I bought my Austins on September 28, 2008. Our first mission together was to be a quick trip to Anchorage, Alaska for a job interview. I chose the Austins because they are stylish, solid, comfortable, and different ... and also good in inclement weather. The forecast was ominous: lows in the 30s, showers likely.
The interview was after lunch, so my new Austins and I would have all morning to explore. As luck would have it, my evening flight touched down in a light snowfall, and there was 3” on the ground when I woke up in the hotel.
When faced with the idea of a walk on a morning like this, there are two response types: “Yahoo!” and “Hm, maybe I'll read a book instead.” In my case, it was a matter of seconds between first opening the curtains and me - and my KEENs - being out in it.
KEEN shoes are universally comfortable, and are frequently recommended by podiatrists because of their wide toe box, good support, and ergonomic heel. The outsole is a hard, grippy, non-marking rubber, and the leather upper is built to keep feet cool by wicking moisture away while repelling water from rain, the occasional puddle, or as I was about to find out, slush.
Tucked into Cook Inlet, a protected bay on the Gulf of Alaska, Anchorage is surrounded by the jagged, colossal peaks of the Denali Range. Simply turning in a circle as I emerged from my hotel left me awestruck as I took in the sunny, sparkling morning, the dry snow creaking like an old leather couch under my feet.
Like all KEENs, the Austins feature the rubber toe bumper that has become emblematic of the brand. Slightly more svelte than the toe found on KEEN water shoes, the resulting look is seen alternately as being stylish or, well, ugly. I used to subscribe to the conventional model of beauty - aerodynamic, sharp, a little menacing, but my first pair of pointy-toed cowboy boots and the resulting blisters and cramped arches they caused taught me to expand my concept of beauty to include function as well as form. I was entirely confident that my feet would be happy even at the end of a full day of walking in my brand new leather KEENs, and confident that the stylings of the Austins would similarly serve me well.
I walked west about 12 blocks toward Elderberry Park and the bay to take in the vista and maybe catch a glimpse Russia, Alaska’s next-door neighbor. The sightseeing did not disappoint: the pristine blue of the water giving way to the blinding white of the Denali, and while there was no sign of Russia’s east coast, watching the F-18s swarm the skies around the nearby Elmendorf Air Force Base was a different kind of awesome.
After a quick breakfast, I angled back toward the hotel in what was quickly becoming a much warmer day. The once airy snow was now slush, but I remained sure-footed and dry. My interview went well (I got the job on the spot!) and I felt comfortable attending a dressy dinner meeting with my new boss and his wife before catching my flight home.
