When I started my walk from the mouth to the source of the Derwent River, my Teva walking boots hadn’t covered many kilometres – maybe only 20.  They were already comfortably worn in and I loved wearing them.  Not too heavy. Not too rigid. Providing all the ankle support I needed.  Giving me confidence I could walk anywhere.

Not so long ago these boots had to be retired. The uppers kept their good condition. The insides remained intact. But the soles … well, there wasn’t much left of them.  I kept walking despite almost no tread. I kept walking despite the ground eating into a shoe through the sole.  I began to slip on mossy rocks. I began to feel the points of rocks.  I knew my wonderful boots would no longer keep me safe.

I fervently wanted to complete the walk in these friendly boots but it wasn’t to be.  I hunted through the shops, I tried the TEVA manufacturers, and I browsed through Gumtree and Ebay sites in the hope of finding another pair. Alas. These excellent boots are no longer produced and it seems not a soul in the world had a pair to sell.

With sadness I searched for a new pair of walking boots. From experience I knew I had purchased many boots over the years and after not much time found I could only wear one shoe in and not the other, or the boot stayed too rigid and did not provide the flexibility I needed – such expensive boots were then sold as second hand. I didn’t want to waste more money. Regrettably boots are not a commodity that can be taken away and tried and then if they fail you can return and swap for something else.  So it was with delight, and quite quickly, I found a Mountain Design pair of walking boots which, in the shop, had all the characteristics I wanted.

I walked out of the shop wearing them and, after only a few successful short strolls in my neighbourhood, I decided to test them out on a day bushwalk.  You may smile, but I carried my old walking boots in my day pack – just in case.  But they weren’t needed. That day and since then my new boots have carried me across all sorts of terrain safely with comfort.

Silly, I know, but I still haven’t been able to ‘bury’ my favourite boots that were there for me through thick and thin.