Cactus Forest Trail (Das Boot Rant)

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Perhaps you're thinking that this blog post is about more than just a hike, and you'd be correct. While I did need a moderate (easy, in this case) hike as a warmup for Saturday's more consequential outing, I also needed a comfortable hike on which to break in a new pair of boots. This little 10-miler in Saguaro National Park East seemed to fit the bill. 

Note: Before I continue with this post, which really isn't about the hike so much as the boots, I hiked this trail about a year ago and wrote it up here.

It seems I am hard on hiking boots. That is one reason that I plonked down several hundred dollars last year to purchase an amazing pair of old-school all-leather Danners, made in Portland and completely reconstructable—perhaps the last pair of boots I'd need, considering my already advanced age. However, I haven't worn them on a hike yet, preferring to use my Southwest-specific boots I already have that have really shown the wear and tear this rocky terrain metes out. I also think the Danners are better suited to hikes in places like Oregon, Washington, and Colorado, where trails are more forgiving, and one is more likely to encounter mud and gravel and pine needles, not rocks, boulders, and shards of schist. So I've basically consigned myself to hiking in disposable boots as long as I continue to hike in Arizona.

I have been wearing Vasque hiking boots and shoes since I began Arizona hiking some 9 years ago. They have always felt comfortable right out of the box (until now), and held up fairly well, considering what I put them through (also until now). 

I bought a pair of Vasque Breeze boots in late 2019 in preparation for my solo six-day 60+ mile Grand Canyon backpacking trip the following May. That trip was canceled due to Covid so I wasn't able to make that trip until May of last year. Meanwhile, I hiked about 4 months in the new Vasques, including a weekend backpacking trip in Colorado. That iteration of the Basque Breeze pretty much wore out after five months. I wrote Vasque a letter with photographs of the boots, and after sending them back at their request, I received a new pair in the mail within a week. That is the latest pair I almost completely destroyed in six months of Arizona hiking. 

Last week, I ordered a pair of the more robust Vasque Talus, which REI had on sale. Those are the boots I wore today as well as the boots I'll be returning tomorrow. I guess I am no longer a Vasque guy. After only 10 miles, I developed nascent blisters in at least two spots on each foot—not a harbinger of long-term comfort.

The Vibram sole of each boot has completely worn through to the under-footbed.

Not the quality one expects from a brand whose parent company is Red Wing. 

These are the replacement boots. This is after the hike and after I cleaned them up. REI will be able to sell them in their used gear site, with only a very slight reduction in price.

Meanwhile, back on the trail. This sandy, flat trail bed is why I chose this particular hike. Easy on the feet; easy on the boots.

Tanque Verde Ridge in the background. I was planning on hiking up that challenging 15+ mile route in the Rincons this Saturday. That might now be off the table.

This is the replacement I decided on, the Keen Circadian mid waterproof hiking boot (and 20% off at REI). It felt great in the store, and two days after this 10-mile hike, where I tore up the ball of my right foot, and the heel of the right, I did a strenuous 14-miler up Tanque Verde Ridge and back. While the places on my feet that suffered from the Vasque tryout still hurt, overall I think I'm happy with them; the Keen's wide last, especially the toe box, fits my Frodo feet quite well. And they seem very durable. Only time will tell.