Bushido Series

I like Topo a lot in general, but for off-trail I have a preference for the Bushido III Wide which is much more enjoyable than any other Sportiva shoe. I wear the same size in them as Topo and they fit toes better than my upsized Mutants and Akashas did.

La Sportiva Bushido are among the most durable trail runners. What did you do to them?

I have the II's, not the latest one, and it's built like a tank. You can probably still get them on clearance.

The two trail runners I really like are La Sportiva Bushido 2 (except they're slightly too narrow for my toes so I can't only wear the thinnest socks and I had to stop using them for longer runs), and Saucony Peregrines (except they're a little shorter than expected so I had to size up another 0.5 compared to my road Saucony). They're both firm, lower cushioning, lower stack (6 and 4 mm) with good traction. Peregrines are infamously not durable so I wouldn't wear them all around town, just for hiking and trail rubbing, but they're very comfortable. Personally I wore them for my ultra.

I don't think anyone else thinks Saucony Peregrines have "a decent amount of cushioning." Most people would never run an ultra in them for that reason (though I did, just a 50k). I have a bad ankle but my issue is rolling outwards. Saucony Peregrines feel good and secure for me as long as I do heel lock (which I do on all shoes) and tighten the laces. I feel comfortable bombing down hills in them.

Those are my exact two pair of trail shoes, pairs I bought specifically because I don't like cushioning. Not much out there other than barefoot shoes are as low stack as Bushidos. Peregrines DON'T have "a decent amount of cushion." Bushidos just have even less.

I agree with all of this. Bushidos are so reliable and great, but they don't fit everyone.

Fellow wide-footer here 😀 I only started running a few months ago. I tried Bushido 3 wide, which fit well, but unsure about size - I seem to be between 2 sizes. Do you go for more tight fit or rather a bit more space?

I have owned 3 pairs of Salomon XT-6’s and I find them to be incredibly comfortable but somewhat lacking in durability. Again I’m on my third pair so for me the pros greatly outweigh the cons but they’re not my go to trail runner. If you’re looking for something else at an even better price point I’d recommend the La Sportiva Bushido II. They’re my favorite pair of trail runners I’ve tried.

Date: 9/26/2025 Location: Yosemite, loop from Cathedral Lakes TH Distance: \~30 miles Vertical gain: \~7400 ft Video of the route: [https://youtu.be/pBVaz3DQ0Us?si=kYgLnNR7KrdYR19m](https://youtu.be/pBVaz3DQ0Us?si=kYgLnNR7KrdYR19m) **Overview:** The Cathedral Range High Route is an idea I’ve been working on since last year, and the area has multiple viable options for a fun short high route. I've done two variations on this route now and can think of at least one more that makes sense. This one begins at the Cathedral Lakes TH and passes Cathedral Peak, Matthes Crest, Nelson Lake, and the Vogelsang area, after which point it gains a broad ridge which it follows to Parsons Peak and returns to Tuolumne via Ireland and Evelyn Lakes and the Rafferty Creek Trail. The variation we did was about 28 miles (we cut off 1.7 by leaving a car at the Tuolumne store), which we completed in 13hr42m.  We went for this shorter version so we could do it with daypacks. To get the full effect, one would continue over Amelia Earhart Pass and traverse over to Maclure Lake to see the glaciers, then return to Tuolumne via Lyell Canyon (adds \~5 miles compared to what we did on this trip). The other variation I did accessed the Maclure Glacier via Hell Hole, but this route is much less fun than the ridge walk. Even though this trip was done in a day, the last time I did a similar route it was as a 2 night backpacking trip, which felt perfect and is what would likely appeal to most people interested in the route.  **Route description:** We started at Cathedral Lakes TH and took the JMT until we could pass Cathedral Peak on its south side. We passed Budd Lake and climbed a slabby pass and headed to the pass west of Cockscomb. The pass itself is very steep and it’s better to stay far to the west. It was class 3 how we did it. Great views of Matthes Crest up here.  We headed down to Matthes Lake and climbed the pass to its east-southeast. We passed Nelson Lake and climbed the pass south of Rafferty Peak. We hiked to Vogelsang Pass, continuing on trail until the view opened up of Gallison Lake and the basin leading to Hell Hole/Maclure Glacier access.  Hell Hole is an okay pass, and puts you out right at the Maclure Glacier, but it’s not as fun as the ridge walk option. For the ridge walk, we left the trail and climbed up to the ridge that leads to Parsons Peak. Incredible panoramic views from up there.  From Parsons, we descended to Ireland Lake and worked our way back to Tuolumne Meadows, and I think this is the ideal ‘short version’ of the route. Last summer I took the Hell Hole route and traversed from Maclure Lake to Amelia Earhart Pass and then to Ireland, etc. The traverse from Maclure to Amelia Earhart is fantastic, so I think the most optimal route for a long weekend backpack would be to take the route as described above until Parsons, go over Amelia Earhart Pass, traverse to Maclure Lake, and then hike back to Tuolumne through Lyell Canyon on the JMT.  **Difficulty:**  Mostly very easy cross country, with the exception of the pass west of Cockscomb. Even that one isn’t too bad, but there are easier options in the area if you look around the map. The Cockscomb Pass is cool though because of the view of Matthes Crest. Wilts Col is another way to get from Budd Lake to Matthes that I haven’t tried but looks fun and probably has an even better view.  **Gear notes:** We carried almost nothing except for a layer or two, headlamps, filters, but I’ll give a shoutout to the La Sportiva Bushidos in wide. In the past I’ve tried to use the Bushidos and wished they worked for me but they were too narrow. The wide version is the best off-trail hiking shoe I’ve tried and I’m so glad they finally made it. It’s just barely wide enough for me, and I can see it still being too narrow for some.