@idzie Nothing like a great pair of boots to make a hike 10x better.
Many years ago I was on a long backcountry hike in Big Bend National Park. In the middle I happened upon a couple of hikers, the man had somehow managed to rip the sole off his Vasque boot and was walking with a tshirt tied around his foot. He was holding his boot, looked at me like he was going to die.
I set my pack down and said, “I’m about to make your day a whole lot better.” I reached into my pack and pulled out a small roll of duct tape.
The man almost cried, profusely thanking me.
What had happened is he had the boots in non climate controlled storage and the glue dry rotted and crumbled to dust. He had not tested them before going on a long hike.
Moral to the story: check your gear carefully, and always carry duct tape.