Run | Climb | Ride

You’re off to Great Places! Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting. So…get on your way!
–Dr. Seuss

It’s been quite some time now since I worked in the outdoor industry (just over four years!), and while the thing I miss most about it changes often, the one thing that’s always near the top of the list is the gear hook-up. Fortunately for me, my husband and many of my friends are still in the industry so I can live vicariously through them and occasionally still get free/generously discounted goodies.

One of the most recent instances of this wonderful phenomenon came in the form of free socks from a company I’d never even heard of until a few months ago. One of the guys Tim works with clued him into Ellsworth socks over the summer and helped him get in touch the company, which led to Tim receiving a few pairs to test out. He spent a few weeks wearing them for different types of adventures, fell (stepped?) in love with them, and wrote about them (of course). After he published that post, Tim got a very appreciative email from Ellsworth and they shared the post on their Facebook. And that was that.

Except it wasn’t. Shortly after that, Tim received another email from his Ellsworth contact which said something along the lines of, “I was re-reading your blog and realized your wife does a lot of stuff with you so I’m sending socks for her, too.” Score!

When my socks arrived, I immediately tried every pair on, already expecting to love them. And they were…okay. I certainly didn’t hate them, but I wasn’t totally sold on them (yet)—partially because the taller socks are a teeny bit too small for my calves (I’m a beast), and partially because I’m a(n exasperating) princess-and-the-pea type of person and their V-Channel Technology (which is what makes these socks so amazing) drove me crazy as I just sat there on the couch.

Not ready to give up on them, I made sure to wear a pair the next time we hiked. As I put them on in the parking lot at the trail head I still didn’t like the feel of the channels, but I hadn’t brought any other socks so I’d just have to deal with it. But then the magic happened: as soon as I put my shoes on and started moving, I couldn’t even feel the channels anymore! Instead of feeling like weird little ribs along my feet, the socks just felt super cushiony. And they did exactly what they claim to: kept my feet drier and more comfortable than other hiking socks ever have.

And now I’m firmly seated on the Ellsworth bandwagon. I love these socks so much that, on more than one occasion in the past few weeks, I’ve pulled a pair out of my dirty laundry because I didn’t want to wear any of my other socks. (Judge away—then get your own pair and you’ll be all like, “oh, I totally get it!!”) For our recent trip out west, they were the only socks I packed. My “Ellsies,” as they are now lovingly referred to in our house, have kept my feet dry, happy, and comfortable everywhere from the mountains to the desert to the yoga studio, and I’m always a little sad when it’s time to take them off. It’s possible that this sock hook-up has been the biggest perk of marrying Tim so far…

Disclaimer: Ellsworth supplied me with a few pairs of free socks, but this has not influenced my opinion in any way. In fact, they didn’t even ask for this “review.” I’m just that into them.