On most of our airplane trips, we prefer to pack light and bring carry-on luggage only. This saves us time at the airport and also avoids the risk of lost bags. For our upcoming trip to Barcelona, we had one hike planned, but not enough to warrant bringing our large hiking boots as we did for Switzerland. Instead, we bought some Salomon trail running shoes that have excellent tread, but on a lightweight packable shoe.
To give them a test prior to our trip the following week, we made a short hike on Cedar Butte Trail in Palouse to Cascades State Park. The trailhead, about a forty-minute drive east from our apartment, is just beyond the incredibly popular Rattlesnake Lake trailhead. Cars were jammed in everywhere there, but fortunately the Cedar Butte Trail wasn’t nearly as busy.
The fog didn’t lift as predicted, so we didn’t get much of a view at the top, but we had an enjoyable hike through the healthy woods, and loved the new shoes. On our way back home, we stopped for a delicious lunch at Masa Cantina in Issaquah.
sorry , in the previous comment I forgot to add the link I was referring to
https://sectionhiker.com/myth-or-fact-do-hiking-boots-prevent-sprained-ankles/
I’ve turned my ankle with track shoes and with hiking boots. Hiking boots feel more secure but the argument in the link you posted that the greater security comes at the cost of higher center of gravity with greater ankle turn risk makes sense. Where hiking boots do seem to clearly superior is in foot bed rigidity. If you are hiking on rocky and uneven terrain and especially when stepping down onto sharp rocks, hiking the rigid soles of hiking boots support the foot evenly whereas lighter running shoe soles give and allow point forces on small areas of the foot. I think there is more risk of stress fracture under these conditions but, arguably those conditions aren’t common and if you just slow down, the additional loads are minor and controllable.
Buongiorno !
I’ve always avoided low-cut hiking shoes because I thought they didn’t offer enough ankle protection. However, while I was writing this msg, I came across a message board post on sectionhiker.com where an user shared some scientific papers that suggest there is no strong relationship between shoe type and ankle sprains (1). I’m curious to hear your opinion, I’m just buying hiking shoes for me and my kids for summer hikes !