Give a girl the right shoes, and she can conquer the world. ~ Marilyn Monroe

Recently I decided to buy a new pair of Merrell hiking shoes. And when I finally unboxed the new shoes I took a look at my old shoes and felt and emotional response to the idea of donating or tossing them. After a little thought it made a lot of sense, this pair of shoes has been on a hell of a journey with me. I bought these Merrells when I was preparing to hike the Appalachian Trail seven years ago. I bought two pairs right before I started the trail. My first pair went belly up after my first 800 miles on the trail. That meant that my first pair ended up doing over a 1000 miles of walking. This pair did the last 200 miles of the trail with me. But they did so much more. These shoes have been with me for the last seven years, they started on the AT, they walked the streets of Pensacola with me while I wrote my book Appalachian Trail Happiness. The were on my feet for three Mardi Gras celebrations in New Orleans and one in Mobile, Alabama. The strolled across the playa at Burning Man. They’ve hiked across parts of the Mojave Desert, as well as Spain, Portugal, Morocco and all the way across Scotland. The life of these shoes has been a story of adventure and while I’ll be sad to let them go, they’re being replaced by a pair that I hope will be what I’m wearing on the first steps of my next hike on the AT. Have a happy day my friends. ~ Rev Kane