<DIV>Hi Kathleen,</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>I fully agree with what Monty has to say. I managed 3 months of a "thru-hike" in 2000 plus have section-hiked whole trail. I normally wear a women's size 11 1/2 to 12, AA shoe. For my hikes, I wore a men's 11 medium, or 45. I think my "normal" size translates to a 42 narrow. Wearing a men's medium means it's 2 sizes wider than normal and about 1 1/2 times longer. (I used New Balance 746 (a walking "trail" shoe as I liked the side to side stability). I plan to thru hike this season also and think I'll shorten length by 1/2 size but keep the extra width. And using trail shoes, there's no "break in" needed. I never had ANY blister problems like a lot of hikers and never any break-in problems. Trail shoes are the way to go! Get 'em big!</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Good luck to you!</DIV> <DIV>Laraine</DIV> <DIV>"Ladeda"</DIV> <DIV> </DIV><p> 
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