Mat Maessen wrote: >How necessary is a pair of hiking boots? Are the trails rough enough >that a pair of old sneakers won't cut it?
It depends where you go hiking and how much gear (cameras, lenses, food, water) you're carrying. On the lower parts of the mountain a pair of old sneakers will be fine. If you intend to explore the Grandfather Trail, which follows the ridge of the mountain across its 4 major peaks, hiking boots are a necessity, especially if you're carrying any significant weight in your pack. If you drive around to the Profile Trail on the north side of the mountain, you can get away with good trail shoes until you get fairly high up (at which point it joins the Grandfather Trail and things get very rugged.
