back from a trip to the REI head temple

My current host, Rico, very kindly drove me back to Seattle to hit the REI flagship store (the very one that Paul had told me about). Rico had expressed sympathy with my foot problems and recommended I get better in-soles. He also thought a pair of trekking poles might be a good investment for me: they would reduce the pressure on my feet and back, especially over time.

So we wandered over to the footwear section to check out "SuperFeet" in-soles, and this is how I met the (very!) lovely Lyn, who is working a 12-hour shift today. Lyn asked me about my needs, asked what I had been wearing during my walk, and even got curious about the placement of my blisters. Ultimately, she concluded that I didn't need the custom-fitted in-soles; the off-the-rack versions would be fine. Lyn also argued, based on the patterns of my blisters, that I needed footwear with firmer soles, boots being the best possibility. I told her I'd been having problems with boots, so she eventually convinced me to buy another pair of New Balance shoes, ones with reinforced soles.

I also got a pair of trekking poles so I can pretend to be skiing. OK, that's a joke: the poles help relieve pressure on your feet and back when you lean on them (so Rico tells me).

Rico also showed me the Big Agnes brand of sleeping bag (Lost Ranger model), which is very warm and collapses into a tiny stuff sac with relative ease. Along with this, my host and REI guru showed me an "insulated air core pad" by Big Agnes, essentially an inflatable, three-season sleeping pad that also collapses to a very small size at a very light weight. I didn't buy the bag or the pad (I already have a decent foam pad); it's enough that I paid $260 today for the poles, pole tips, shoes, and SuperFeet in-soles.

UPDATE: Back from seeing "Iron Man" and eating a large barbecue dinner. Both very nice.


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