Hiking

[Catrin]

Planning on a nice long mtb hike tomorrow - a 5-6 mile test. I think my knee is ready for it

Today I was at REI (love that premium) and walked out with a pair of Merrell Moab Ventilator hiking shoes for my pavement walking sessions during the week. While the weather is nice I want to park 1.5 miles or so from work and walk to-from - and needed something less rigid for that walk as pavement walking tears my feet UP and my hiking boots are just overkill. I really wanted a pair of Salomon hiking shoes they had but, in the end, they were just a tad small and I won't do that to myself.

What this post is about is the range of sizes. For my feet, which probably didn't shrink or grow between shoe changes, the Salomon shoes that fit the best were 8.5. The Merrills were size 10.5. Now to be fair my normal size is usually between 9.5-10, Salomons run large. My Salomon hiking boots are size 9. It's just really interesting to me just how variable shoe sizes are in the same type of shoe across manufacturers and is why I won't buy shoes online unless it's a repeat purchase.

For Chaco lovers I also bought a pair of THESE to have something to change into when I walk to the office. Comfort of sandals without showing my ugly toes in the office, and even enough support for ME which says something. Thankfully I rarely have meetings outside of the office so I can get away with this.

Oh yes, REI was less expensive than Zappos which was a suprise

[Crankin]

Sounds like you had a fruitful shopping trip. Enjoy!
I noticed Sunday, that I can't really wear my "lite hikers" and expect ankle support. They are just short of being trail runners, except with thicker soles. Yet, my regular hikers are too beefy and warm for local hikes.
So I have hiking shoes, lite hikers, and trail running shoes, and I find each has a very narrow range of wear.

[Catrin]

I find the lighter hikers I bought today to be about halfway between my trail runners and boots for support. I would have preferred a higher ankle, but the only ones I found that weren't too rigid for pavement to be far too expensive, so I didn't go there. My trail runners used to be fine for pavement, but my feet now need more support than they once did. I doubt I will ever take the Merrells on an actual trail as they have no ankle support but at least with the more narrow range of wear they should all last longer than otherwise. Trail runners are now relegated to the gym - they are still in great shape. And it isn't like I will ever be able to run again.

[Catrin]

4.77 miles today - I had intended to hike between 5-6 miles but decided that would increase my distance too fast - my longest hike so far this year has been 4 miles. It went well! I did try to remember to get some salt during, stretched afterwards, and then had a reasonable lunch at the Inn run by the state park. Hopefully no cramping tonight, we will see but I feel pretty good. Will have a small glass of port later to celebrate If I DO cramp tonight it shouldn't be nutritionally based or for a lack of stretching, so am crossing my fingers. The weather was AWESOME and I even got hot. We had snow flurries last week and today it was >70 in the woods. I saw several woodpeckers doing their thing, and several red winged blackbirds.

Something odd DID happen, though not to me. I prefer to hike mountain bike trails, and I was on one that could be considered intermediate. I saw a young couple start on the trail with a double-wide baby carriage with their twins!!!!!!! It was their first time in that park and they hadn't realized that it was a MTB trail, but the .3 mile they hiked before I saw them should have given them a clue. No harm done though. I don't normally say anything but I had to in this situation - not that they would have gotten that thing much further as they were close to the place where the trail narrows, and rocky/sharp/short drops commence. We talked and I left them with my trail map of the park and ideas of other trails in the park. Sometimes it's hard to know when to say anything but I didn't see where I had a choice in that situation. They DID choose to follow me out and go to one of the other trails I suggested.

[emily_in_nc]

Sounds like a lovely hike, Catrin. Glad you enjoyed it! Don't blame you a bit for saying something to the couple...I would have too. I can't imagine that they would have been anything but grateful under the circumstances.

[Crankin]

I wuld have said something, too. Especially with infants involved!

[Crankin]

Yesterday, we hiked in Estabrook Woods with our friends, but decided to go on some trails on the other side of the main trail. This property backs up to the the Middlesex School (a swanky prep school), which is on a main road. We quickly made our way to the back of the campus, where we found heated/ac bathrooms by the tennis courts . From there, we went back into the woods, and we kind of got lost. We had a trail map, which is not the clearest, since this area is all land owned by Harvard University, not the town. So, we ended up on a dirt road, name familiar, which we knew came out to the main road. We were parked at the other end of the main trail, since there has been a huge neighborhood controversy about parking at the end we we were nearing, and most parking has been banned. We saw signs for no trespassing, "beware of dogs," and got a bit concerned, but then we came out to a meadow/pond that clearly was a horse property. All of this gave us quite a view of how the 1% lives. This was like in a magazine; it takes a lot to impress me, after a childhood of seeing this stuff, but I have no experience with the "horsey set." I started seeing where we would end up, and shortly after passing 2 people on horseback, we came out onto the main trail, at the other end from where we parked.
This was mostly flat, but weird, and next time we will stick to the trails we know, which are hilly and more challenging, and no threat of being chased by a guard dog. It was probably 5-6miles.