Five-minute read: After years of hiking in the same boots, Fiona Butterworth realises nothing lasts forever.
"I bought my hiking boots from a well-known outdoor store in 2004 when I joined a bushwalking club and started seriously hiking. I wanted a pair of boots that would give me comfort and support on graded trails and off track and the brand I bought fitted the bill.
Spending many days traversing the Mount Lofty Ranges walking sections of the Heysen, Kidman, and Yurrebilla trails, I wore my boots in. I learnt to orienteer and was soon enjoying walking off track and rock scrambling. Walking day or night, in the heat or cold wet rain, my trusty bushwalking boots were always on my feet.
My boots and I embarked upon my biggest hiking challenge to date, walking the World Heritage listed Overland Track from Cradle Mountain to Lake St Clair with my hiking group. We were doing the track full pack carrying in/out all our gear and supplies resulting in 15kg packs at the start. I was grateful for my boots, worn in and comfortable enabling me to walk 65km over six days without a single complaint.
As with many adventures, the realities of life can get in the way. I moved interstate and made new friends and became involved in other fitness pursuits. My beloved boots sat in the back of my wardrobe for four years, patiently waiting for their next great adventure.
At the start of this year when I moved house I came across my boots and was flooded with memories of all the great walks we had together. I had an epiphany; here I was living on the Gold Coast with World Heritage listed rainforests on my doorstep that I had yet to explore.
I put on my old faithfuls and started hiking again beginning with day walks in the Springbrook National Park. I felt invigorated to be bushwalking again and had planned with a friend to do the Gold Coast Hinterland Great Walk from Lamington National Park to Springbrook.
My last training hike was a short half-day trip to the Cougals involving rock scrambling. I’d barely started the walk when I noticed the left sole of my boot was starting to come away. I taped it up but the terrain of the steep uphill walk and rock scrambling eventually took its toll on my old worn boots.
By the time I started back downhill both boots were taped. I was devastated. I had thoughts of going to the local shoe repair and getting my soles glued back on. I would have tried anything to salvage them. In the end I had to face the inevitable, they were gone. They had given me some great years, taken me on many adventures and some of the best memories of my life. My next pair of boots will be the same brand, for me they have passed every test as a bushwalker I could have thrown at them!"