Let's Go Hiking- Hiking Gear for Me the Newbie Hiker "Shoes"

I have taken up hiking with a local meetup group.  The usual distance is 4-6 miles.  I have been wearing my tennis shoes and they are fine but for the occasional stubbed toe on roots or rocks.  On my last hike with the group, they said the trail was a bit wet and our guide said: "it is a good thing we all have our hiking boots".  Knowing of course that I had mostly white running shoes on I looked around at my peers and yes they all had hiking boots.  I was the odd man out.  I did not mind being different but I did not enjoy the idea of a sprained ankle or injured toes.  That day I decided I would do a bit of research on The Hiking Boot.

I talked to people on the hike and everyone I talked to wore Merrells and everyone seemed pleased with them.  I spoke with my son in law who does a lot of hiking and he said Merrells were great but that he wore Salomons. 

We have a local REI and I decided to pay them a visit.  The one nice thing about REI is that you can return anything at any time.  I tried on a pair of Merrells, the ones in the photo above and asked about the Salomons.  The Salomons were a bit more expensive so I decided to purchase the Merrells

I have worn them on several 2-mile hikes with Brodie to break them in. Do I like them?  Honestly, I am not sure.  I can't tell if they are uncomfortable or just different.  They are heavy and I do think they fit well but they just feel different, I am very aware of their presence and I would rather be focused on my hike than my shoes.

There are several different types of hiking boots.  There are light hiking shoes, mountaineering boots, and backpacking boots.  I think mine must be the light hiking boot although I am not sure because they are not light.   You can get low-cut, mid-cut or high-cut.  I think mine must be low-cut.  One article I read said the shoe should be snug in the back with wiggle room in the toes.  I don't think mine is snug enough in the back.  At least at REI, I can return them if they don't work.

I plan to try my first real hike with them this Friday we will be going 4.5 miles.  I am almost afraid to go that far in them but how else will I know if this is the right shoe for me. 

I went on Amazon to see what they had in the way of hiking boots/shoes.  I picked out a few just for fun.

(I am an Amazon Affiliate.  If you follow the links below and buy anything on Amazon I get a percent of the sale with no added cost to you.  Happy Day:-)
                                  
One thing that I did get at REI were hiking socks and those I love.  I got the low ankle sock but I think I would get one that is a bit higher next time.  The ones I picked up at REI said they were no blister and that is why I bought them.
One thing I was wondering was what type of pants to wear hiking.  I usually just wear my jeans.  I have already worn a pair of jeans out because of rubbing in the legs.  I hate also when you can see the sweat on your pants from the long hikes.  Let's consult Google.  Well, I consulted Google and the list of pants is long.  I will leave that for another post.
If you hike, what type of shoe do your wear?  Do you have a preference for brands of pants and socks?

Happy Hiking Everyone!

KathieyV