More dogwalk talk
Dec. 18th, 2007 06:37 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
urbpanThis evening's dogwalk was much better than this morning's. The fact that it happened at all makes it much better. I decided to take them along the Riverway, which was a good idea. As it turned out, the path had been cleared--more or less--since last time. It was still icy, but it was wide and flat.
I wore my yaktrax, basically rubber bands wrapped with steel wire which you attach to your boots. They seem expensive at about 20 bucks a pair, but they make walking on ice about 90% better than without them. In fact, my only complaint about them is that they fall off if you walk in deep snow. I've lost one of them three times now, having to go back and retrace my steps to find it again. It's very annoying, and seems like a design flaw. We never have just one type of terrain in Boston, there's always a mix of hard ice, slush, crusty snow, fluffy snow, and salty pavement. The crusty snow pulls the thing right off my boot. Apparently you can get one that has a strap over the top of your foot, for about 10 bucks more. Seems like too much, frankly.
An added bonus not advertised: they spark when you walk on dry concrete.
So the Boston side of the walk was fine, and then we crossed the footbridge which was completely covered in salt. It was dark, so it wasn't until Maggie started screaming like she was getting jabbed with a hot poker that I realized what was going on. I tried to wipe her footpad, but she screamed louder. I picked her up and carried her across the bridge and set her down somewhere snowy. The rest of the walk was uneventful, until I lost my yaktrak again, and had to double back for it. You really have to be in touch with the sensation of walking to know that you've lost it--you have to feel, through your boot, the difference in your steps. It's quite subtle, and if I were walking on packed snow, I'd never even notice.
Thanks for all the interesting comments to my politics post this morning. I meant to make it a non-public entry, so as not to offend my relatives who read my journal, but I liked the contributions to the conversation from people that otherwise would have missed out.
On this day in 365 Urban Species: Red-breasted merganser.
I wore my yaktrax, basically rubber bands wrapped with steel wire which you attach to your boots. They seem expensive at about 20 bucks a pair, but they make walking on ice about 90% better than without them. In fact, my only complaint about them is that they fall off if you walk in deep snow. I've lost one of them three times now, having to go back and retrace my steps to find it again. It's very annoying, and seems like a design flaw. We never have just one type of terrain in Boston, there's always a mix of hard ice, slush, crusty snow, fluffy snow, and salty pavement. The crusty snow pulls the thing right off my boot. Apparently you can get one that has a strap over the top of your foot, for about 10 bucks more. Seems like too much, frankly.
An added bonus not advertised: they spark when you walk on dry concrete.
So the Boston side of the walk was fine, and then we crossed the footbridge which was completely covered in salt. It was dark, so it wasn't until Maggie started screaming like she was getting jabbed with a hot poker that I realized what was going on. I tried to wipe her footpad, but she screamed louder. I picked her up and carried her across the bridge and set her down somewhere snowy. The rest of the walk was uneventful, until I lost my yaktrak again, and had to double back for it. You really have to be in touch with the sensation of walking to know that you've lost it--you have to feel, through your boot, the difference in your steps. It's quite subtle, and if I were walking on packed snow, I'd never even notice.
Thanks for all the interesting comments to my politics post this morning. I meant to make it a non-public entry, so as not to offend my relatives who read my journal, but I liked the contributions to the conversation from people that otherwise would have missed out.
On this day in 365 Urban Species: Red-breasted merganser.
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no subject
Date: 2007-12-19 12:45 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-12-19 01:07 am (UTC)Two, attach a newfangled powder-finder thingy to them. At least it makes them obvious to find.
Let me know if you find a good solution!
no subject
Date: 2007-12-19 01:07 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-12-19 01:15 am (UTC)the "pro" version has a velcro strap :) [as per the others above] i was lazy and got that version. i was also not interesting in sparking, and the pros use stainless steel wire (potentially not rusting either).
you could use a spare pair of shoe laces to run a couple x-overs to keep them on your shoes (i've done this for someone), or velcro strap of some kind (like the type for keeping your pants from flapping on a bike) or ... yah.
if you think $20 is killer; they make a kind with screw heads exposed - like ice racing tyres for motorcycles. those REALLY grip ice well, and they run $50+ - ouch!
#
no subject
Date: 2007-12-19 01:23 am (UTC)Also, because we lived in the land of salty sidewalks, I tried boots for my dog, which never stayed on, then at the pet store I found some kind of wax that I would rub on his pads before a walk. That seemed to help a lot. Poor Maggie. Maybe you should get her a present: http://www.theunexpectedpitbull.com/
no subject
Date: 2007-12-19 02:24 am (UTC)You might want to try something like Musher's Secret (http://www.amazon.com/Mushers-Secrets-Secret-200g/dp/B0002IJQDM) for your pups' pads.
no subject
Date: 2007-12-19 05:11 pm (UTC)Just passin' thu via
--Andrea