I pretty much always wear my boots (Oboz Yellowstone IIs; 20 oz. each) on my hiking and backpacking trips in the Sierras and elsewhere. They are great but I'm exploring getting some lighter footwear for tougher hikes where I want to minimize weight and will be on decent trails. Please note that these trails will still have a lot of rocks (one my concerns), so I wonder whether a sturdy thick sole is probably still wise. I want to wear them on my upcoming Mt. Whitney hike.

What are your thoughts on the best way to lighten my load **without finding myself with beat up feet or injured**? I want to cut weight, but not end up cutting on something that I shouldn't have cut on (e.g., a 10 oz. shoe that has a thin sole that will leave my foot battered). And maybe the answer is to keep my Oboz and not try to cut.

An example is that I'm looking at the Adidas AX 2 boot. It's nice that it's a full-sized boot yet is very light ... but I wonder if that is because it has a thin sole, in which case maybe I'm better going with a shoe with a lighter upper and heavier sole.