A short hop in the snow

visiting anne in redlands, california. i love redlands! it´s like a little cowboy town on the edge of the great disaster that is LA. it´s cute, quiant, has good food, and a good friend!

anne and i took off on sunday. it rained saturday night yet it was still something of a surprise to find snow just 30 minutes outside redlands!

it was still something of a surprise to find snow just 30 minutes outside redlands!

i used this hike as a trial run of my gear. the clothes and packed worked great, but i found out something about slip-on shoes. while i really love them, having just discovered them this year and having purchased a pair of slip-on Keens for this trip, the suck in rough terrain. they slip off sideways at any angle other than flat, and the heal pops out at even a gentle incline.

so it was back to REI where i picked up a pair of lace-up Keens. now, picking the right shoe is an entire story in its own right. since i will be gone for six months i want to pack light, yet because the trip is so long i also want flexibility for a lot of different environments. i might hike, i will certainly trek on roads and paths, and i will also be enjoying some fine dining and dancing, and perhaps working for a non profit. i think i found the right shoe for me. i´ll post pics of them later.