IntrepidXJ's Adventure Blog

Well, it looks like my footwear needs are finally met for a while (until I need something warm for the snow this winter…). I have needed a good pair of sandals for a while, and I finally picked up a pair today from REI.

I ended up getting the Chaco Z/1 Unaweep sandals in black. Made by a company located in Paonia, CO (not too far from GJ)….unfortunately they are no longer made locally.

So far they are comfortable, but only time will tell how much I like them, and how well they hold up. I just wish I had them yesterday on the river!

Since I’ve been doing more and more hiking, I decided that I wanted to give trekking poles a try and see how well they work out for me. Obviously I didn’t want to go out and spend a ton of money on something I may not end up using, but I did some research and found out that Walmart actually sells some poles that are pretty decent by Outdoor Recreation Group. They have camlocks, are height adjustable and seem to be of pretty decent quality for the price (only time will tell on that, though).

Hopefully I’ll get a chance to try them out very soon and can give them a better review.

Since Friday I have worn my new Keen’s to work, in the mountains and in the desert. Yesteray in the mountains, I made sure to test the waterproofness by walking through a few streams. I got to do a few miles of hiking in them this morning in the canyons and washes at the Colorado National Monument. I also did some minor climbing in them on some sandstone.

Overall, I am very pleased with their performance and their comfort. Now I just need to see how well they hold up in the longer term 🙂

Time for some new shoes and boots. I have been wearing Dr. Martens boots for the last 12+ years, however, they were bought out a few years ago and changed from being hand-made in England to being made in China. From that point, their quality had gone way down. I finally decided it’s time to try something different, especially since I am doing more hiking and other outdoor activities.

After some research, I ended up going with a light weight and waterproof hiking boot, along with a pair of waterproof cross-trainers.

The hiking boots I got are the Keen Targhee II Mid:

The cross-trainers I ended up getting are the Merrell Moab Gore-Tex XCR:

Both pairs are very comfortable. I’m looking forward to testing them out 🙂 Hopefully they live up to their waterproof and breathable claims. If I have any issues with either, I’ll be sure to post up my problems here.

Since it looks like Amanda and I are heading out on Sunday to raft the Colorado River from Grizzly to New Castle, I decided to get myself my own Personal Flotation Device (Life Jacket). I figured as I start getting on the rivers more often around here, that getting a jacket that fits me comfortably would be a good idea.

Anyways, on my lunch break I headed over to Whitewater West Rafts & Supplies and tried on a bunch of jackets. I ended up getting the NRS Big Water Guide in the slate color. This jacket had a longer torso section than the others and it also had 22 lbs. of flotation. The zippered pockets and fleece lined pockets are also nice features.

I think this PFD will work out well for me.