This Boot Saved me!

That might be an exaggeration, yet I still hold to the statement. If not for this boot my feet would have been soggy, sore, and blistered. That being said I have pretty rough feet that don’t blister very easy. I decided to break these boots in on a seven day trip into the Wind River Range to porter a guided trip for Montana Alpine Guides, up Gannett Peak (the highest point in Wyoming 13,804’). This trip was the first time I had been to this area of Wyoming; I had heard the conditions of the trail were changing week by week. The snow was finally melting and the trail was getting soggy, I needed to find the proper shoes for the long days I had ahead of me.

This lightweight and sturdy boot would not have been my first choice for a summer mountaineer boot until now. In my experience with the trk gtx I found that they needed little to no time to break in the fit right out of the box was perfect. With strap on crampons they worked well for glacier travel, all conditions of snow and ice, as well as on technical rock. I climbed a 5.6 bonus pitch in these and found them to be supportive enough to climb easier rock pitches making for a nice transition off snow/ice to rock. Being the only shoe I brought on the trip I found that hiking all day with a heavy pack and hiking around camp felt no different on my feet. I feel one of the important aspects of a good boot is the durability and longevity. Only having used these this summer, little to now wear is shown on them at this point and the waterproof is still going strong.