Stomping Strawberry

At 6,124 feet Strawberry Peak is one of the taller peaks in the western San Gabriel Mountains. Less than an hour from hwy 210 Strawberry Peak is an excellent destination for hikers and aspiring mountaineers that want to get a quick fix.

I chose this hike because I had just got my first pair of mounteering boots. I wanted a hike that was short enough that I wouldn't be in too much pain if the boots were just totally wrong, but would also be a test for them in some apline style climbing. The elevation gain of 2600 feet in just 3 miles with some class 3 climbing in the last mile makes this a perfect proving ground.

I had been wearing the La Sportiva Makalus around the house and to the mall to get a feel for them before I "commited." I replaced the factory insole with a heat moldable one from Sole. This really gave me some arch support as well as taking up some volume in the boot. I also moved up to an expedition weight sock. I made the mistake of not wearing that sock on this day as I would find out later. Besides these changes, I also applied some Nikwax leather conditioner to the boots in hopes that it will shorten the breakin period required for such a heavy boot.

At the trailhead, I locked in the lower laces to a firm, yet tolerable, pressure. I attempted to tighten the top half of the boot, but found that I was unable to get them right without bringing both sides of the boot together. This was the first indication that the thicker sock would have been a better choice.

I started the first mile in a mild rain. The early sections of the climb involve fording a small stream in Colby Canyon and Daisy Canyon. I found the Makalus to have excellent grip on the moist boulders, but their bulk reduced some of the feel that a lighter boot has. After about half mile of climbing the rain subsided.

The Makalus are quite heavy, two pounds per boot, and my pace was reduced to a lumbering two miles per hour uphill. I can normally hit the three and a half to four mile per hour pace with my Asolo hikers. I began to throw my foot up and forward, letting the mass of the boot complete the stride.

At the 1.75 mile mark I began to feel a little hot spot on the back of my right foot (my subordinate foot.) Most of the reviews that I read said that these boots were murder on heels until properly broken in so I was fully prepared with Moleskin. Upon removing the boot I saw that there was no blister or even a discoloration of the skin, none the less I Moleskined and continued to Josephine Saddle.

The hike continues "off trail" from the saddle, although it is not really off trail since there are purple spray-painted arrows marking the way. This is where the real meat of the trip begins. Wtih two pounds of leather and steel on each foot and a 25 pound pack on I began to sweat like I was running in 90 degree heat.

During the climbing sections the boots again proved their mettle in the face of rough terrain. Smearing and edging are no problem for the Makalus despite their behemoth stature. The winds were raging at about 40 mph on some of the exposed portions of the climb, but I never felt fearful of losing traction. It was during this section that I saw one other party making their descent.

I had the summit all to myself, which was enjoyable. I could see into downtown Los Angeles and beyond to the Pacific. Mount San Antonio lay to the East in heavy cloud cover, getting a light dust of snow. The radio towers atop Mount Wilson were becoming engulfed in a moist haze. I decided not to dawdle here since I could see rain falling on the foothils to the west.

My descent also illustrated the need for the thicker socks. The tops of my feet were getting slammed from the boot and once in a while my big toe would run into the front of the boot. I suspect that a fuller sock will fill the boot and keep this from occuring.

I was tripping over my feet at times which indicated that I was getting tired. I also managed to get off course and ended up going down towards a precipitous ravine. While trying to correct myself I slipped on some loose gravel and cut my hand. I was flustered by such a stupid error and chalked it up to fatigue.

Back on the trail the tops of my feet continued to suffer and I think that the socks were beginning to compress. Suprisingly, my knees didn't feel so beat up even though the trail was steep; I'm going to attribute that to the Sole inserts.

That night I was wasted. My legs ached like I had done a 16 miler even though I'd only done six. My shoulders and arms were stiff from hauling me and the pack up the Class 3 scramble. I was still nervous about the fit of my boots but I was not ready to strap them on again with the new socks. We'll see how things go this coming weekend...