RickyLiew Photography: Training for Tahan Expedition 2012

In one of the night of a workday I drove all the way to Gurney drive all alone after work to look for a proper hiking shoe as a preparation for the coming Tahan expedition in Feb 2012. I wanted to at least try to hike with the new shoes for a couple of times before the actual hike so I can get used to the shoe and the performance before I actually use it for serious hiking like going up to Tahan. I first visited Studio R but there is no discount at all so I decided to try World of Sports. Bingo, there was a sale of 20% discount on the first item and 40% on the second item. So I just went into that shop and started to look for shoes that is suitable to my wide leg. I tried hi-tech at first but it was a bit too heavy and also the shoe sole was too narrow to fit my leg. So I tried Columbia, it's also too narrow. At last, I tried the salomon and it feels so comfortable to fit my leg snugly. Then only I realized that it is actually a waterproof shoe and built in with quite a few technologies such as quick fit lace (US Patent), Goretex (excellent breathable waterproof material) and Contagrip (designed for anti-slip). I hope this shoe is a good choice that will bring me comfort throughout the entire Tahan hike.

A few days after I bought this pair of shoe, I went for a lily pond training at Botanical garden. It was a 3.5hrs one way hike to the peak of Penang hill through Lily pond and old craig hotel. This shoe perform pretty well especially when I was decending through some sandy trails. It grips pretty well on the floor and it makes me feel more secure to decend at a more steady steps. Also, it's breathable material really keeps my leg dry and comfortable throughout the hike. I hope it will perform the same way for the coming Tahan trip. Looking forward for this most challenging hike in my life!