Boots or Trail Runners???

Shoes! Yes, shoes! I like to think that they are my gear item of the week. Truthfully, I have been pondering them for the last month.

I thought that I would start out wearing the Aku boots that I won at Trail Days back in 2001. Those boots are in good shape, since I hardly wear them. However, I think back to my Appalachian Trail hike and the time when I walked in a driving rain storm towards Hanover, NH with a pair of sloshy, heavy, water-logged Asolo hiking boots. How miserable it was to wear those "waterproof" pieces of crap that practically doubled in weight from all the water they absorbed. I tried to dry them out by stuffing newspaper in them and setting them in a sunny spot for a day, but I think all I did was create a hot, steamy culture inside the boots, suitable for the proliferation of jungle rot organisms. Needless to say, I switched to a lighter Merrill hiking boot, which did really well on the AT. Still, I yearned for fleet feet. Enter the trail running shoe.

I saw people wearing trail runners on the AT, but I stuck with what I had. When it came time to plan for my PCT hike, all I heard about was how most hikers wear trail runners, so I thought I would give them a chance. I wore New Balance 805s and 806s for most of my hike (the first 750-miles I used two pairs of blown-out running shoes), and I loved them. Nary did I experience major foot problems, and they dried out a hell of a lot quicker than big, clunky boots. I was a convert to trail runners.

Beginning the CDT in the middle of June means that I will be slogging through snow, and from what I understand, a good deal of rain. A part of me says, go back to boots, at least for the northern portion of Montana, but I think back to my previous AT experience, and again I am resolved not to wear them. So I have decided on the New Balance trail runners again - as they say, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."

I picked up a pair of 811s at the New Balance store here in San Francisco. Since the 811s are last year's model, the salesman knocked $20 off the price. I also went to geardirect.com, where I found the even older 810s in my size for $56 a pair, which I thought was bargain, so I bought three pairs! Now I am all set for the shoes for the CDT, which means I can now ponder other details of my hike, like making my own food for the trail. Time to research energy bar recipes!