It seems we are experiencing an unwelcome return of winter this week. It was 2 degrees yesterday morning and the high for the day today is a cloudy and frigid 25. But I couldn’t let that stop me. A new pair of Keen Ridge Flex hiking boots showed up on my doorstep yesterday and they were begging me to take them out for a jaunt! Plus I could see out my front window that the Sangre de Cristo Range was looking stunning and needing some pictures.
A Stroke of Luck
It was spitting snow this afternoon when I hit the trail to Grouse Mountain, and I wasn’t really expecting much in the way of pictures. I was hoping to see the red-tailed hawk back in the woods but I didn’t. There was a cute herd of mule deer feeding on the grass at the summit though, and I got a few nice pictures of them 🙂
Just as I was about back to the trailhead I looked up and there was the hawk, sitting pretty on the treetops. I focused on him for a bit and pretty soon I heard the telltale screech that he was getting ready to do something. I was fortunate to catch him in flight just as he was launching.
The Keens Survived the Test
The boots were comfortable the moment I put them on and they stayed comfortable throughout my hike on Hell Hill. I figure if they make it through that test I can be confident enough to wear them for a longer hike! I’ll do a special review on them pretty soon when I can check out their Keen Dry System capability.


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