Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Killer Boots of Death



Alaska is tough, but SE Alaska takes it to another level. The brush is thicker, the mountains steeper and the rain...good Lord, even the rain is wetter. Think hiking on a slip an' slide set at a 45 degree angle. Throw in a bunch of downed trees and you can imagine why a mile hiked in the SE rainforest is the equivalent of 4-5 miles hiked in southcentral Alaska. With these challenges come some unique gear requirements. After spending way too much time laying on my back on the forest floor I knew I needed to ramp up my footwear. A lot of folks just don their rubber xtra-tufs and call it good, but that hasn't been cutting it for me. Pictured are a pair of boots I've retired from sheep hunting but still have some life left. I sent them to a cobbler in Idaho and had them caulked (pronounced corked). I took them out on a test run last week. I haven't been this excited about new gear in a long time. These boots are like adding four wheel drive to my feet. I can walk across a slimy log with confidence. Paired up with a set of gaiters I now have waterproof traction with great ankle support. They are the killer boots of death because my deer hunting ability just got a huge boost and because you wouldn't want to be kicked in the face with these.

4 comments:

Sally said...

Be careful out there. You're not only a greater danger to the deer now... but possibly your own shins.

Wesly Smith said...

When will Autumn get her pair?

The Mad Fishicist said...

Brilliant.

Fullcurl said...

The occasional poke to the shins is an acceptable trade-off for all the nagging knee and shoulder aches not to mention all the bruising.

Well, Autumn's boots are only big enough for a couple spikes, so it may be awhile yet.