Ok...so if I read this right, the moral is don't wear walking boots if you're planning a sexy and spontaneous departure from your clothes after a hard day's walking - at least, not if you want to keep them looking good. Ok, so that isn't likely anyway if you're staying in a cold communal bunkhouse in the midst of a British winter, but come on. Letting your boots dry at room temperature? That'd take approximately a week at this time of year. That's following the initial 4 hours you've spent taking paper in and out of your boots during the advert breaks that evening.
Jon, do you really do this? This is some routine!
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 I do, but I do it in a sexy and spontaneous way. The reality, of course, is that it can all be summed up as:
1. Rinse the boots carefully under a tap
2. Take the laces out.
3. If they're really wet, stuff with newspaper for five minutes then remove, maybe repeat if they are really, really wet inside.
4. Treat with aqueous wax and leave them to dry...
I'm intrigued though, I think we should be told about the 'sexy and spontaneous departure from your clothes after a hard day's walking' which is obviously a crucial part of a Hotchkin walking day...
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Isn't it standard? Oh, I'm all shy and embarrassed now.
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At least you're being open about it. It's much more British to sneak furtively out of your clothes then just pretend nothing's happened...
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Actually, it's even more British to sneak out of your clothes and then everyone else pretends nothing's happened...until you break a rule, like smoking in a public place or something or letting your dog foul the pathway...then you'd know about it.
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 I saw a man walking down the street the other day in just T shirt and trainers. But that's North London for you. Anyway, why do you take the laces out of your boots when you dry them?
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Two reasons:
1. If they're filthy you can rinse them
2. With the laces out, you can fold the tongue open which lets the air get to the inside of the boot more effectively
3. I just like unlacing boots - I guess I'm funny that way
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Guys - Part of the fun is about wearing your boots out. That way you get to buy new ones! Face it most boots get pretty carved up after a couple of seasons walking and start to lose the ability to support your foot anyway. (That's my excuse anyway :-).)
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Naaaa... It's a little known fact that boots are indestructable, like Captain Scarlet, but less useful when it comes to stopping the Mysterons from taking over the world.
Exhibit A: a ten-year old pair of Scarpa Sport Trek unlined fabric boots, now on their third set of soles, admittedly with the odd crack appearing in the suede but never treated, never washed, just abused horribly. I believe them to be possessed...
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Hold on a minute...call me slow, but I've just re-read Joan's message. A naked man in North London? Where abouts in North London are you and is this normal behaviour? Mind you, for a great waterproof/breathable combination I reckon skin tops it.
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Perhaps he was trying to draw attention to global warming? At least he'd invested in appropriate footwear, although I didn't get close enough to see if he'd washed his laces.
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London's obviously more globally warmed than the Peak then... Anyway, I'm confused - either the UK's going to become horrible hot and wet or the Gulf Stream'll stop and we'll be plunged into arctic winter, which will presumably be good for water ice, but not so great for everything else.
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