Park City’s own boot tree

Yes, our little city has had a “boot tree” for quite a long time*; it’s located between Deer Valley Drive and Poison Creek, just below the entrance to the Marriott’s Summit Watch. I’m not talking about the traditional shoe-tree used to keep our footwear in shape, or even the Allsop plastic ski boot racks that you may have seen inside rental ski shops, but of a real tree that “grows” shoes, sneakers, tongs après-ski, ski and snowboard boots among other footwear. I believe the botanic name for that particular tree is “calceus arboreus,” but don’t take my word for it as I only learned enough Latin to perform my altar boy duties half-a-century ago. Unlike apple and pear trees, that particular one bears its fruits all year long and, based on scent, some of them appear to be quite ripe and ready to be picked. This year-round commitment to bearing soled fruits represents a lot of stress on the limbs and trunk and I’m surprised that, as of today, environmentalists haven’t cried foul and haven’t initiated a community-wide effort to harvest all these fruits of various sizes and colors. What makes me feel better is that if in the unlikely event a tornado hits Park City, even uprooted, the tree might be able to put its many shoes to good use and comfortably walk back home…

* Shoes appeared on this tree way back in the 1940's when the old High School was still on Marsac Avenue. When kids graduated, they’d tie their old gym shoes together and toss them over a tree limb. It would only be a matter of time until skiers disposed of old ski boots in the same manner...