Boot to the Head

My hiking boots are the Asolo FSN 95 GTX. I bought ’em last summer and it’s been a joyous podiatric union: lightweight, highly water resistant yet breathable, and required no break-in period–they fit my feet perfectly right out of the box. After about a year of frequent hiking in the White Mountains, the tread on those puppies has worn almost flat. Since it was such sweet bliss hiking in those boots, it was a no-brainer to buy another pair of the exact same ones. Yesterday, I went for an easy little 6-mile break-in hike up Mt. Ascutney with my new replacement pair and a hotspot on my right heel made me pretty miserable. Paradise lost. I’ll keep doing self-abuse hikes in them and hope things improve before the Fixit Boyz Hillstomp in September. Yes, these are the weighty issues that occupy what precious little real estate remains inside the Samurai’s skull.

I’m sorry, did you have an appliance question?