Well, almost. Ok, so it’s starting to get really bad. The slightest drop in weight is making me all giddy. Now I’ve managed to do it again.

You may remember that the Targhee II shoes I got because I liked the boot model so much haven’t been quite as nice for me. I can’t seem to finish a hike without having a blister on the left heel bone. So it was back to the store to find something else.

I really wish that I could say I walked out with the Columbia shoes I found. OMG! Pure gram weenie heaven! Each shoe weighs a mere 10.8 ounces! Alas, it wasn’t meant to be. They just didn’t seem to have the support I need.

Instead, I’m now the proud owner of the Teva Verdon. From the moment I tried them on they felt like a good match. I’ve been wearing them to the office and spent all day Friday walking around Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Today, though, was the first chance I’ve had to put them on the trail.

I hit the old standby Timucuan Preserve for today’s utility hike. It was in the middle of the day and I wasn’t too thrilled but it turned out to be nearly perfect. There was enough cloud and tree cover to keep things relatively cool. The shoes worked out great and I didn’t have any hotspots. Towards the end (I think I did close to 6 miles but it’s a guess since the GPS batteries died…I know, the story of my life) I got a little discomfort in the right foot. I stopped and loosened it a bit and that seemed to clear things up. I’ll have to figure out a way to get another run at the trail before we leave to see if it’s a problem to be concerned about.

So how does this help me stay true to my title? Well, the Targhee II boot is 18.6 oz. The shoe model is 16.5. The Teva weighed in at 15.8. So that’s a savings of 2.8 oz per shoe for a total savings of 5.6 oz. It really is the little things. 🙂