Happy Feet….

“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”—Lao, Chinese philosopher

Most likely I will not be walking a thousand miles on my trip but it will probably feel like it from time to time.  We are not going to rent a car while in Ireland but rather utilize public transportation, walking as much as we can and hitting some hiking trails from time to time.  With this in mind I was on the hunt for a pair of hiking shoes that would be comfortable, water-proof, a low profile and not too heavy.

Of all the characteristics to inherit from my father I was so “lucky” (sarcasm here) to have his feet and they’re kind of a hot mess.  I have large bunions which make my feet wide across the foot bed, both big toes point outward and I have a narrow heal.  This makes buying shoes very challenging and almost impossible without trying them on.

I went to a few different stores to try on hiking shoes, REI-Dick’s-Dunhams, and after doing some internet research in the different brands, models and reviews I decided to go with the women’s Salomon Ellipse GTX.  These shoes met all my requirements, especially the reviewers who said the shoes were comfortable right out of the box with little to no break in time required!

I have had these shoes for just over a  month now and the first couple of weeks I was a bit worried.  My right shoe fits & feels great; my left shoe leaves my foot feeling a bit sore along the top of my foot, where the big toe meets the ball of the foot.  I never get blisters or an abrasion on my skin and as soon as I take the shoe off the area feels fine. The farthest I’ve walked in these shoes have been 5 miles and I was happy to take them off when I returned home. It’s been 5 days since that long walk and I wore them for a quick 2 mile walk to the drug store yesterday and my left foot only felt slightly uncomfortable.  I’m hoping that these shoes just need a bit of breaking in to conform to my unique foot shape and that soon I’ll be walking on sunshine!