New Mountain Hiking Site (help)

[mochilero]

I just finshed my new web site on hiking in the mountains. If anyone has the time to check it out and let me know how I might improve it, I'd appreciate it. It has stories, photos,information. Thanks,

Steve
The Mountain Hiking Site

 

[Mike P.]

Nice, I'll have to disagree with the shoes (40+ year old ankles ravaged by fractures playing BB, VB & Soccer, also hike in NH in the winter where cold, snowshoes & crampons are required.

You do get around & lots of links. Noticed the picture of Lafayette in NH, have you been? Only browed the Shasta pages, did you wear hiking shoes there?

 

[mochilero]

Thanks

Yes, I actually did wear shoes on Shasta, but mostly because we were young and couldn't afford to rent mountaineering boots and crampons. I don't recommend that everyone wear shoes hiking, in any case. I've just found it a LOT more enjoyable. My 40-year old back is a problem, but I guess my ankles are strong. ( Never mind the profile, by the way- I think it put my age as 29, but I didn't actually fill it out.) Thanks for looking at the site.
Steve

The Mountain Hiking Site

 

[pedxing]

Nice Site - lots of good info and plenty of thought..

I think the thing with trail shoes vs. boots vs sandals boils down to the issue of what you need your footwear to do for you. There is not a single best tool for every job. I love wearing New Balance Trail Runners for almost any hike or backpack in the warm months. On wet slippery and rugged terrain for backpacking trips, boots have advantages that can justify the weight. For cold weather and crampon/snowshoe conditions a good boot is important (and the debate is more between leather and plastic)..

When I first tried out trail runners in the WMNF (the Hancock loop one September) they were a revelation, it was much faster and easier than I expected. Later, when I switched from trail runners after backpacking 1/2 the NH AT (from Grafton Notch, ME to Lincoln NH) through days on wet rugged trails, my old EMS Summitts were a revelation - i was free to rumble down the trail without concentrating on my footing - or wincing when my ankles had to do too much work supporting me. I picked up speed and confidence and sped (by my standards) to Vermont, even though the trail remained rugged through to Moosilauke.

 

[mochilero]

You're right. It is a not only a matter of the right footwear for the person, but the rifht footwear for the job. I probably only get away with wearing shoes so much because I don't hike much in heavy mud and snow.

 

[pedxing]

I do basically agree with your preference for shoes - I guess my philosophy is something like "wear trail running shoes when you can, wear boots when you must."

 

[cbcbd]

Nice site, can't wait to have it fill out with more stories :beer:

"wear trail running shoes when you can, wear boots when you must."

I like that philosophy. I also stick to my New Balance all terrain shoes for everything. I only use boots if I sense danger of losing my feet by not doing so