Writing to follow up on participating at the NOLS 60th Anniversary in Lander, Wyoming. When it comes to relationships that have been in place since NOLS inception, we are proud to share that Limmer has been there since the beginning.
Paul Petzoldt served in the 10th Mountain Division with Francis Limmer and became familiar with Fran's father and his famous ski and hiking boots! Petzoldt shared with many famous Exum Guides, in Jackson, WY, and then made sure that the Colorado Outward Bound in Marble, CO and NOLS in Lander, WY made Limmer boots available for their participants/students.
As noted in the 50th Anniversary Blog, the first NOLS students to depart Sinks Canyon in 1965 wore Thelma Young’s “double-long wool sweaters with black Limmer boots and knickers.” Limmer’s were issued from the Equipment Room for many of the following years and we are happy to report, still recommended for NOLS courses today!
Below is a note from David Liebman about spending his 1989 NOLS Semester in the Rockies, in Limmer Boots, and went on to be a Ranger at Philmont Scout Ranch.
“I never thought that the boots I would first wear in 1989 as a NOLS student would be the last pair of boots I'd ever own.
As an eager 20-year-old, the NOLS Semester in the Rockies sounded like a dream. I arrived in Lander in February and was issued gear for a road show. We'd come back to Lander after our 3 week winter section and then spent the remainder of the course climbing at Red Rocks outside Las Vegas, hiking canyons near Escalante, Utah, paddling kayaks on the Arkansas and Delores rivers in central Colorado, and caving in Nevada's Great Basin National Park. Besides meeting legendary seamstress Thelma Young when my winter parka, pants, and double booties were issued, I remember pulling a pair of Limmer Standards off a shelf. They were brand new, black, solid. They went into a duffle, and I'd see them next in Utah.
At first, the boots were not kind to me. The sandstone of the Escalante was unforgiving. From plateaus to slot canyons, it soon became apparent that my feet and I had to toughen up. The break in required intention, but over three weeks in the Canyonlands, my Limmer’s and I slowly became one. By the end of the semester, they fit like gloves and my every step a new since of confidence.
For the next three summers, my Limmer’s and I hiked everywhere in the mountains of northern New Mexico at Philmont Scout Ranch where I worked as a Ranger. Using the skills learned from my NOLS semester, I shared advanced outdoor skills with the participants, and the boots were simply perfect for the rocky, dusty terrain. They carry so many memories of those years. Like my boots, I was strong, tough, and indestructible.
In the years that followed, I followed my love of working with young people into schools and classrooms. My Limmer’s came with me, of course, and I'd lace them up for the outdoor orientations and class camping trips that seemed obligatory. Eventually, I found myself in Atlanta. Then Pittsburgh, married. Next Manhattan, later Boston with a family.
Today, my Limmer’s are in my mudroom. I still slip them on, refurbished and resoled. They keep the wilderness alive for me. They're the only pair of boots I'll ever need.”
If any NOLS Alumni have any photos or stories about wearing Limmer boots on your NOLS course or beyond, feel free to send to info@limmerboots.com.
Note - Posting on David's birthday, Happy Birthday David and thanks so much for sharing your Limmer story!
