I started talking the other day about what you need for a hike. First thing was determining what trail that you wanted to go on. Second is to determine what you will bring on the trip. What's the most important piece of hiking gear? It's the Shoes! Or more specifically, the hiking boots. A long hike can really do damage to your feet if you are not equipped with a good pair of hiking boots. There are a couple things to look for in a boot. Even if you are a fair weather hiker, you may run into wet conditions on the hike, therefore, you want a pair of shoes that is waterproof. There's nothing worse than hiking with wet shoes and socks. The Goretex shoes that are available will protect your feet pretty well in the worst of conditions.

The shoes come in three ankle heights: low, medium and high. I like a pair of light-weight mid hikers for a typical weekend hike. They cover your ankle and provide some support for your ankle as well. The high hikers are for the serious hikers who will be traveling through very difficult terrain. I have a pair of these also, however, I will typically stick with my medium hikers for most hikes. I've never quite understood the need for the low hikers. If your just going for a casual walk and don't require any protection of the ankle, I'd rather wear a pair of comfortable tennis shoes.

Hiking boots are readily available in most shoe, sporting goods and outdoor stores as well as on-line so there should be no difficulty in finding them. I like to look at Eastern Mountain Sports or Cabela's for mine. In reality, I just like going into these stores and looking around. There is so much neat stuff to look at. If you go to Cabela's, I'd recommend looking on-line first for a pair of hiking boots. That store is so big, it helps to get an idea as to what you want before you go in. the most important thing is to find a pair of shoes that will protect your feet and feel comfortable. I've had expensive hiking shoes which were not very comfortable and wound up throwing them in the trash can.