New Hiking Boots and Hydration System...

Last week, I found myself making the long drive from my mom's house in Sun City to the REI store located in the Paradise Valley area of Phoenix. It's a long drive no matter what route you take. Usually, I drive east along Thunderbird Road to Cactus Road to the Paradise Valley Parkway. This time, I drove east on Bell Avenue through Sun City, through Peoria, through Glendale, through Phoenix until I got to Tatum Blvd. From there, I drove down Tatum Blvd until I got to the Paradise Valley Parkway. From there, I FINALLY managed to arrive at REI.

It's a good thing that I like the Paradise Valley area.

My primary reason driving along Bell was that I wanted to see what was beyond the intersection of Bell and 43rd Avenues.

The last time I bought a new pair of hiking boots was during the Autumn of 2011. I had recently returned from working six months in Afghanistan and needed a new pair of hiking boots. At the time, I was was living in Reston, VA. The nearest REI located in Fairfax, VA near the Fair Oaks Mall. Since I was wanted to do some hiking in Virginia-Maryland-West Virginia, I bought a pair of Solomon hiking boots for $230.

That was twelve long years ago.

When I moved back to Arizona in November, I took up hiking again. After a couple of hiking trips in the area, the idea occurred to me to buy a new pair of hiking boots. The Solomon hiking boots still worked on hikes to the Thunderbird Conservation Area in Glendale. However, I couldn't let go the idea of buying a new pair of hiking boots.

Anyway, this past December, I noticed that the Zamberlan 1996 VIOZ GTX hiking boots were on sale on REI's webpage. Regularly priced at $350, the hiking boots were on sale for around $230. These hiking boots weren't your typical Merrell hiking boots that would you buy at, say, Dick's Sporting Goods for "day hikes". These Zamberlan hiking boots were designed for extended hiking and backpacking. I had always wanted a pair of hiking boots like the Zamberlan 1996 VIOZ GTX hiking boots. Without driving to REI in Paradise Valley to try on a pair, I bought a pair of the hiking boots at size 10.5 in the grey color.

The hiking boots arrived in the mail two days later.

The first time I wore the Zamberlan hiking boots on the trail was a mixed bag. At the beginning of my hike at Deems Hills in Phoenix, the hiking boots performed remarkably. I felt and hiked like The Terminator. Near the end of my hike, however, my feet felt painful. I couldn't wait to get back to my car, take the hiking boots off, and put on my New Balance running shoes. Little did I know that I would spend the next couple of days recovering from my six mile hike in mountainous desert terrain.

I figured that my new Zamberlan hiking boots just needed to be broken in for my feet.

Subsequent day hikes in Peoria repeated the same pattern. At the beginning of the hike, my feet felt great. After hiking a couple of miles, my feet would begin to ache. I couldn't wait to get back to my car and change shoes.

Two weeks ago, I went hiking in the Phoenix Mountain Preserve. The pattern repeated itself. When my moderate four or five mile hike accidentally turned into a difficult six or seven mile hike, my feet felt as if they were on FIRE by the time I returned to my car. I could barely walk.

A subsequent hike at Papago Park the following week confirmed my hypothesis that my hiking boots were too small and needed to be replaced.

Remembering that REI allowed customers to return purchased items up to one year after purchase, I cleaned off my Zamberlan hiking boots and made the drive to Paradise Valley.

The whole return item procedure at REI was a breeze and without any hassles. Plus, the REI employee that processed my return, Jennifer, was quite helpful. I picked up another pair of Zamberlan 1996 VIOZ GTX hiking boots. This time, I picked up a pair that are size 11W. I even put on the hiking boots and walked around the store for several minutes. Just to be on the safe side, I made a point of walking a couple of miles prior to going to REI.

Zamberlan 1996 VIOZ GTX Hiking Boots

What a relief!!!

I am planning to go hiking this weekend with my new hiking boots.

We'll see what happens and how my feet will feel after a five or six mile hike.

While at REI, I also picked up the Nano 22 H2O Hydration Pack - Plus Size by Gregory.

Nano 22 H20 Hydration Pack by Gregory

The reason for the purchase?

Well, the Camelbak hydration system that the Army gave me to take to Iraq way back in 2006 has probably neared the end of its usefulness. For the past couple of months, my trusty Camelbak has started to leak through the drinking tube. The leak started to occur when I would use my Camelbak bicycling. The Camelbak would leak all over my right thigh. Recently, the drinking tube started to leak while hiking. In fact, just 10 days ago, my Camelbak leaked all over my map during a map and compass course given by REI down at Papago Park. When I went hiking after the class was over, I noticed that my water didn't last very long.

As a result, it was probably time to buy a new hydration system.

Moreover, I doubt that I could buy replacement parts for my Camelbak hydration system.

Why did I choose the Gregory hydration pack over hydration packs made by Camelbak and Osprey?

I really cannot say. The Gregory hydration system just appealed to me. Granted, Gregory produces more elaborate hydration systems than the Nano 22 H20 Hydration Pack. Just check their webpage. For now, I was happy that the Gregory hydration pack that I chose had a 3-liter bladder and a large pocket for storing my rain jacket, Clif bars, headlamp, first aid kit, cellphone charger, USB cable, etc. Now, I no longer have to use my waist pack and fill up the cargo pockets on my shorts.

Since I recently received a notification from REI that Kayaking 101 class scheduled for Saturday, April 27th, at Lake Pleasant has been cancelled, I guess I am going hiking this Saturday. It's time to try out my new gear.