Hiking is hard enough on its own. But one hiker is determined to scale all of Colorado's highest peaks in high heels. My feet hurt even thinking about it.
Speaking with Outside Online, Erin Ton revealed her plan to hike all of Colorado's 14ers, which are mountains above 14,000 feet in elevation. There are 58 of them in total, and the hiker has hiked 24 so far in high heels. She started her journey with Mount Elbert in 2018.
"At the time, it was the hardest thing I had ever done," she told the outlet. "There's something so satisfying about challenging yourself to go through a hard time, and then [experiencing] that overwhelming sense of satisfaction once you get to the summit. I was hooked."
But why? That's the question, right?! Well, the high heels actually started as a joke that she started with her friends. They theorized that a high heel could help on a steep slope. So she decided to try it out.
Hiking In High Heels
"I thought Mount Elbert would just be one and done, but my sister, Hannah, was intrigued by the idea, and joined me for a couple of popular summits in heels, and we just had so much fun doing it," she said. But after hiking in high heels, she decided to do it again. A story that later ran on Ton's exploits garnered negativity. So she set out to prove everyone wrong.
"I got some not-so-positive feedback, mostly from a male audience," Ton said. "It lit a fire under me. I don't need your input on what I should be doing with my body when I feel completely safe out there."
She hopes to be an inspiration to women with her high heels stunt.
"I've had numerous women reach out to me saying it's inspired them to wear what they want in the outdoors. All too often, women are siloed into one category, but being outdoorsy and feminine aren't mutually exclusive," she explained. "I'm showing you can be both as a woman."
However, she admits that hiking in high heels can be difficult. But it hasn't been too difficult.
"At first I thought I was going to roll my ankles, but I really haven't had that big of an issue," Ton said.
