These boots served me well for years, including my first hike to Delicate Arch in Utah. The soft soles got badly worn. The people at Dave Page, Cobbler (in Seattle) told me they were not worth re-soling because of the level of quality of their construction (made in China). Thus: retirement. They went out with the trash today. I saved the perfectly good laces for further use, re-affirming my pack rat philosophy.