Mountain on a Sunday is such a terribly Vancouver thing to do, it almost feels unclean. Perhaps I should get some light beer and red meat. Alternately could just give up and get the fixed gear bike to go with my totally not hipster tattoo, and the yoga mat to go with my healthyish lifestyle. While I make up my mind I will make some dinner, it might involve a cheese named Ashley.
Shoe shopping is an a distant second place after pants shopping for least favorite form of consumerism. Compared to pants there are more known shoe brands that fit, but this does not always translate into easy shopping. It took nearly three shops for me to find the right thing. In reality just two shops, I never set foot in the second shop I approached, their bike rack was so badly designed I could not lock up without risking damage, they did not get my business.
 |
| -1 Sandals of friction |
 |
| On the Ocean, looking for Tenagra |
Shoes which logged at the best 8 km. Shoes, which after three repacks of the luggage were decided to be the only foot coverings for the trip. Travel from my house to the ferry took a scant 8oom of walking. The hike at the Nanaimo end was close to 6 km, in sweltering sun. It was 3km into that hike that I concluded that my feet being soft and pink, was not just an artifact of being fresh off work. The snug fit of the sneaker like sandals and my copious perspiration made quick work of my pinky toes.
So I wince my way into downtown* Nanaimo, my toes bandaged up. *Downtown Nanaimo, a place where my first thought was, where is the rest of it. I knew better than to take untested shoes for big adventures, but on this occasion I failed at wisdom. It lead to buyers remorse, a state that took a little time to recover from. For my first evening in that town bandages were the best I could do, they kept my bits from getting mangled. Socks would have been a good thing to pack.
It was just past nine, the next morning, I was on my way to wonder around Newcastle island. A large but poor quality breakfast, with half cooked hash browns gave me the option to take as long as I liked. Walking the waterfront it became clear,that neither shortages of food or water would ruin the hike, a foot skin shortage would. There was but one choice, double back to the economic centre of the city, the Dollarish* store.
*Dollarish stores are like Dollar stores but the prices are only near a Dollar or two or three, rather than at a dollar.
It turns out Dollarish stores, do sell socks. A few rows of pegboard held the garments. On the left the mens socks, thick, long, and in some cases argyle. Now some people can pull of knee socks with sandals, those people might be German. I can not even keep up knee socks, these were out of the question. That left the lady's socks, which come in lengths other than long. There is nothing worse than a long socks falling down the leg because it has failed to cling to my calves. Thus I selected a pair of lady's turn cuff socks, in an inoffensive grey, stopping short of the ankle.
Once out of the shop I peeled off the foot abraders and slipped on the woven polyester membrane for instant relief. I could walk freely again, and I did, logging an estimated 9 km on my round about stroll on Newcastle island, and another 6 km that day alone. My feet were still tender, and the damage had been done, but the erosion had been halted.
 |
| It said not to hike here, which is why I only walked |
Now I feel I have to restore some balance to my life. Hiking up Grouse Mountain on a Sunday is such a terribly Vancouver thing to do, it almost feels unclean. Perhaps I should get some light beer and red meat. Alternately could just give up and get the fixed gear bike to go with my totally not hipster tattoo, and the yoga mat to go with my healthyish lifestyle. While I make up my mind I will make some dinner, it might involve a cheese named Ashley.
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