Duathlon.
Typically, it combines two strenuous events: running and biking. Or in the case of biathlon, cross-country skiing and target shooting.
My interpretation is less doctrinaire.
As long as two semi-related activities take place outdoors, it's a duathlon. For example, hiking and resting. Raking leaves and drinking hot chocolate.
Mushroom hunting and orienteering.
Such exertion demands a light, fall jacket with its own thermal regulator (bypass the hypothalamus). My version, in remarkably soft heather fleece, lets you shed your sleeves so you can go on chopping wood without overheating.
Or if the temperature suddenly drops, put them back on.
Convertible Fleece Jacket (No. 3375), with cotton plaid back yoke. Antique brass zipper down front, armhole, and front pocket. Bottom draw cord.
Presto! You're ready for anything.
Men's sizes: S, M, L, XL, XXL.
Color: Heather Burgundy.
Foraging.
Early fall, Grand Traverse County, where the perfume of autumnal woods wafts in
the air.
The hunt for fragrant fungi is on.
I have only to follow my feet into deciduous forests of oak, elm, birch, and ash.
I pull on these impermeable boots to tromp around the moldering leaves. Their high-traction snow grip soles permit me to negotiate the uneven terrain.
Intensely comfortable, I can focus all of my attention on the discovery of chanterelles, hen of the woods, and shaggy manes.
For added insurance, I carry my Audubon Field Guide (it, too, is waterproof).
Impermeable Boots (No. 3487), consist of waterproof leather top with seam-sealed construction. Bottom is waterproof, too, with a flexible rubber shell. Moisturewicking Thinsulate insulation to keep your toes nice and dry.
Did I mention they're ruggedly handsome?
Built for hiking around Big Horn, Hungry Horse, and Whitefish, they wear equally well in Grant Park or Boston Common.
Metro commuters in the Northeast will
appreciate their practical, no fuss
(no
laces) easy-to-pull-on attitude.
Men's sizes: 7 through 14, whole sizes only.
Color: Black and Brown.
