There’s a lie I tell people who ask about the trail runners I wear backpacking—a couple of lies, actually. I say I’ve never had ankle issues (I have). I claim my hiking boots weigh too much (they don’t). And I say boots might slow me down, (they won’t—I’m not out there setting FKTs anyways).
What I don’t share? The truth: When I wear hiking boots, I feel like a nerd. Like an L7 weenie. Like the floppy hat tourist who straps trekking poles to his JanSport, dangles binoculars from his neck, and spends weekends cruising paved trails in exurban parks.
I made the transition from boot to trail shoe more than decade ago. At the time, I was crossing peaks off New Hampshire’s 4,000-footer list and noticed serious backpackers along the Appalachian Trail were going lighter. High-tops? Out. Real athletes were wearing trail runners. Some hardos sported those amphibian-esque five-finger toe shoes (remember those?)
Not one to miss a trend, I went looking for a brand that screamed “cool.” La Sportiva? Salomon? Hoka? I settled on a pair of Adidas Terrex, stiff enough to offer support underfoot, low-cut enough that fellow hikers would see I’d been there and done that, and that I’d tanned my lower ankle along the way. I ditched my Columbia boots in the closet. For a while, anyway.
Before my last backpacking trip, in Colorado’s Lost Creek Wilderness, I dusted off the ankle-high leathers. The trail featured loose gravel, long ascents, and wet, rocky footing. If there was ever a time to lace up, that was it. And you know what? Not only did the boots provide better stability than my trail runners, not one person called me a dweeb.
I still slip on my trail shoes most of the time, but I’m starting to come back around. Some trips call for boots and some don’t, but there’s no need to shame ourselves away from good footwear decisions. Call me a nerd, if you must. I can’t hear you over all this ankle support.
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