My hometown of Ashland, Oregon, puts on quite the Fourth of July celebration. The town floods with folks who stand in awe as our Chamber of Commerce鈥搒ponsored parade begins with F-15 fighter planes flying overhead. The parade itself is a mix of old-time charm and our little town鈥檚 eccentricities (it once prompted over whether a woman could ride the route wearing only a hemp G-string and pasties). The fireworks show lights up the night sky, and Lithia Park turns into a long a row of booths with vendors hawking greasy food and face paint.
But Ashland's most eye-catching spectacle by far is my ($35).
They boast the requisite patriotic colors and have some technical chops to boot. It was a few years back, when my wife was tiring of the crowds and said, 鈥淚 don鈥檛 think I can handle downtown this year. Let鈥檚 pack up right now and go backpacking.鈥� I was already wearing my 鈥橫ericas in preparation for the party and kept them on while throwing our packs in the car as we set out for Marble Mountain Wilderness. I didn鈥檛 know how the cotton shorts would fare on our three-day backpacking trip, but they proved absolutely amazing.
Over 20-ish miles, I had zero thigh chafing despite mentally preparing myself for some pretty gnarly burn since I hadn鈥檛 packed a spare pair of athletic shorts. I wasn鈥檛 sure whether credit was due to the just-right 5.5-inch inseam (short, but still long enough to remain family friendly) that didn鈥檛 inhibit my stride or the super-soft cotton coupled with the just-right amount of stretch. The elastic waist offers plenty of accommodating stretch, and the button-fly closure didn鈥檛 rub under the hipbelt of my overloaded (that is, weighed down with booze for celebrating independence on our own) backpack.
Though what surprised me more than the comfort was, given the shorts鈥� eye-catching color scheme, how many compliments I got from fellow backpackers. The 鈥橫ericas even earned a 鈥渉ell yeah鈥� from a war veteran hiking the same trail.
Now, I鈥檓 no college bro at a frat party, so I haven鈥檛 worn the shorts in a while, for which my wife is exceedingly thankful. But with July Fourth almost upon us, I鈥檓 relishing the chance to break out the comfy and capable 鈥橫ericas. And maybe it鈥檚 time for another last-minute backpacking trip.