DEAR ALIZARIN: Never underestimate the value of a good pair of shoes

Went on another Sierra Club led hike in Griffith Park, the oasis of LA. Of course, I decide to take up this activity during the time of year when it is pitch black at the 7pm start time. After an increase of hiking time with lots of sliding in my Payless sneakers, this week I invested in my new hiking hobby and bought a real pair of hiking shoes. Sold by the little knobby triangles on the bottom, I have not been so happy with a purchase as with these shoes on the hike tonight.

At the pinnacle of the hike we paused in the darkness to gaze down at the glittering LA sprawl. The ebb and flow of the waves of traffic wafted up through the smog to our small opening of quiet and stillness. Ten hikers stood, hidden by the darkness, by the elevation, by our smallness in this city. Protected by this distance, I could feel part of the beauty of the city, a metaphor for that secret place to where all citydwellers retreat when city life becomes overbearing -- the citydweller's magical ability to dwell in both places at once.

Never underestimate the heights and depths where a good pair of shoes may carry you.