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I started hiking in the mountains in 2017. It was the beginning of a lot of pain and trial and error. Pain in my feet, hips, back, legs and my wallet. One would think that hiking and backpacking is as easy as slip on some shoes and start into it. It is that easy until you happen upon a piece of gear or clothing that isn’t the right fit for you. It’s like trying to dance with someone that has two left feet and bad breath, very offensive and painful. I have went through tents, backpacks, shirts, pants, sleeping bags, water filters and more. Eventually you will find the gear that makes your days in the outdoors better. The one thing that I am very glad to have found are my Altra Lone Peak trail running shoes. They are my favorite and I have no intention or interest in finding a different shoe. They are my right and left footed, juicy fruit breath dance partner.

  I spent years working on my feet and developed a hardcore case of plantar fasciitis. I went to a foot doctor and did the treatment. I had my feet sized for custom insoles. I wore the boots at night to keep my feet at a ninety degree angle to aid in the healing process. It would get better but then flare up again for years. The first year of the Peak Posse it was around, irritating. That year, I also had a weird thing going on with my achilles tendon on my right ankle. It developed a bump the size of a marble and was very uncomfortable. That mixed with plantar fasciitis sent me into trying out new shoes. I purchased a popular trail running shoe only to find that it did my feet no good at all. I vividly remember coming down off of Middle Sister with my feet screaming at me.

 I made it through the rest of the first year struggling through the hikes. When fall came I decided to rest and give myself time to heal. By the time the second year of trio expeditions came around I had bought my first pair of Lone Peaks. From the moment I put them on, I could feel a difference. I liked the zero drop shoe that mimicked bare foot walking more closely than a typical running shoe. The wider toe box gave my toes space to cha cha on the trail. My achilles had healed and the only remaining foot issue was the fasciitis. I put in more miles that year than I ever had and slowly my feet were pain-free.

Since then I have added miles to the years and still have no reoccurring foot problems. I won’t say that the Lone Peaks are the only reason for my recovery but they are a big part of it. I started stretching more. Not just my legs and feet, but my whole body. I found two good youtube videos and rotate between them to keep me nimble. Here is the link to the first one, and the second one. If I go too long without stretching, I really start to feel it in my hips, so much so that I can’t sleep at night. Make sure to stretch. The other thing that I do is wear Lone Peak trail runners. I wear the regulars if I want to go on shorter runs and walks. When it’s time to strap on my backpack and get into something a bit more aggressive, I wear mid rise lone Peaks. I don’t run in the mid rise, they mess with my ankles if I do. I recommend these shoes to everyone that I meet that is new to hiking and many of the Peak Posse wear Altra shoes. Joseph wears the Timps, Aaron wears the Olympus. Myself, Tanya, Jose and Scott wear lone Peaks. Tanya has bunions and these are the best shoe she has found to let her hike with less discomfort. We were at Silver Falls yesterday and Alyshia was talking about her boots and how they destroy her bunions too. Tanya showed her the lone Peaks that were strapped to her feet. I think Alyshia was headed to get a pair that same afternoon.

  Lone Peaks have a zero drop heel and a wider toe box. The cushioning is moderate and each pair I buy lasts for a season of hiking.  I have worn them exclusively on my hikes up Mt Shasta, Middle Sister, Mount Whitney, The Timberline trail twice, South Sister, The Enchantments, Eagle Cap, Grizzly Peak, countless trips to Smith Rock, Silver Falls State Park and hundreds of miles around my house in the Blm trails in Central Oregon. If you are in the market for a good trail shoe, try Altra Lone Peaks. The sizing is a little different, they run small. I normally wear an 8.5 in other shoes but it’s a 9 in Lone Peaks.

 A little tip to save some money. Buy last years model in the winter to avoid paying full price. Here is a link to Altras on Amazon for both last years and this years model. And here is the mid-rise Lone Peaks link.

 

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