In Which I Buy Trail Running Shoes

Last week before M. and I left for Rushmore and the Badlands on I hopped on the treadmill for a quick and easy little run to shake my legs out before a day of driving. I left my running shoes sitting out next to the treadmill to do a little airing out before I packed them in my bag. I should have moved them to a location where I would have seen them on my way out because in between showering and getting ready and heading out the door, I forgot about them.

A few hours into the drive I suddenly remembered that I had never packed my running shoes. The only shoes I had with me were the sandals that I was wearing, and I knew that they would be no good for hiking in the Badlands. Fortunately, M. had also been foolish and brought his messenger bag instead of his backpack, so on our way out of Rapid City on Thursday morning we stopped a sporting goods store to buy him a cheap backpack, me a pair of shoes, and us a knife with which to cut the cheese that we purchased for a Badland's picnic.

Since I had a new pair of my regular brand and style of running shoes on the way to replace my older and more worn pair as my main running shoes, I decided to look at trail running shoes. When I was in Anchorage house hunting, I scoped a couple of trails and was thinking that I would want to invest in a pair of trail running shoes before too long anyway. The store was rather limited in their selection, but after trying on a few different pairs, I settled on a pair of Brooks.

In the late morning and early afternoon we did some driving through the scenic outlooks in the Badlands and then M. and I went on a tour of the Minuteman Missile Launch Site that is just outside the park. Then we had a picnic at one of the tables outside of the Visitor Center at the Badlands. After eating a lot of cheese and a few other things, we filled up our water bottles and set out to hike.

We started up the Saddle Pass Trail which was short but strenuous due to the steep incline. We then did about two hours of hiking along the Medicine Root Loop and the Castle Trail. These were quite flat trails so we were able to focus on the scenery a bit more easily. We were treated to some incredible views.

Before we knew it we were making the treacherous decline back down Saddle Pass. As those who read regularly know, I am a klutz and I have noted in the past that I almost always fall down at least once on the descent of a hike. It's a testament to the gripping power of the treads on my new trail running shoes that I didn't fall a single time. (I also got lucky and didn't get any blisters even though the shoes were new and a 2+ hour hike might not have been the smartest way to break them in.) M., who is much better at staying upright than I am, fell twice on our way down, but fortunately didn't get banged up too much. Tired and sweaty, we headed back to Rapid City to have some dinner and a couple of local brews at the Firehouse Brewing Co.

It was a great way to spend a day. I got to cross picnicking off my 32 in 32 list. I got to hike with my partner in crime. And I got trail running shoes.

Have you ever forgotten to pack something important? When was the last time you went on a picnic?