Last week I got out to give my newly resoled backpacking boots a whirl which were done by the Vibram Sole Factor tour. They were in town last weekend at the Salt Lake REI location. I went on Friday to have my boots resoled. They were resoling all kinds of foot wear for free. They were asking for a $20 donation to Big City Mountaineers. This is a group which mentors kids about becoming more active in the outdoors. I figured why not change the tires on the boots and support a good cause? Vibram specifically did this tour for Big City Mountaineers. Plus my boots are like brand new again! The only problem my boots had were worn out tread which was not grabbing anymore on the down hill climbing. The uppers were still in great condition, sole not so much. I put over 400 miles on them backpacking, so it was time to change the tires. Here are the before and after photos of my Vasque St Elias boots. Funniest thing that the guys at Vibram did not tell me, the toes and heel section of the boots now glow in the dark on the new soles! Gino, the world class cobbler traveling with the tour even reconditioned the leather with Lexol at no charge. Thank you Vibram!
Before
After
I had to give them 24 hours to dry and cure, so I waited till Sunday to head up to give them a test run. Best to know everything is ok before taking them on a long trip. I took a walk up Bells Canyon to see if the fall colors were changing. The walk in was beautiful as the foot hills were just starting to change. The boots actually feel a tad lighter than with the previous soul on them. The grip was far better than the original and they even felt a bit more stable than previous times wearing them. I got up to the lake and decided to hit the overlook to see how the colors were doing. What a sight to see! So bright red in the canyon with hints of yellow and orange here and there. I did a nice loop in the canyon above the lake. Just taking side paths and animal track walking through a mix of green and red colors. I stayed up there and watched the sunset. Nothing spectacular like previous sunsets I have seen, but quiet and beautiful as the trees lit up from the waning light. The hike out was crisp and quiet. Not like my previous visit in May where is was people everywhere. Fall is here. Gonna seek out some more fall colors this weekend. Happy Fall All!
