I've been doing quite a bit of research about various hiking shoes, boots, no shoes, etc. It was interesting for me to find that trail runners although they are light and dry out well, they are causing tremendous damage to popular trails in most national parks. Rangers are reporting that hikers wearing boots tend to walk at a slower pace than "those freaks with those running shoes" who are seriously damaging our national trail infrastructure.

This makes sense. Enough for me to give up trail runners. I for one will dust off my boots and begin to respect trails.

Hopefully many of you will do the same. Trail runners are destroying our trails. Please pledge to DO IT WITH BOOTS from now on.

I am starting a global campaign called DO IT WITH BOOTS to spread awareness of the devastation that trail runners are doing to our trails. DO IT WITH BOOTS is the way forward. Please join us and DO IT WITH BOOTS from now on.

Thank you and DO IT WITH BOOTS!

Troll.

this is feb 1 not april 1

George. That didn't take long, though somewhat anti-climatic.

So it's not that people ruin backpacking. It's that people who wear trail runners backpacking are ruining it for everyone else. Must be all the dust.

Edited by kthompson on 02/01/2011 18:42:40 MST.

People don't kill trails, shoes do.

Edited by HikinNC on 02/01/2011 18:51:14 MST.

The chaff area exists for a reason.

I am sorry, my feet say no to boots. I find it a little hard to believe that a hiker wearing trail runners and a 15 pound pack causes more damage than a hiker wearing boots and a 50 pound pack. If you want to protect the trails, get the horses off of them, before you worry about what type of footwear people are wearing.

Ed chill, scarcasm...scarcasm....geesh

How about clogs? I walk really, really slow when wearing clogs.

My personal dislike over the use of trail runners has to do with the amount of dust they create and also because those uncaring people that use them tend to pass me on the trail.
But of course nothing will be done about it till it is too late.
We are doomed, I tell you.
Franco

I just say wear trail runners, but wear 2lb leg weights on top of them!

Trail runners? Are you kidding me?

Footwear of any sort should be banned. It does nothing but encourage and perpetuate reckless behavior, excessive speed, and obnoxious logos and color patterns.

With all the snow, guess it's about cabin fever.

"So it's not that people ruin backpacking. It's that people who wear trail runners backpacking are ruining it for everyone else. "

No no, you've got it wrong.

People don't kill trails. Trailrunners kill trails.

Unfortunately, if you outlaw trailrunners, then only outlaws will wear trailrunners!

Hmmm, I wonder if outlaws hike......

Apologies, I didn't see George's earlier post.
That said, posting intentionally provocative material so others can sit back and watch the rage is, well, the definition of trolling.

Edited by suttree on 02/01/2011 18:58:53 MST.

D'yall carry guns on the trail?

"People don't kill trails. Trailrunners kill trails."

Douglas,
You have it wrong. It is the trail that kills my trail runners. Three pairs in the last year, something needs to be done. Can we pave the trail with rubber stuff to make them last longer?

ROTFLMAO!

Good one George. But maybe April-1 would have been better?

Cheers
PS: that's maybe why they are called Trail Runners?

Edited by rcaffin on 02/01/2011 19:03:30 MST.

my mother's nickname is "Boots"

"That said, posting intentionally provocative material so others can sit back and watch the rage is, well, the definition of trolling."

Gosh Ed, I thought he posted intentionally humorous material so others could join the fun.

Rage? Really?