Last week, I used a large cardboard box to assist me on the slippery way home after Open Gym and for two days I would not have even made it to school if not for a colleague giving me a ride on his 4 wheeler from my front door to the school front door, a distance of about 100 feet. I tried every variation of shoe I had. My rainboots? Great for slushy snow and indeed are waterproof but no tread deep enough to keep me from flailing around. My Doc Martens were the same. I tried to "embrace the slide" and wore my treadless Topsiders but, again, barely made it. Remember, this is my year to not break a leg so this ice thing is really getting me down. The guy with the 4 wheeler showed me his "creepers", a band of plastic spikes that slide with a Velcro strap around the toe of his boot. I had hoped to avoid buying any until I got them at the awesome surplus store in Portland where I got so much of the other cold weather gear that has served me so well (Yay Andy & Bax!) but I fear I am going to have to buy some here in town first. Until then, I finally had a moment of inspiration looking at all my leftover cans from my Thanksgiving meal. So many lids. So many Amazon boxes. As I was putting my can opener away, it struck me that I could McGyver some creepers on my own at a minimal of cost to me, the sliding cheapskate.
Here is the result. Sure, it looks ridiculous but it works. I got all the way to school today in fewer than five minutes wearing one of these. The design needs some work but for a short term fix, it'll do.
UPDATE:
My creepers showed up and now I am able to cross the ice with no trouble at all.
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