I was nervous about these boots at first because there was a seam on the tongue that was rubbing/poking a sore spot on the top of my foot. I started doubling up on my socks (I don't have wool socks yet) and they started doing a lot better. After wearing them around the house for a little bit, I was able to wear them all day in the Rockies. I can confirm that they're waterproof! :) Tested and true. And, really good-looking.

I already owned the standard North Face Hedgehog which is a bit lower-cut and am surprised with the exceptional quality. These shoes have been through several hundred miles of mud, snow and work well with micro-spikes and gaiters, so when it came time for a heavier duty hiking shoe upgrade, these were an obvious choice: no break-in time, lighter weight than my work heels, and true to size. I wear a 10 in just about every shoe out there, and there was no exception with these. My only complaint is that right out of the box, these were too pretty. Seriously. I ordered them in the gray and fortuna blue and it wasn't until my first mud hike that I felt comfortable getting them dirty. I swear by these and recommend these in both the female and male versions to any avid outdoors(wo)man.

I have been told all good things about these shoes so far. They have been used for every winter hike and snowshoe since I bought them for my friend and she says they keep her feet warm and dry and are very comfortable. She has had them for about a month and gets out in them at least twice a week.