<HTML><HEAD>
<META http-equiv=Content-Type charset=US-ASCII content="text/html; charset=US-ASCII">
<META content="MSHTML 5.50.4134.100" name=GENERATOR></HEAD>
<BODY style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff">
<DIV>
<DIV>In a message dated 02/23/04 05:43:28 PM Eastern Standard Time, redtailaTELUS.NET writes:</DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: blue 2px solid"><FONT face=Arial>road runners, instead of the trail variety, because the<BR>Camino is so hard underfoot--on average, a dirt road. No part of it is<BR>truly rugged nor difficult in the way that North American trails often are.</FONT></BLOCKQUOTE></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT color=#0080c0>I disagree & recommend mid-height boots for ankle support, water-resistance & comfort. Many sections of the Camino have rocks & gravel even though the writer is correct when he says "on average" about dirt roads. There are also creek beds and muddy spots along the way on occasion. The majority of experienced hikers wear boots. True, it is a matter of personal preference, but I would not want to mislead anyone here on listserve planning to go for the first time. I met someone who wore Teva sandals for the Camino and swears by them. However, I would guesstimate that 95% of the walkers wore some form of hiking boot.</FONT></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT color=#0080c0>Howard Mendes NYC</FONT></STRONG></DIV></BODY></HTML>