This morning I’m heading out to the dirt/mud at the park down the road in new Montrail trail-runners I picked up on sale at Backcountryoutlet.com. Somebody recommended them for snowshoeing because they come with ankle-high rubber gaiters and are sewn with the Goretex fabric on the outside rather than the inner liner, where the Goretex goes in most shoes. The idea is to keep the shoes from getting weighed down when soaked in water, which happens with most “waterproof” running shoes.

We’ll see how it works. Montrail doesn’t seem to be making these anymore, which sort of worries me; my other pair of Montrail trail-runners has worn like iron so I”m hoping my trust in the brand won’t be betrayed.

These seem like a viable alternative to my NEOS overshoes, which are toasty warm in snow but overkill in mild weather (though the extra weight is good resistance training). If they fit fine on the trail I can just hose ’em off when I’m done hiking and be ready for the next hike.