Shoe Tales

I typically climb till I drop; putting in 10-15 hour days is almost a norm. Not because I always screw myself in a situation; but I'm out showing people some climbs, volunteering some instruction, or just out with some buds or gals recreating in the great technical outdoors. Climbing is cool. It's almost like playing a round of golf when you start to get a rhythm, you want to keep playing till the sun sets. So I start some routes and rap in the eve, it's all good.

Well today, I had enough of my Red Chilis as my toes were coming through. So I got some new ones, they're slick, or rather stick, super comfy; all around nice trad shoes - Red Chilis fit me the best. Some prefer other brands and that's cool. What I was thinking about was what I had done with my old shoes and where I had gone. If someone asked me, I wouldn't know where to start.

So where do we go with our shoes? My last pair ended up finishing where they started, in the S. Platte. But, in between is a journey of people and places my shoes have been.

Meeting a couple from Europe @ Turkey traveling the West US; pulling a kid off of N Table that made a mistake and asked for help, taking a bunch of different people up each: the Flatirons, Eldo, Lovers Leap, & Splat; climbing with my bro in many many areas; firing some awesome climbs with Jim in the Tetons; meeting 80 new people at the CMC's beginning rock seminar and ending up teaching some to lead; then going out at 11-Mile with some of the same drinkin a brew & hangin by the fire; then doing it again at Fremont, Vedauwoo, & Jackson; fighting like hell up some heinous line at the V & making it; going to the Am. Mtn. Ctr in Golden during the winter and meeting some great people determined to climb better; then, showing some of those how to try and help their partner should something go really bad on a climb; having a crack climb or two, or three, or more; but always ending up home in the Platte climbing Turkey with a good bunch from the CMC and with the lightning & thunder chasing me back down the approach to my next beer.

It is a good life, this climbing life, and my shoes have told the tale.

Where do your shoes make you think of when you go for another pair or re-sole??

Well I don't have any stories such as the one stated above but I guess it's because with prior shoes I haven't cared. I just bought a new pair of Mad Rocks the other day and am going to go break them in tomorrow. SO I guess the journey begins tomorrow as to where my shoes will lead me.

Mark, you have inspired me to wax poetic...

My climbing shoes--old.
With many tales to be told.
At the end they stink.

...........time to get'em resoled!