My Merrell hiking shoes are just about done. The treads are okay, but the topsides have cracks and splits large enough to stick my finger through, and certainly aren't worth bringing with us on the Via Francigena. While they were quite comfortable, they didn't last nearly as long as I expected. In addition, after wearing them on the trail for a long day, my sweaty feet really generated some serious stink. After our 20+ days on the Thames path, they weren't allowed in the same room with us at the end of the day.

Marcie's Oboz are just as old and have at least as much mileage, but are still in pretty good shape. The problem with her shoes was that they were uncomfortable after 8-10 miles. Even worse, she was constantly plagued with blisters. Time for both of us to look for replacements. Off to REI to look for replacements…