Mexico in Sanuks
Monday, October 19th, 2009
Dear Sanuk
A few weeks ago while in Mexico I was invited to do some hiking. Being more of a water guy than a hiker I accepted primarily because surf was completely blown out and it just rained so that the desert was beautiful and cooler than usual.
Our friends suggested hiking to a lookout point overlooking the whole coast it was a short hike by there standards but more than a couple of miles up very steep and treacherous terrain filled with cactus, cliffs and lots of unstable rocks and pebbles. Our friends laced up their hightop hiking boots my wife found a pair of cross training shoes and it soon became clear to me that my only option for this hike was my Sanuks. This is the same pair I’ve had for two years, I basically use them to ride my ATV back and forth from the beach. I turned them into slip ons long ago by stepping on heel and flattening it into the footbed. They’re super comfortable knock around shoes that constantly have multiple ounces of wet sand piled up in the toes from my wet sandy feet going in and out regular basis.
So while I surveyed the peak we were hiking to high off in the distance I began to look at my choice of footwear more seriously. I got pretty diligent about getting sand out and pulled up the canvas heels that I’d been walking on for two years and slipped them on the way they were intended to be worn. With some weak protests about possibly not going all the way to the top I started off trailing behind our guides.
This was no hiking trail it was up the side of steep raw Baja terrain. One slip meant a long fall or an embrace with a big cactus. Loose rocks were a bit like walking on ball bearings on a steep incline. My little voice was saying things like: What are you thinking? You’ve got no tread no ankle support, you’re going to end up bleeding or worse any minute or at least with big blisters. But that didn’t happen, the same pair Sanuks that I had trashed on the beach for two years were now performing perfectly as hiking boots. I made it up and down easily thanks to the comfort of the canvas and flexible sole. It actually gave me more control in some pretty scary terrain especially since we were coming back down in twilight. The views were amazing and something I will never forget. One more of life’s little reminders not to get stuck your own ruts. I’ve enclosed a photo of view from the top.
I was so amazed I also took a picture of everyone’s feet. I didn’t feel any discomfort on the whole hike. Did I mention I didn’t have any socks and everyone else did? Yep traction, comfort and extremely light. What a functional piece of footwear! They’re clogs, they’re sandals, hiking boots. they stand up to sand and salt water, mud rocks, everything and after you’re done you can wash them off with a hose and wear them out to a nice restaurant. They pack flat and hardly take up any room in a carry-on bag. What an amazing and truly versatile product to have. Great job guys!
Thanks Tyler! Feet applaud
