Skipping Through Yosemite In Ugly Shoes

A dear reader guessed Tahoe, and she’s close…but no cigars :D!

Yes, there are mountains and water and pine trees and snow, but what we’re after today is El Capitan, the 910m vertical rock formation at Yosemite National Park.

It’s simply magnificent, and I can imagine this park teeming with people in the summer. But even on this chilly day with first signs of snow, it is a marvel to behold. I do my best to capture as many pictures as I can before I lose sunlight. So while skipping through slippery Yosemite in–gasp–ugly shoes (more on this later)…I’m keeping my eyes on the prize.

Finally I reach the waterfall at the foot of my destination. Maybe on a less chilly day I’ll manage to get to the top!

Fashion Sidebar: I know in my About Me page I talk about not wearing icky shoes, and generally I stick to nice shoes because they can transform your whole look, even when you’re schlepping around in very casual wear. If I had a certain budget, I’d probably invest the largest percentage of it in a good pair of shoes or bag because these two accessories give the best ROI. Anyway, I’ve been mucking around in my “orthopedic” aka Nurse Ratched shoes this whole time.

No, one of my legs is not shorter than the other and these are not orthopedic shoes prescribed to fix that condition! They’re just one of those trendy shape-up shoes with the funky soles supposedly made to help shape your calves and butt while you walk. I have actually been told this is just a scam and the shoes have zero fitness value, but boy oh boy, they sure are comfy!

So the first couple of days I was quite self-conscious about the way they looked. I wore them with the longest jeans I could find to hide the ugly soles. But after 48 hours of walking in treacherous and inclement conditions, I was sold. I’d wear these with a swimsuit…well, ok, let’s not get crazy here! (I'm just hoping my Chanel leather jacket is a good distraction from my feet.) They’re still ugly as sin, but these Avia shoes are becoming a permanent fixture in my travel bag. Wonder if I could find them in gray…

December 19, 2010