I know there's a whole boots thread, but they are quite diverse.
i have recently discovered that hiking in winter is awesome and a great way to get outside in cold temps when cycling is, as we all know if we're being honest, no longer fun.

I would like a good hiking boots as I have some old EMS ones that have the cushion of poured concrete and hurt my feet. theyre also super heavy.

As of now I have been hiking probably 4-9 miles , but would be game to try 12-20 mile hikes in catskills. For the occasional stream or rock scrambling, i think a high (rather than low/mid) boot is ideal. Also some waterproof ness.

A lot of these "best hiking boot" tests are recommending the salomon quest GTX or something or other. scanning through Amazon, seems like durability of recent models is not up to previous. not sure if there are knock offs being sold on amazon, which would not remotely surprise me.

They mention Merrell as well as a budget option. I don't really want something that wears like a running shoe or has to be tossed after 2-3 years (ideally).

What else should I look at? Something decently robust would be nice. I would like 105 quality, I think. no need for dura ace.