Metro to Mountain Journal

My closet is filled with running shoes. When one pair is retired I change the status of the shoes from prime runners to secondary runners, walkers, or scuffs. Not wearing the same pair of shoes every day helps control the odor as they are given time to breathe between uses.

My wife complains regularly about the odor of my shoes and feet. I use a spray for both my feet and shoes to help try to appease her.

All was going well until a few weeks ago, when I began noticing a smell coming from my closet. I carefully examined each pair of shoes searching for the offending pair. None seemed overly pungent; but I re-sprayed each pair just for assurance.

The smell did not go away.

I told Amy that I guess we needed to get some kind of deodorizer for the closet. She agreed; but at times she thinks it is her womanly duty to complain about my foot odor - so I did not know if the smell was really bothering her or not.

I checked my shoes again. Smelling and thoroughly spraying each pair; I did not find a single pair that stood out as an odorous offender. Sitting in front of the shoes I decided that something must have died in the closet. I began searching in the nooks and crannies for a deceased varmint.

During the search, I discovered the odor was possibly coming from my pack. Stored on a hook on the back of the closet door, the pack stays packed and ready for action. The problem is that sometimes I forget to unpack the pack. Checking the outside pouches I found a three week old bag of Jake's poo (the dog). When we were hiking, I picked up the poo and stored the bag in the outer pocket. Well, the bag never found the trash can.

I had found the problem. Proudly, I ran through the house displaying the bag. I was promptly sent outside to the trash can. It seems that I did not get any special points for the discovery. Women!

Happy odorless trails