Actually, if you聮re doing 8 to 14 miles a day in hilly Virginia country, I聮d call you serious day hikers.
Montrail Torre GTX Boots
Torre GTX Hiking BootsBut because your wife seems to be having this problem, and you are not, it聮s pretty obvious that her boots don聮t fit. They聮re a bit too short, and maybe too wide as well.
Does that mean you need to buy new boots? Not necessarily. For starters, take them to a good shoemaker in your area (yeah, shoemakers aren聮t everywhere, but you ought to be able to find one) and have the toes stretched out a little. That might do the trick. If it doesn聮t, then the next step might be to swap out the stock insole so that the foot doesn聮t slide forward so much. Superfeet (superfeet.com) makes a 聯high-volume” insole for $35. It provides more cushioning and support than most stock insoles, and it also soaks up some interior space for boots that are loose or too large.
If THAT doesn聮t work, then it聮s time to buy new boots. I don聮t know what she is wearing now, but it聮s possible that the boots weren聮t built on a women聮s last. If they weren聮t, then the boots are not going to fit her heel or arch as well as those built specifically for women. Asolo聮s Stynger GTX ($165; asolo.com) are excellent mid-weight hikers that are fine for day-hiking but have enough heft so that a downhill stretch won聮t torque them out of shape. Same for the Montrail Torre GTX (also $160; montrail.com). Moreover, Montrail聮s boots have a uniformly good fit on a wide swath of the population. Lastly, Scarpa聮s Mustang ($168l; scarpa.com) is a top-notch new boot from one of the best makers out there.
All three boots have a Gore-Tex liner for a little extra water-proofing. And their leather uppers give good foot protection.
Hope that helps!
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