Tag: hiking

Merrell All Out Blaze review

GeekDad Review: Merrell All Out Blaze Sieve and All Out Blaze Aero Sport

Brad Moon

I’ve never been a runner, but I do love walking. I’ll happily spend all day tromping around a city, walking through a park, hiking a forest trail, or wandering along the shoreline of a lake. Because the terrain I cover is so varied, I tend to look for shoes that are lightweight, grippy, breathable, good on a variety of surfaces, and quick-drying. Merrell’s All Out Blaze Sieve and All Out Blaze Aero Sport are two examples of high performance shoes that fit my requirements perfectly.

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Before and after the mud bowl

Fall Hiking With Merrell Proterra Sport Gore-Tex Shoes: Grippy and Dry

Brad Moon1

Hiking is one of my favorite outdoor activities, and the fall is my favorite time of year to be doing it. It can get mucky around here — especially if we run into light snow — but it’s cool enough that overheating is less of an issue, the bugs are a non-issue and the fall colors are always spectacular. With my daughter now old enough to babysit her brothers, my wife and I have had the opportunity to duck out for quick hikes this fall. We have to keep things realistic and stay close enough to get home quickly if a fight breaks out, so that means a mix of urban walking and light trails. Merrell sent a pair of Merrell Men’s Proterra Sport Gore-Tex hikers to try out, and the timing couldn’t have been better. If you’re in the market for waterproof, minimalist hikers that are comfortable to wear in mixed terrain, these would make a great choice.

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Ridge view on Algonquin Park Track and Tower trail

Getting the Kids Active: Hiking in Algonquin Provincial Park

Brad Moon

One of the reasons I’m such a fan of camping is that it gets the kids outdoors for a few weeks every summer. I’m under no illusion that this has the effect of cutting out the screens altogether (even with a week in a no electricity site, the Nintendos and iPads put in frequent appearances), but it does help to reduce the reliance on electronics for entertainment and fosters an appreciation for the outdoors. My wife and I were avid hikers in our pre-kid days, but the arrival of little ones (and their lack of endurance) has curtailed that for the past decade and a bit. With my youngest kids now at 10 years-old this year, we decided to push the boundaries a little and undertake a fairly serious hike, the 4.75 mile Track and Tower trail in Ontario’s Algonquin Provincial Park. Here’s how it turned out.

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Skaftafellsjokull glacier

Proving a Pair of Merrell Hikers — On a Glacier

Brad Moon

My wife just returned from a trip to Iceland with her family. I was home with the kids, spending some quality time as we ramped up for summer vacation when — as a SAHD/WFH dad — I have a lot more quality time coming over the coming weeks. While I enjoyed adventures in electrical installations, trying to keep up with laundry and dealing with some very disconcerted dogs, she spent 10 days in Reykjavik and touring the island. One of the highlights of her trip was hiking on Falljokull glacier (at the foot of the Vatnajokull ice cap) at Skaftafell National Park. This wasn’t a casual walk, so she’d arrived in Iceland prepared with a pair of Moab hiking boots from Merrell.

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