Keeping My Feet Dry With the Wildcat GTX

In case you don't live out here, or haven't noticed in the news, it's been precipitating majorly here in California. Cold, relentless rain for days on end, fierce wind gusts, slippery sloppy mud all over the trails. Time to take a break from running, right?

Wrong! Time to party! After a morning shift earlier this week, it was time to let loose.


I put on a couple of layers on top, one of my shorter shorts (to the horror of my wife later-- but honestly I'd rather have less than more below when I'm getting soaked), and for the feet, my pair of Wildcat GTX. Just like the Wildcats that I wore last year at most of my longer races, but with waterproof and breathable Gore-Tex fabric. Not that I really mind getting my feet soaked on a short 2-hour run (versus wet feet for 40+ hours at last year's McNaughton 150), but it does make things less messy when I return home, or if my wife picks me up somewhere, and let's see, it makes my socks last longer.

Soon I was splashing through puddles with impunity, hopping rocks and logs over streams without fear (and with a few slips)-- all the while keeping my feet dry.

I was having so much fun, that I didn't notice it was already past 5:45 (it was dark to begin with, but it got REALLY dark). I could have taken the smoggy, rush-hour roads home, but, face it, that sucks. So I slowed the pace a little descending the narrow, steep, unmaintained single track closest to my house. This proved an excellent test of the FriXion® AT/ Impact Brake System™, as I misstepped several times, but was able to maintain upright, and not slide off the side of the trail. (This would've doubly sucked since one side drops off rather steeply into bunches of deleafed poison oak.)


But I guess not as bad as when these Pacifica apartments go off the cliff. No traction system can save these, I'm afraid. Do they actually think they can reverse massive erosion of a seaside cliff?

Back to the run-- Cool! (In fact, I went back for another sunset run the next day.) Thanks Sportiva for the shoes, and the rain gods for a deeper base for the Tahoe slopes and to stave off a California drought this summer!