You're not hiking where I hike. I get pebbles in my trailrunners.

I have to wear gaiters most of the time with mid-height boots if I don't want to empty them a few times a day.

I really like Tevas and they have saved a friend who managed to develop golf-ball-sized blisters on her heels. But I won't hike in them - having a stick gouge through your sock on the way down a brushy overgrown trail isn't fun either.