[pct-l] Trail runners and boots

[Jim Banks]

I was an early proponent of trail runners.  I had several pairs and several
brands.  But a few years ago I started having foot problems when hiking on
rocky trails.  I would get "stone bruising" on the balls of my feet because
the soles of the trail runners were not stiff enough to absorb the pounding
and the sharp edges.  I tried to find trail runners with stiff soles, but I
couldn't find any that were stiff enough to stop the problem.  So the last
couple of years I have been hiking in light weight hiking boots.  They work
fine, but they are hotter and heavier than I like. 

 

I recently found a brand of trail runners that have a very stiff sole and
have solved the stone bruising problem.  They are Hardscrabbles made by
Oboz, which is headquartered in Bozeman, Montana.  I have no interest in the
Company.  I just thought I would throw this out there for other people that
may have been having the same problem.  You can get them on the REI website
or Zappos.  Some REI stores have the Oboz boots, but not the trail runners.
They are not as light as some trail runners, but they are lighter than boots
and have good ventilation.

 

I-Beam