IF THE SHOE FITS...

160 Miles And Counting!

Since this is my second thru-hike (I completed the Pacific Crest Trail in 2014) and my third attempt to thru-hike the Continental Divide Trail, you might think that gear decisions are second nature by now. And you would be right, except for one important item...shoes. Here is my story.

I will use 5-6 pair of shoes to thru-hike the CDT. I'm a creature of habit with sensitive feet, and I want to wear the same make and model of shoe for the whole trail. (Is this too much to ask?) I have been wearing the Asics Gel-FujiTrabuco 3 in a size 11 for several years and love them. I have three pair left over from last year's hike, so I only need three more. However, to my dismay, after searching Amazon, Ebay, and every online shoe store on the planet, I discovered that the stock of this 2014 shoe has been exhausted. I'm always telling my wife you can find anything on the internet...I stand corrected.

So, I did the most reasonable thing I could think of...I pouted for a week and then ordered a pair of Asics Gel-FujiTrabuco 6 which, in theory, is the same shoe, with three years worth of improvements. I'll save you the depressing details, but let's just say that if I had to pick between wearing a pair of Gel-FujiTrabuco 6 to walk to the mailbox OR walk barefoot over shards of broken glass...it would be a tough decision. I hate this shoe and it hates me!

So I pouted AGAIN and ordered more shoes on Amazon. In desperation, I even visited local sporting goods stores. I've lost count of the number of trail running shoes my sweaty feet have been in and how many shoe salesmen I've made cry. And after all that, I still didn't find the perfect shoe. But since it was too late to cancel my hike and find a hobby that doesn't require shoes, I resigned myself to ordering six pair of Asics Gel-Kahana 8, and I am hoping for the best. I have put a few hundred miles on the first pair and I think my feet are finally adjusting to them. (Did I mention I have sensitive feet?)

So I guess the old saying is true: if the shoe fits, buy as many pair as you can, because someday the manufacturer will stop making it and then you'll wish that you had. (Or something like that.)

Thanks for letting me vent...I'll go back to hiking now.

For additional content, check out Flickr for images, YouTube for video, SoundCloud for audio, and the Postholer Map with my most recent location.

Thanks for following along!