Hiking Boots

Thank you Loki, glad you like them.

Finding the top of Kinder in the mist takes time and careful navigation. When, or more likely if, the mist lifts, you often see dozens of people scattered over the moorland - basically lost !

I've crossed Kinder plateau many times, often not by the same route (not by choice)! There's only one designated path on the O.S map,  at the fords just before Crowden Towers . I used my Satmap 10 GPS to track this. Even then there was no sign of a well trod path. It would have been difficult to follow it even in good visibility. Went up in July last year, zero visibility and had to turn back. it's an amazing but dangerous place.

Don,

         I think I recognise some of the points in your photos. 

Top of William Clough?

Estuary leading to Kinder Downfall?

The picture of a descending gully with two people nearing the top, is Grindsbrook IIRC, but I could be wrong !

There are two pictiures of Kinder Gate, one in late morning rising mist, the other in afternoon sunsine, both on the same day. This is the stream that leads to Kinder Downfall - which is half a mile or so behind me when I took the pictures.

I followed a track up from Crowden Towers following a brook. Shortly before the plateau, the track evaporates and you need a compass or GPS in mist to hold a good line across the groughs to find the Kinder stream that leads to the Kinder Gate and Downfall, then on to the Snake Pass road.

Easy in the sunshine. Not so easy in the mist !

That's the designated path on the OS map.

Back on the subject of boots; I bought a pair of New Balance (Nubuck/Gortex) for £40 from their shop in Keswick. My Meindl's were £150. The're light and  looked a reasonable quality so I  thought I would give them a punt. Took them to S.Africa on safari and they were fine. Time will tell  if they stand up to the rigours of the Lakes and the Peak District.

Paid a visit to Cotswold this morning and tried Salomon and Scarpa.

The assistant was quite helpful. Measured up my feet both sitting and standing. This obviously helped her get the right sizes from the stock room. I took in my knackered Salomons so she could see the sort of thing I am used to

Came away with a pair of Scarpa Cyclone GTX. They fitted more comfortably and provided better support and stability.

28 days to try them around the house.

Thanks for all your suggestions and advice

Thanks for the prompt to clean up my early 90's Scarpa SL's which don't have that many kilometers under them so in superb shape ... love their quality.

Sorry to read that Berghaus sold out to the corporate world and let quality go as an unnecessary expense

Happy to read that Scarpa is still up there and that MEC (fellow Canadian residents will know) carry them ...

I'm on my second pair of Scarpa SL Attacks. I use them for anything longer than a day. I will use them this week down in Cornwall until i'm confident the new "cyclones" are a good fit - 28 day home demo

For the more serious terrain I've got my Second pair of Hanwag's, the Yukon.

For the walks we make over normal roads and medium to difficult terrain I just bought a new shoe, the  Lowa Focus LL LO. I wanted a leather upper side of the shoe, which is this Lowa. In this class you see a lot of Goretex, not my favorite material for shoes.

It occurred to me a while ago that a sock manufacturer could make two versions of a sock in 2 different thicknesses.

As everyone (?) has a difference in size between left and right foot one could buy a pair of each thickness and mix them to allow a proper fit for both feet.

Inspired.

Both my feet measured the same size. So not everyone has different sized feet.

However, Mrs D measured almost a half size different between feet, but finds the oversized boot on one foot isn't a problem.

We both normally wear one pair of "thin" socks covered by a second pair of "thick" socks. I find that the tighness of the lacing affects the "fit" of the boot as much as the thickness of the socks and the thicker socks have a bit of "give" in them as well.

I had half expected the assistant would bring two sizes of boot for Mrs D to try and let her buy a 71/2 Left plus a 7 Right - and then hope that her next customer needed a 7 Left and 71/2 Right...............

........but she didn't

"We both normally wear one pair of "thin" socks covered by a second pair of "thick" socks. I find that the tighness of the lacing affects the "fit" of the boot as much as the thickness of the socks and the thicker socks have a bit of "give" in them as well."

I wear a Coolmax liner sock with a "thick" sock on top.

Agree about the lacing also. I tie the bow one down from the top D hook(laced at the top though). I find it gives a degree of stretch around the ankle. Works well on steep ascent and decents.