The Boots That Made Me Not Hate Hiking

My mom loves to hike. Me? Not so much. While she reaches a sort of hiker’s high, I remain painfully aware of every step and how many things I’m allergic to in the forest (ahem—maple trees, moss, mold, even grass). But in 2020—when we were all reveling in spending time with loved ones however we could during the pandemic—she convinced me to climb the modest Mount Cardigan in New Hampshire with her. In exchange, she bought me my first pair of hiking boots: Keen’s Targhee III Waterproof Mid.

Up until this point, I’d only experienced flat, sneaker-friendly trails that an experienced hiker would probably consider an easy walk. Needless to say, I wasn’t jumping at my mom’s suggestion to ascend a mountain. So maybe it was the desire to have a new experience during that Groundhog Day year, or perhaps it was the fact that Taylor Swift’s nature-inspired Folklore album had recently come out—either way, I agreed to lace up the boots and summit the mountain with her.

The day before our hike, my mom and I went for a walk in her rural neighborhood, which includes dirt roads and a painfully gradual hill. I considered this my opportunity to break in the boots, though my mom had told me they’d be comfortable right out of the gate based on her own experience wearing this same style from Keen.

As it turns out, she was right: I had enough room in the toe box for my feet to shift forward—important when you’re going downhill to avoid pinched or bruised toes—but the mid-ankle support prevented too much movement from happening anyway. Also, my mom suggested I buy a half-size up to ensure extra room near my toes. Shoes with too much arch support can hurt my feet, but these don’t force my foot into an uncomfortable position. Basically, it was all green flags for these boots, which helped me feel way more confident about my first mountain hike.

I wish this were the part where I told you that Keen’s Targhee III boots came in my favorite color scheme. Unfortunately, mine is a basic taupe and teal combo, but when I was hiking a 3,155-foot-high mountain, I really didn’t care. In fact, their looks have become endearing to me now that they’ve carried me through some really challenging-to-me hikes. They’re practical, comfy, and perfect for a newbie like me who didn’t know what mattered in a pair of mountain hiking boots.

Since 2020, I’ve hiked a few more trails in these babies, including the Welch-Dickey Loop in New Hampshire, which involves summiting two mountains in one go (my nightmare, to be honest). I’m not going to lie: I still don’t love hiking, but several family members and friends do, and these boots help me be part of their world for a little while.

This month, I’m going to Yellowstone National Park to celebrate a family member’s birthday. While I’ve already warned everyone that I’m not up for any intense hikes, I feel a lot more comfortable walking into whatever we get up to in Montana with these boots on my feet. They’ll be the first thing in my suitcase, trust me.

Keen Targhee III Waterproof Mid

“Perfect right out of the box. The toe box is roomy, the heel cup cradles, and the support and flexibility are great on the trail,” said one reviewer on Keen’s website.