Mt. Ajo, AZ

Recently finished a hike up Mount Ajo in Organ Pipe National Monument just north of the border of Mexico in Arizona. I had been looking forward to this hike/climb for a while and was completely prepared for the 7.5 hour trek. Or so I thought.

The trip was pretty brutal and the loose, sharp rock and rugged terrain absolutely shredded the tread on my Merrell Outbound hiking boots. This was particularly surprising and disappointing because these boots were extremely comfortable, only 6 months old and had less than 130 miles on them (through Montana, Utah, Georgia and California). I finished the hike with relative ease, but the boots were done. This didn’t seem right — and a call to Merrell confirmed it.

Based on the recommendation from the Merrel rep,  I spoke to store associates at REI when back in Atlanta. After a quick look at the boots, a customer service rep took them back and offered me a refund and the 20% off coupon I had used to purchase them originally. Minutes later, I had another pair of boots and paid very little out of pocket. I really realized the value of being an REI member and spending a little more to purchase from them. Don’t know many retailers that would make the return process so easy.

While I still like Merrell products and stand by the boots I had, I decided to go for a pair of Asolo Flame GTX hiking boots. The brand and model had great reviews and seemed very supportive and sturdy.

Tried them out for the first time on an 8 mile hike up Blood Mountain in northern Georgia. Didn’t require much break in at all and held up to the mix of ice, mud, water and rock that I encountered.

We’ll see how long they hold up.