Holy Sh-t My Boots Are Falling Apart!

So there I am on my first day in the mountains I had just done some photos of some burnt out trees and was carrying my gear back to the truck along the roadside when I hurt the sound of scraping metal. I glanced down at my boots to see a big bent piece of metal hanging of the right boot. I looked the underside of the right boot and most of the rubber sole of the boot was gone, and the protective metal foot shaped plate had dislodged and became bent. I looked at the left boot and that boot also was missing most of the rubber sole! What the hell had happened? What was I going to do for the next 3 days with most the bottom of my two boots gone? I had brought only 1 pair of boots.

Had to tape together the right boot on the last day.

Right boot with only the foam underlay to walk on.

Both Boots damaged, not sure how!

My holy boots become a photo subject for the group members.

I wanted to make photos so I made the best I could with the boots I had. I ended up suffering through the first 2 days, 9 hours of wet feet on Saturday. Walking through snow and cold muddy water with no soles on you boots is not fun. My feet (especially) the right foot got very cold on day 2. I tried my best to trudge along and get as many photos as I could but I was constantly slipping on any kind of slope or smooth rock face. The 3rd day after I removed the metal piece on my right foot I stopped clanging on the concrete (like a disabled donkey) but I also lost framed support for the right boot (boot sort of turned to mush) so I had to tape it together to keep my foot from coming out. I sort of looked like a poor Jed Clampett with that white electrical tape holding my right boot together.

The one good thing about the ordeal was that I got to make fun of the boots when I was doing the group portrait which helped everyone relax, before the boot joking the guys were a bit stiff but after a little laugh they were much more relaxed, I think that will show in the portrait.

A good adventure, am glad I pushed my way through as best I could. Next time I will check the bottom of my boots before I leave and I will also take a second set of boots (rubber boots). I still do not know what happened as they were fairly new expensive steel toed boots and I had only worn them about 10 times, I think maybe I must have stepped in something corrosive at some point in months past and that corrosive stuff must have ate away at the rubber when I left the boots in the garage over the winter.

Anyway it was a bit of a fun adventure and I am sure photos of me looking rather silly will show up at some point or other. I just hope I got that group portrait shot!