hurrygirl

My husband and I will be hiking two days outside Sapa from the Topas Ecolodge in January. We are hop8mg that running shoes will suffice as we don’t want to drag our hiking boots from Canada and then carry for 8 weeks. Any advice?

CaliforniaLady

I took shoes like these:

https://www.rei.com/product/120612/l...g-shoes-womens

They are classified as "trail running shoes" and they are gore-tex coated. They are almost as light weight as regular running shoes, but they have a more substantial tread on the bottom to prevent slipping, and of course, they are waterproof. The best part is that they are less bulky to pack than traditional hiking boots I take them on every trip to Asia, and I also take a pair of running shoes for city walking.

So why do I think you need these shoes? In Sapa, I saw a British man slip on the trail, and the locals had to carry him down the hill in blankets attached to a wooden pole. His wife told me that he probably broke his leg. Third world trails are often dangerous, so you need all the help you can get. I also slipped my foot into a rice paddy, and I thanked my lucky stars that I had water proof shoes on.

Parts of the trails are flat, and parts are hilly. If some Sapa ladies offer to help you with the steep part of the hike, accept their offer, and then maybe buy a little trinket from them as a thank you.

thursdaysd

Light weight collapsible hiking pole or poles would help with the slipping problem. Also available from REI.

yestravel

It was misty and foggy and the ground was very wet and thus muddy and slippery, so plan for that as a distinct possibility.

CaliforniaLady

Ah yes, it rained on my second hiking day. Take along a couple of those two dollar disposable ponchos. I buy the Coleman ones from Target, but you can buy them at many places.

crellston

We did some hiking with Topas Ecolodge many years ago. Lots of steep trails up and down the valleys all pretty straightforward. We had dry sunny but cool weather, I think in Feb/March so running shoes would probably have have been ok ( although I am rarely out of my Keens these days!) . The weather in Jan should be good but there are no guarantees as the weather in the region has become increasingly erratic.

hurrygirl

Thanks so much to you all for your advice.