What is in a Pair of Old Boots

Author

Carole Blaquiere

I had to retire my old hiking boots a few weeks ago. They had been with me on my journeys for the last 15 years. Obviously, a good pair of footwear. I had gone through several pairs in the previous years doing the Coastal Trail in Pukaskwa and the West Coast Trail on Vancouver Island so I decided to invest in my next pair so that I could continue to see our amazing country by foot.

These boots allowed me to complete the Bruce Trail over 3 years with a group called ‘The Bruce Trail in Small Doses’. The idea was to keep the hikes to less than 15km or so. The thing is, when you hike every weekend, you find that your endurance increases and you can hike further. In the final year, I did a number of hikes between 25 and 30km. One weekend we did close to 75km to complete all the sections of the Bruce Trail.

I also brought these boots with me to the Nahanni River, a trip I had on my bucket list for many years. They offered support while I climbed Sun Blood Mountain above Victoria falls as well as a number of other hikes along the river canyon. Viewing such an iconic waterfall from above is a unique experience.
They carried me while my husband and I hiked 10 days along the Kerry way in Ireland to celebrate our anniversary. Hiking from pub to pub, town to town, lodging to lodging, had always been a dream for us. Doing it with my partner and best friend was the best.
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These boots also supported my explorations of the Voyageur Trail when we moved to Algoma, our new playground for the past 10 years. We completed several hundred kilometers of the wilderness trail from Elliot Lake to Sault Ste. Marie, meeting wonderful people and finding unsung gems of trails along the way. We also tackled the challenging trails such as the Casque Iles Trail and the Lake Superior Coastal Trail along Lake Superior over the years where these boots finally could not hold out anymore.
I hung on as long as I could but, in the end, had to say goodbye. I decided to invest in another pair of boots so that I could continue to explore our great country and its trails. I hope that these new boots will help me introduce our clients to the wonderful scenic region of Algoma and to the shores of the Lake Superior Watershed.