I've been looking for a new pair of running shoes for a while, and on Monday I picked up a pair of Salomon XA's ("XA Pro 3D Ultra II" to be precise). I got them based largely on Kyle Defoor's recommendation from his blog. I've been running at least 3 miles a day in them all week, and they've been awesome so far. So I wanted to see how they would hold up during an Alaska day hike. Long story short, they were outstanding.
The pair I got are the low-top, non-Gortex model. If I was looking for a pair of dedicated hikers, I would probably opt for the hi-top, Gortex ones, because my feet did get a little wet on the way up, and I would have had a little more peace of mind had I had a little more ankle support. Nevertheless, they were insanely comfortable and had an incredible amount of grip when walking on loose rocks and uneven trails.
I was hiking at a place called Angel Rock, which is about 50 miles east of Fairbanks, Alaska. The trail is about an 8.5 mile loop, with the highest peak being 1,750 ft.
If anyone is looking for a new pair of running/every day shoes, I would highly recommend these:
A sample of the terrain:
A cave near the peak:
The greatest day-pack ever invented:
Lunch:
Hippie repellent:
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I've only been to Alaska once, and it was by accident. My plane had to make an emergency landing there, very beautiful place though. Nice review on the shoes. They look like some great trail shoes.
Originally Posted by SLG
