Rite of Passage

I haven’t had this giddy feeling in a while.

They are sixteen inches tall. I’ve never owned anything like them in my life.

Today, I took one step closer to becoming a Wrangellite. I bought a pair of Xtratuf boots.

I knew about them even before I moved to Southeast – these brown boots that are essential to living here. I remember first seeing them on others waiting at the boarding gate in the Seattle Airport. It was the first tangible sign of Alaska. On this island, they are called the Wrangell sneaker. But really, we can’t take credit for them. They are a regional shoe. For the fisherman, the crabber, the skiff driver, and now me.

As I pointed out in my last entry, Southeast is a slushy paradise, and as I walked to work this morning in my New Balances through soft just-fallen snow that lay atop the melted remains of the last snowfall, I knew I couldn’t live like this anymore. I couldn’t continue to sink inches deep into wetness with just sneakers on. I couldn’t continue to slip on icy pavement while hesitantly trying to jump over huge, deep puddles. It’s a sad state of being for someone who doesn’t own a car. For me, the perpetual walker.

I kept thinking about it all day, buying them, taking the plunge into the ultimate non-fashion statement. While I haven’t been a fan of shopping for a while, I still rarely wear things that make life more convenient. I mean, I can’t remember the last time I wore snow boots, or footwear that was appropriate (I’m hopelessly in love with flip-flops). The first time I ever bought a winter coat that actually supplies warmth was right before I moved here. While I am a fan of the outdoors, I just have never really owned any outdoor gear, you know, rugged.

The concept of clothing being protective, hence, making life easier, more convenient, had never been revealed to me. Until today.

After work I went straight into Angerman’s, the local outdoor outfitter (is that what these stores are called?) and asked someone to show me the Xtratufs. Bear in mind that the few minutes walk to Angerman’s was filled with weather obstacles, icy streets covered in an inch of water, just slush everywhere. Mother nature is the greatest promotional tool.

I tried them on, different sizes. Even tried on different brands. And I left promising the sales girl I would think hard about it.

I went to check mail, went to the office, then right back to Angerman’s to buy the Xtratufs, and I left the store wearing them (with the wool inserts, of course).

Walking around town has never been more fun. I’ve never been more eager to encounter mounds of snow or the once dreaded puddle of slush. Even ice patches are no challenge. Nothing can faze me. I have a whole new outlook on life in Wrangell.

I’m 25 and these are my first pair of rubber boots, and they make me feel like a kid.

Who wants to go tramping through the woods?