Footwear And The Importance Of Happy Feet...

I was a Boy Scout when I was a kid. In the summer of 1976 I got to go to the Philmont Scout Ranch in Cimarron, New Mexico. Over the 12 days we were there we hiked some 50 miles over what was, at times, some pretty challenging terrain. You don't do that in bad shoes. 

The boots I wore on that trip were pretty heavy duty for a 14 year old. I think they were made by Dexter, and they offered far more support than any other shoe I'd ever worn up until that time. They were similar to these, and were pretty damn beefy:

Last August, during our family trip to Ireland, I decided to bring "regular" shoes as opposed to something designed for hiking. After all, I wouldn't be hiking along any rock-laden mountain trails, nor would I be climbing any 12,000 foot peaks like I did at Philmont. Surely a nice pair of sensible Skechers would do the trick, right? I also brought along a pair of Izod leather shoes, thinking they'd be a nice alternative. 

Well, the Izod shoes lasted all of two days before the stitching began to rip, so they remained in the hotel for the remainder of that trip. So, I was left only with the Skecher's:

Unfortunately, these shoes are designed for more casual wear and not for extensive walking through a major European city like Dublin or Rome, which is exactly what I ended up doing. Unfortunately, after just a few hours, my feet would start to hurt simply because the shoes weren't designed for what I was subjecting them to.

Given that my trip to Italy is going to consist of a lot of walking (especially in and around Rome), I decided it was time to get a pair of shoes that were far more substantial and more up to the task, without going back to the type of full bore mountain hiking boots I wore in New Mexico 43 years ago.

When I lived in Portland, Oregon I got acquainted with the Merrell brand of shoes, so I decided to give them a try. As soon as I tried on the Chameleon 7 Limit shoes, I was hooked.

I was blown away by how comfortable they were. Ah, but my Skecher's were comfortable at first, too, so I was wary. Surely these Merrell's would need to be run through their paces.

So I did that.

I did a weekend trip to Savannah during which I walked a great deal. I was walking better than five miles a day, and dare I say my feet would've been screaming in different pair of shoes. But these were beyond comfortable. They were keepers.

I've always understood, ever since that trip to Philmont in 1976, that the quickest way to be miserable during a trip is for your feet to hurt. Nothing will turn a trip sour faster than that, so it's important to make the investment in a good pair of shoes. Considering how comfortable these Merrell's are, and considering for how long they remain comfortable, the $99 price tag is an absolute bargain.

The bottom line? These are great shoes, and I look forward to traipsing all over Italy in them...