Adventures with Chris & Roxy

We don’t run regularly. In fact, we don’t hike, bike, train, compete or do much of anything with regularity. Except yoga, standup paddle boarding and a few circus arts. We’re mostly explorers who are guilty of mashing up multiple activities into a weekend as we explore the National Parks in and around Utah. When we travel abroad, our to-do lists and travel agendas are normally set in 15-minute increments. They always change with the weather, but we always have several back-up plans and shoes for each of those plans.

So let’s talk shoes. Shoes seem to be an after-thought for the majority of humans, unless you’re extremely active or you’re image-conscious.

We’re not shoe collectors. I guess we don’t collect much of anything, except digital photos and memories. We have so few shoes that we’ve given them names: “Sandal”, “Shoe”, “Other Shoe” and “Dress Shoe.” It would be ideal to have one shoe that does everything—like a Jeep Rubicon—something that’s convertible, sharp-looking, warm, breezy, secure and a super-traction climbing monster. But that’s impossible. So we have four shoes and one Jeep Rubicon, and we employ everything to deepen our access to adventure.

The Xero Shoes lineup is perfect for our lifestyle. Each Xero model is ultra-durable, low-maintenance and sexy in its own, minimalist way. But here’s the best part: If you’re familiar with one, you know them all. When Z-Trek sandal fans ask us to describe the Prio shoe, we just say, “You know the feel of the Z-Trek, with its light-weight, zero-drop sole and minimalist feel? Well the Prio is a warmer version of that – with laces.”

We’ve been to some amazing places, but we never really arrive. It’s not enough to go to Lake Taupo, New Zealand. You have to paddle out through man-eating waves to experience the Maori rock carving rising out of the lake, or take a midnight hike to the natural hot springs on the banks of the Waikato River.

Walking the Medina of Marrakesh, Morocco is an absolute-must for your bucket list, too. You could easily spend a year (or expend the 5,000-mile warranty of your Xero shoes), walking each alley within the city-sized labyrinth. Once you leave, you realize you never got to where you wanted to go but you’ll have colorful memories of the journey and a desire to return.

A winter trip to London is wonderful because you’ll miss the crowded tourist seasons. Each day we walk and walk (and walk); with short stints on the Underground (subway) to get us closer to different destinations in this immense city. We’ve taken a similar, winter trip to Manhattan. More walking. Standing in lines. More subways. And with any mature subway system in the world, comes the opportunity to tackle multiple flights of concrete stairs.

Costa Rica, Hawaii, Redwood National Park and Glacier National Park are some of our other favorite travels. We currently have our sights set on Iceland and Beijing. This weekend? Funny you should ask: Yellowstone.

Our next blog will focus on which model of Xero shoes we pack for each trip. Believe me, it’s a tough decision each time. But it’s made easier because Xero shoes are incredibly light weight. Like, super-amazingly light. And the Z-Trek sandals can roll up and fit in a soup can. Not that a soup-can is TSA-friendly, but you see my point and hopefully see the benefit of being able to carry four pairs of shoes in your camera bag, or checked in your inflatable standup paddle board pack.

—Chris and Roxy