Hiking in Breckenridge in My New Favorite Kicks
Back in June, I went hiking for the first time across three states: Colorado, Utah and Arizona. Again, it was my first time. Wanna know how much we hiked? 117 MILES. I thought my feet were literally going to disintegrate.
But pain aside, I’ve found that I really, really enjoy hiking. Every single time I literally say to myself, “f*ck this.” But every single time, I also say to myself when I get to the top, “that was so worth it.” So, I guess you could say it’s a love/hate relationship.
Recently, my boyfriend and I, plus two other couples, took a road trip out to Breckenridge, Colo., where we decided to set up camp in Arapaho National Forest.
The view was stunning (obviously). Right before my trip, Merrell had sent me a pair of it’s new 1Six8 Lace hiking shoe ($90) in Sedona Sage.
Upon arrival, I tried them on — they were a tad big, but OMG. They were so unbelievably comfortable. They’re almost like a sweatshirt for your foot, which doesn’t sound ideal for hiking, but that’s partially not true. I was concerned that they weren’t waterproof and so thin, but I knew I had to try them out.
On my previous trip, I had quite the experience with my shoes (majority of the reason my feet almost fell apart). I had a pair of mid-ankle hiking boots that made my ankles kill the entire rest of the trip and then I had a pair of trail running shoes, which weren’t too bad, but I still knew there was something better for me out there.
The 1Six8 Lace were super comfortable. They do run about a half size large in my opinion and ideally probably aren’t best for extreme hikes. We hiked only about five miles. It was pretty steep most of the way and I had zero pain or discomfort.
Halfway to the top, we came across this badass cabin from the 1800s that was filled with old books and notes from other hikers 30 years ago. Oh, and quite a few beer bottles.
This was the beautiful scenery that made the hike totally worth it. We sat by the water for quite a while and just stared at how beautiful it was.
I know many more hiking adventures are to come and I will be bringing along my 1Six8 Lace shoes (as long as we’re not hiking too far). Do I absolutely love them? I LOVE them for everyday wear, but only like them for hiking. Mainly because they’re not waterproof and a little thin — especially if the temps are below 40 degrees. But again, the comfort is hard to beat.
With that being said, I’d give these kicks a four-star rating and the hike itself five stars for sure.
I’m trying to figure out where my next hiking adventure will be — any suggestions? —Erika