Time To Hit The Trails: Hiking shoes

More than ever during this Covid pandemic, hiking has become one of the most popular forms of outdoor physical activities.

The best part is that it can require very little in the way of equipment and participants can set their own pace and level of challenge. It also affords the ability and opertunity to reconnect with the beautiful outdoors that surround us. Be that in the wilds of Algonquin park, the Bruce trail, the Tiny Marsh (that isn’t so tiny actually) or a quiet ravine hidden around the corner from your house in Mississauga.

There are lots of online resources you can access through https://hikeontario.com or a terrific app that Marilyn and I have just discovered called AllTrails. After downloading it on to your phone, it will show trail options close to your location, the location of your choice, and at various levels of difficulty. It is amazing the sheer availability and diversity of these trails, even amongst the urban environments that so many of us reside in.

One piece of equipment that we do recommend for fun and safe trail walking and hiking is a suitable pair of footwear, which brings us to todays footwear review.

The Merrell Moab is primarily aimed at the day hiker with good stability, traction, and breathability.

It is not particularly waterproof. For most companies, something waterproof means either a weight gain and/or a price increase of the shoes. All the shoes in this category are built tough and thus will weigh significantly more than a comparable running shoe.

Typically, the style of the shoe will also be influenced by the terrain. For the casual trail walk a lower cut trail walk/run shoe will be sufficient, as the terrain becomes more aggressive the ankle support correspondingly increases. This is also true with increased load carrying where the shoe becomes a boot and the mid sole requires beefing up and thus may require breaking in for the full function and comfort to be enjoyed.

The best information to take from this is, like most unique sports the more you get into it, the better you are visiting a specialty store employing skilled staff willing to listen to your goals and needs. But be realistic about your needs, as embellishing your abilities or goals can end up costing you, not only financially, but also in comfort and satisfaction. The beauty about these specialty stores is that they are staffed with folks that are passionate about your sport or activity and general love to help, so be open to suggestions and options.