When we thru hiked this year we started out in broken in boots, liners and outers. We quickly learned to keep our feet dry with powder and adjusting the boot correctly is everything. Lace them loose until they soften some. The heel is the tight spot. Leave the upper laces off and tie it where your foot pivots for a while. A new pair are very hard to break in on the trail. Bushwhack had to do that in New Hampshire. His heal cups also caused blisters. Getting them wet was the fasted way to get a good fit. It rained some and the trail was swamped so they stayed wet for a few days. Sorry, but the Goretex lining will be useless. Sloshing through snow and water day after day will cause the vapor pressure outside the boot to stay high and water actually gets forced through the lining. Just get a fire going every night and dry them out, carefully. Something else to think about; you feet will grow 1/2 to 2 sizes!, after Waynesbourgh the chance of finding the replacement boot is practically nil. The outfitters are awful. No one stocks anything but trail runners. Mail order is a poor option since shipping is very slow and they never seem to get them to where you want to be. If you like the boots you have get at least one more pair or two and make those a size larger. It’s a guess for later on but that 10 you have now won’t fit at all 500 miles later. The best boot we saw and Bushwhack got was the Asolo 535. Our friend BoyHowdy made the whole trip on one pair! We like the heavy choise, you need the ankle support and the bottom of your feet will be beaten to death by pointy rocks. Everyone that had trail runners had nasty blisters, infections and fungus. Good luck.
Bushwhack and Bramble
