Big boots in Shenandoah

Grateful for the cooler-than-usual summer, I have been able to get out hiking in the mountains in August, which is unheard of for me.  And eager to get my hiking legs back into shape, last weekend I hiked the Tuscarora trail in the George Washington National Forest (nearly 9 miles), and today the Appalachian trail in Shenandoah national park (7 1/2 miles).

It has been over three years since I've been to Shenandoah, and I was very excited to get back there.

This morning, I grabbed my hiking boots, which were still in their plastic bag from last weekend's hike, and put them on at the trailhead near Jenkins gap, just past mile 12 on Skyline Drive.  Hmm, something did not feel right.  The boots felt roomier than usual.  Far too roomy.  I examined them and realized that I must've accidentally switched boots after last saturday's hike with a guy in my carpool, who also happened to have charcoal gray Salomon boots.  I looked even closer and realized that I was wearing size 11.5 men's boots!  3 sizes too big, I think.

My feet slipped and slid a bit more than was ideal, but I got away with only getting one minor blister on my heel.  Luckily a hiker in today's group knew the owner of my boots for the day, and I was able to get in touch and we will implement the exchange later this week.

This did not detract from the enjoyment of being out in the mountains, on a beautiful August afternoon.