The Right Shoes

I’m surprised to be writing about shoes. There was nothing special about them (at least nothing that would warrant a post) for most of my life. I’d always selected mine by going into a shoe store, trying on a few, and then picking the one that felt best. Starting around 2015 that became harder, and I began to experience heel, arch, or toe pain regardless of which shoes I wore. I attributed it to being on my feet more or having done something more physical that stressed my feet, but it turned out I needed a different kind of shoe, and I discovered that by accident.

In October, 2019 I hiked in the National Parks in Utah with my wife. I was excited to get out and do more extensive hiking after my neuroma surgery in April. I had bought a pair of Oboz boots and had about 30 miles on them before we headed out west. I had a great time, but my big and little toes on both feet blistered on the second day and we had to nurse them along until we got home. Toe socks helped, but I began to wonder if maybe boots were not the always the best hiking option; several articles I’d read in the past talked up the virtues of trail shoes and I thought it was time for me to give those a try.

I selected four shoes to trial after reading many different reviews: the Solomon Ultra GTX, Merrell Moab, Danner 2650 Trailer Runner, and the Altra Lone Peak 4.5. I liked the Solomon and Danner shoes, but even in wide sizes they were too narrow in the toe box. The revelation happened when I tried on the Lone Peaks. Not only were they spacious in the toe box, but they had two features I’d never heard of before: zero drop¹ and a “foot shaped”² design. I noticed immediately that I wasn’t striking heel first as strongly, which in the past had lead to soreness. My toes splayed normally with no compression but did not slide around like I’d experienced in other wide shoes. The soles were soft but supportive, and they allowed my feet to flex naturally, giving me more control as I moved. They were amazing and very lightweight…and they ruined my other shoes.

I swapped out my New Balance gym shoes for the minimal Merrell Trail Gloves, and I’ve had no foot pain since while working out. (I liked them so much I bought a second pair to use as everyday shoes.) I also have a pair of Xero Prio (good, minimal sole), Allbird Tree Pipers (good, cushioned sole), and Lems³ Primal 2 (undecided, extremely minimal sole) and Boulder Boot Mid (undecided, minimal sole and a bit large), but the Lone Peak and Trail Glove will be my “go to” shoes in the future.

What started as an attempt to solve an issue while hiking turned into something that I can benefit from every day. I had wondered if the issue was with my feet, but I just had to find the right shoes.