blessing in boots

On New Year's Eve Jay and I stopped at a couple of sporting goods stores in the city so that I could try on hiking boots. My boots, although not that old, were making my hiking adventures a painful experience. I had purchased the boots with too little understanding of what a good hiking boot required. They were my normal shoe size which resulted in black toenails after a particularly steep downhill trek. Also, the soles were too soft and flexible so I felt each sharp stone I stepped on. After trying on several pairs and noting the boots that fit well, we headed home with the plan to look for those boots on sale after the holidays. To my surprise and delight Jay came home from working in Tucson, just a few days after our shopping trip, with a pair of hiking boots, the style I had picked out and the size I needed. He had found them at a resale shop for six dollars. What a blessing.

Today, clad in my new boots, camera slug over my shoulder, Lily and I set out for Silly Mountain to test-hike the boots while photo-documenting the experience.

at the base of silly mountain

the climb

resting along the way

half way up

pause to photograph some weeds catching the sun

the view from the top

Lily says, "That was a delicious hike!"