Merrell

The right hiking shoe

/ edebock / 2 Comments

screenshot-2024-05-09-at-7.40.11-pmWhile out on the trails earlier this summer, I began to notice that my hiking shoes, now several years old, weren’t as comfortable as they used to be. The shoes themselves were still in good shape, but the insoles no longer provided the cushioning that they once did.

One of the great features of Merrell hiking shoes is that the insoles are removable and can be replaced. Unfortunately, the insoles that I wanted were out of stock in Canada and I couldn’t find any information about if or when they might be available again. I could have ordered them out of the US, but by the time I figured out the exchange on our dollar and the cost of shipping, I decided that the total was more than I wanted to pay for a simple pair of insoles. Instead, I decided to order brand new hiking shoes and I knew exactly what I wanted!

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The Merrell Moab 3 was rated the #1 Best Overall Hiking Shoe for 2024 by Good Housekeeping and I’ve known for a long time that I wanted my next pair to be the boot style to provide extra ankle support. I wouldn’t normally order shoes online, but because these are my third pair of Merrells, I was quite confident that they would fit well.

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The Moab 3 comes in a variety of colours. You might think that I chose blue to coordinate with the Tensor knee wrap that I’ve been wearing on my arthritic left knee while hiking this summer, but I actually chose it because it was on sale for $50 less than the earth tone ones I might otherwise have chosen! 

I firmly believe that good quality shoes that fit properly shouldn’t need to be broken in and this pair was definitely proof of that! Straight out of the box, I gave them an excellent test run hiking three days in a row over a variety of terrain in Big Knife Provincial Park. The first two trails were easy ones, but the third one involved some very uneven ground and a couple of tricky climbs that required stability and surefootedness.

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This turkey vulture and his buddies were hanging around, perhaps hoping that I wouldn’t make it up that very steep slope. The shoes didn’t let me down though and they were comfortable from the moment I put them on until I took them off again.  

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We actually left the trails and climbed up to the top of a bluff where we’d never been before. The view was well worth it! 

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I wonder where else these lightweight, waterproof hiking shoes are going to take me? I’m sure we’ll have many great adventures together!  

Please note that this is not a sponsored post. I’m simply a big fan of Merrell hiking shoes and wanted to share that with you.  

Dressing for an autumn hike

/ edebock / 7 Comments

Dressing for a hike is all about comfort, not style. I don’t want to look terrible when I’m on the trail, but I’m much more concerned about wearing clothes that are comfortable and well suited to the conditions. When we set out last Saturday morning, the sky was overcast and the temperature was 17ºC (about 63ºF). We knew that it was likely going to get warmer as the morning went by, so as always, layering was the key.

I started with a long sleeved grey and white striped Breton tee and a comfortable pair of jeans that used to be black, but are now faded to a dark charcoal grey. (Any tips for keeping black jeans from fading would be much appreciated.) Both items are several years old. Next, I added a lightweight athletic jacket that I bought at our local thrift store back in January. It was like new and was definitely one of the best $3 investments I’ve ever made! It’s been to Mexico and Europe with me and I’m sure its cost per wear is already just a few cents. The final layer was my Uniqlo ultra light down vest.

I wear a ball cap to shade my face. There’s a good reason for that. I have no depth vision. I never have had so I don’t know what I’m missing. My brain has other ways of compensating, but wearing sunglasses removes whatever sense of depth I have and makes walking on uneven ground treacherous. As a result, I never wear them when I’m hiking.

Being surefooted on the trail is important, so good sturdy footwear is vital. My Merrell hiking shoes may not be particularly glamorous, but they’re comfortable and provide excellent support.

One thing I’m not wearing is makeup. Why would I? I admit that I look a little washed out in the photos, but I was hiking! I did wear sunscreen though. Even when it’s overcast, I want to protect my skin.

As the morning progressed, the sky cleared and the temperature rose. Layers came off and by the end of our hike the jacket was tied around my waist, the vest was tucked into it’s little sack and tied to one of my belt loops, and my sleeves were pushed up.