It’s been one month since our first intrepid hiker reported back from the field after backpacking for a week in Montana.
Now, four weeks and hundreds of thousands of steps in, we’re happy to report the KEEN Durand boots are holding up fine despite the use and abuse.
We set out in July to hike 1 million steps in the Durands, which are KEEN’s new built-in-the-USA boots. So far, they’ve been shipped to five hikers around the country (all with size 13 feet!) to put down about 600,000 steps.
That’s 284 miles in more traditional measurements. We have about 400,000 steps to go, and the boots are currently en route to the Ozark Mountains.
This past week, tester Brandon Lawrence took a turn. He hiked 39.6 miles — 83,635 steps — along the St. Croix River. The rocky, boreal terrain hugs the Minnesota/Wisconsin border and includes exposed billion-year-old rock, sheer cliffs, and endless river views.
Said Lawrence of the Durands, “They were the best hiking boots I have ever worn.” He noted feeling sore after hiking back to back days. “My legs hurt but my feet were fine.”
See more about the Durand boots on KEEN’s site, and monitor the GJ blog as we keep trekking this summer and into next month toward a goal of 1 million steps!