The reason I am super excited about these shoes is because I have a summer of hiking and backpacking in front and now I finally have the appropriate foot wear to do it in. I haven't done a lot of hiking in my life, but everytime I have gone I have had a great time and in recent years I have really wanted to do more of it but it never seemed to work out. Now that Mike is in my life I not only have someone to do it with but someone to learn from since he is quite the hiker/back packer. He has a great deal of experience and it is a big passion of his that I look forward to experiencing with him. He has been training for a marathon with me for the past 4 months and it will be nice to do something with him that is his thing.
We have 2 trips lined up at the moment. The first I am most excited about. On Sunday June 27th we are going to Half Dome, but we are starting at midnight so we can get up there in time to see the sun rise before heading back down. There is also a full moon that night so it should be beautiful. Now that Half Dome requires permits for weekend half dome trips, it will limit the amount of people up there so we shouldn't see a lot of people either, which will be nice.
The second trip is the 4th of July weekend and it will be my very first overnight hike. I have camped and done day hikes, but I have never backpacked. We will be doing a 2 day, 2 night trip to Ostrander Lake in Yosemite National Park.
Now I just need to wait for my tax return to buy a sleeping bag and I will pretty much be good to go. I already have a good pack that I haven't used yet but Mike got me at REI during their big sale last month. The only thing I am concerned with is being warm. I am in general a person who is always cold so I need to make sure to get a good bag.
I cannot wait to get out there.
I have Merrell walking shoes that I got for a walk-heavy trip to China a few years ago, and I LOVE them. Super comfortable and light and supportive.
ReplyDeleteYou'll love Ostrander. Make sure you set aside time to scramble up the rock slide to the top of the horseshoe shaped ridge that over looks the lake. The water is so clear you can see the bottom in many places.
ReplyDeleteI've been there a couple times but it's been a long time and it's a beautiful hike.
I wore them to work today to break them in and they feel very very supportive and comfortable. I always ave pain in my big toe joint but it is pretty comfortable in there. I hear a lot of good things about Merrells and I am glad to hear you have had a similar experience.
ReplyDeleteI was wondering Adam if you may have been there. I will definitely be sure to do the scramble and take lots of pictures!