Horlocker likes his Danner 453 GTX hiking boots.
"Probably the best boots I've ever owned," he said.
He also does a lot of looking along the trails, so he brings a pair of smaller binoculars, size 7-by-25, for birds and other critters. He brings a hand lens, which is a small magnifying glass, for studying the details of plants.
"And I always take along field guides," he said. "This time of year, I take a wildflower field guide. As the summer goes along, I'll bring a butterfly field guide and a dragonfly field guide. He likes "Butterflies of the North Woods" by Larry Weber and "Dragonflies of the North Woods" by Kurt Mead. Toward fall, he'll take along a mushroom field guide. And any time of year, he takes along a "Lichens of the North Woods," by Joe Walewski.
n Diane Desotelle, Duluth
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"I'm a Merrell shoe lover," Desotelle said. "I wear a lightweight hiking shoe. A lightweight wool hiking sock keeps feet warm even if you get a bit wet after crossing that small stream. Fox River or Smartwool."
Desotelle has switched from hard-plastic water bottles to stainless steel.
"Thermos and Klean Kanteen carry nice water bottles," she said. "They are not inexpensive but will last a very long time, and I think the water tastes better out of these than plastics anyway."
n Dave Swanson, Two Harbors
Swanson enjoys hiking and running trails with his 3-year-old Siberian husky, Boomer.
"Depending on where I'm going, if it's more than a couple of miles, I take my CamelBak [hydration system]," Swanson said. "I have the M.U.L.E., which holds 70 ounces of water. That's plenty of water for the day for me and for the dog."
Camelbak offers many models of backpack-style hydration systems with hands-free sipping from a tube. Some models include pack space as well as the water reservoir.
Swanson also carries some means of starting a fire, usually a butane lighter; a whistle for emergency signaling; a first-aid kit; a cell phone; and a plastic bag to pick up dog waste.
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n Denise and Erik Kaitala, owners, Trailfitters, Duluth
"One of the things Erik and I have been using and both adore are Merino wool wicking layers," Denise said. "It sounds like a terrible idea for summer, but it's amazingly breathable and doesn't stink."
These tops come in various weights. Name brands are Icebreaker and Smartwool.
"The other item we probably use the most is headlamps," Denise said. "We trail-run a lot. We need a brighter headlamp. We use the Petzl Myo XP with a single LED bulb."
