But, if that's not enough there are even more basic things to consider. What sort of footwear will we be using? Heavy backpacking boots? Midweight or lightweight hiking boots? Hiking shoes? Trail runners?
To complicate this, you can't stick online shoes on your feet to try them on, so instead (if you are like me) you obsessively check reviews on a handful of websites to try to get a feel for the boots. I was very confused. At first I thought that I wanted something very light, almost like a sneaker. Supposedly, every ounce on your foot feels like a pound in your pack.
Well, today, on a whim, my mom and I went to EMS and started trying on the boots. My mom and the EMS lady agreed that anything that would not prevent spraining ankles was idiotic. So I tried every boot in the store. And then, I tried on the perfect boots.
They are not nearly as heavy as they look, they feel great: way more comfortable and way more stable than anything else that I tried on. They are totally waterproof, but according to the reviews that I read after purchasing them (just to make sure that my feet agreed with everyone else's) they are still breathable. I read about a couple that wore them over the entire A.T., replacing them after 1,000 miles, and breaking in the new pair without any trouble during the hike.
If that's not enough, they are just so stylish and feminine! Actually, I kind of like the way they look. I've never had boots that look like real boots. I've only ever had girly ones like the ones I originally planned on getting.
What about when you're not hiking?
Most people bring a pair of flip flops for when they aren't hiking. We're thinking of bringing some more substantial sandals so that we can wear them crossing streams (I personally hate to walk across streams barefoot after getting a nasty puncture wound doing so as a kid) and so that we can walk over gentle terrain (if such a thing exists) wearing sandals in case we get blisters, or it gets too hot, or whatever.
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