The End of an Era - Saying Goodbye to My Beloved Merrell's

I'd like to introduce you to my long time friend and trusted travel companion: Meet my Merrells


The rocky cliffs of the Northern California Coast
This year they turned 15. They have carried me across molten volcanoes and barren deserts, through the rain forests of Costa Rica,

The mystical Arenal Volcano looming in the distance. Costa Rica.
the mystical Underground cities of Cappadocia and over countless mountains, streams and picturesque meadows on four different continents. 

They are more than a pair of shoes, they have been my most trusted travel companion (aside from, of course, my husband and more recently our daughter!). 

High Sierra Mountains - Sequoia National Park
They have kept me grounded and allowed me to explore the great and vast world we live in. They have propelled me forward through the twists and turns of each and every switchback to revel in the beauty which lies beyond and I will be forever grateful for the day they were given to me by my best cuz/bro/twin.

Alas, it is the end of an era. The time has come to say goodbye, to lay them to rest and the daunting yet exciting task begins: Research, testing and buying new hiking shoes!

The research is probably my most favorite and the most overwhelming part of the whole process. The hiking industry is definitely not what it was 15 years ago. Technology has soared by leaps and bounds and the brands available have grown exponentially! I've said it before, I'm not by any means a "gear head." Case in point, I have 15 year old hiking shoes! Ha!

Thankfully, I have a strong and supportive network of Outdoor peeps and will definitely be pumping the ladies for all of their Female Hiking Boot opinions. I also came across a great Outdoor Gear website called TheClymb.com. It's a membership based private-sale network that you sign up for like Zulily or Groupon and they offer deals on everything Outdoorsy up to 70% off. Sign me up! I'm always looking to save money.

What are you most favorite pair of hiking shoes? Why do you love them? Help me decide!

5 comments:

  1. Mine are Merrell's too! I've had them for as long as I've been with my husband, 9 years! My boots almost on their last legs too :( I'm really into the barefoot/minimalist shoes by Merrell so I'm going to look into the minimalist boots that Asolo came out with a few months. I love my Merrell's boots, I have too much emotional attachment to them.

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  2. I've got Merrell Vindicator's. Same ones 3 years in a row. I wear them EVERY day - so I replace them EVERY year. Can't imagine having them last for 15 years. I wrote my own tribute in 2009. http://www.funorangecountyparks.com/2009/02/merrell-moab-ventilator-shoes-for-play.html

    Funny how we get attached to our shoes! Thanks for the shopping links.

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  3. I love how you got a posting out of this. It was sweet. I understand how you can become attached to something because it has accompanied you on key parts of your journey in life. I had the same thing happen with my wife's minivan. I ended up being the one who drove it... and I hated it. But after years of it being my "man-van," seeing it carry us through our soccer years and a dark period of shuttling us to far-away care for our daughter's illness. I came to respect it. Even wrote "The Stupid Minivan" to capture the story. I hope your Merrell's will be easier to replace than our minivan!

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  4. Wow! I had the same issues when it was time to say good-bye to a pair of Merrell's as well!!!! What a great brand of shoes & boots.

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  5. I'm always sad when I burn out a pair of hiking boots too.. it happens too soon! I love my Vasque Breeze 2.0 & Salomon GTX mid Elios hikers! Hope you found something you love just as much as your Merrells for your adventures!

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