Wednesday, December 2, 2015

November 3-P-100 and Keen's Help

Credit: Scott Hite

November was a disappointing month for getting outdoors for exercise.  I managed 59 miles for the month, but did have a higher than normal percentage of paddling within those miles.  Like most of you, the multi-day ice event put a kink in outdoor activity, and the holiday didn’t help either.  Anticipating that getting out on the ice could end with me laid up for weeks, I opted for spending time with a book by Cliff Jacobson.

I’ve resolved to correct this backsliding, so started December off with an 8.7 mile walk while collecting aluminum cans for Canton Lake.  The Corps of Engineers got funding to rebuild the campground that had been destroyed by a tornado, but had no funds remaining for replanting trees.  They have asked the public to help them collect recyclable aluminum to fund tree purchases.

I have UPS bringing me two pair of mid-height hiking shoes to also help with my 3-P-100.  I’ve wanted Keen shoes for a long time.   Keen Shoes is located in Portland, Oregon, and have a good reputation.  The Keen Durand was recommended by Kevin Callan, but when I started reading reviews, I discovered two things.  One, the Keen Siskiyou is rated higher by consumers, and two, since that model is being discontinued, they are on sale by Cabelas’.  They are now 50% off, but my Cabela points helped by covering that remaining cost.  You can’t beat two free pairs of shoes.  One reviewer said that due to them being discontinued, he has purchased three pairs.  I settled for two.

I turned to Keen to get an answer as to why Siskiyou was discontinued.  They said that any time retailers fail to step up and make purchases of any style, and they thus fail to meet manufacturing minimums, that style is chopped.  There was nothing wrong with the shoe, as witnessed by them being rated very high by consumers.  Cabelas’, however, had ordered a large dedicated run of the Siskiyou, and that explains why they still have some in stock.  If you want a good hiking shoe at a sale price, get to Cabelas’ before they are gone.

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