Awesome. thanks for the advice. My choices are narrowing down considerably.

The lows in Sedona has been 39 degree which is hella cold for someone from Phoenix But when its NOT raining thats the average lows int he last month. Perfect weather to test my gear I guess. This weekend its going to rain with the lows dropping down to 32.

Im worried about the shoes on the AT. If these Solomon only last 300 miles...thats 7 pairs of shoes at $150 each?? Seems to me that there has to be a way to determine wear on a shoe...Try to find some that last over 500 miles. I odnt know how long these shoes last. But it seems to me that the higher performance and lighter a shoe the less wear it has. Just a guess.

With my moderate pronation I figured the mid height shoes would be more supportive..or from what ive read on hiking forums more restrictive. I do know the tall hiking boots are really restrictive.