I purchased these shoes as a last minute buy, after realizing that my "vacation" was going to be a bit more arduous than I had bargained for. I have worn Merrells quite habitually in the past and have always enjoyed them, but I was on a budget and couldn't afford to drop a couple hundred on a pair of shoes (the price tag on these was even a bit of a stretch), but I figured hey, a hiking trip can go downhill really fast if your feet are not up to par (pun intended). So I bought them, and they arrived 48 hours before setting off on what would prove to be the adventure of a lifetime. I put about 6 miles of easy urban walking on them before I left, and besides a little rubbing above my left ankle, they didn't need any breaking in (I attribute this to being a casual shoe wearer, not the boot itself. I never wear shoes of this cut).

No more than two days later, I wore these boots practically to the summit of the West Spanish Peak (12,700 ft). The next day, around the crater of Capulin Volcano. The next day, up to the peak of Star Dune in the Great Sand Dunes. THE NEXT DAY, up to the top of the Kashe-Katuwe Tent Rocks. Around the Valles Caldera, Petroglyphs National Monument, and Sandia Crest. The topper - we finished our trip at El Malpais, an a'a' volcanic flow notorious for eating boots (and hands). My boots came out unscathed. By the end of our trip, many of my mates' shoes were wrecked - mine were in fairly pristine shape, with the exception of some staining from stomping in mud puddles and tromping through creeks (which my feet stayed completely dry for).

When my Ahnus die, they will hold a place in my shoe hall of fame. Then I will buy another pair. All around trusty, awesome boots. They're not quite as magenta as they were when my journey started, but hey - if they stayed pretty, I wasn't wearing them to the right places.