Thanks for the memories...

During our JT journey of death, I removed my shoes to purge the gravel that had accumulated in them along the way. Awesomely, a spine from a cactus had become lodged in the outer shell of my foot covering and, thus, punctured my thumb while reapplying said shoes. I decided, then and there, that I was trashing these shoes if I lived through the hike. Not that it was the fault of the shoes that I was in that situation, but a scapegoat was necessary and I needed Phil to "Moses" me from the desert, so I couldn't really kill him either. Thus, the shoes got it.

Not only that, but the soles were so worn down from a year's worth of travel, that I could feel every rock, pebble and grain of sand as I lumbered down the desert road like the bratwurst from the sausage race at Miller Park in Milwaukee. Their time had come. I was due a new pair anyway. Consider this: this pair of shoes had accompanyed me on our 5,500-mile road trip last year, hikes in Joshua Tree in July and October 2008, my Alaska trip this year and a final trip to Joshua Tree. That's a lot of miles for a $40 pair of shoes. Thanks for the memories, trusty shoes. Enjoy your new home in the landfill.