At the foot of the Cam Bhealach, where the path down from the hills meets the forestry track through the South Laggan forest, there is a boulder. And on the boulder, there was a boot. It had been there for quite some time, I would say, from the amount of rust on the cleats. And it had the appearance of an article which somebody had dropped, and which a subsequent passer-by had placed where it would be easily spotted if its rightful owner should come back looking for it. And this got me to thinking: how on earth does one lose a single boot???
It also reminded me of the story of Ghandi, climbing up onto the roof of a railway carriage just as the train was leaving. One of his shoes fell off as he did so, and fell onto the track. So he immediately removed the other shoe, and threw it down to join its companion. "Why did you do that?" asked a fellow passenger. "Well," replied Ghandi, "think of the poor beggar walking along the tracks. If he finds a single shoe, it is of no use to him. And a single shoe is no use to me either. But the beggar will be very grateful to find a pair of shoes."
I've been known to walk along for a while in my Crocs, with my boots tied onto the back of my pack. Fortunately, I've always made sure to tie firm knots, so no loss of boots for me (yet!) - but I suppose that's how it could have happened.
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