If you are a frequent reader, you know three things about me: I’m vegan, I love fashion, and I love to walk/hike!  If you share these passions, read on!

You may recall that last July, I literally stumbled upon J-41 vegan sandals at our local Off Broadway Shoe Store just in time for my annual hiking jaunt in August with Cousin Earl.

You may also recall that I lost both toenails (ouch!) prior to that on a 9 mile hike with my pal, Katherine Jackson, in the Dismal Swamp.  I was wearing my nice lace-up athletic shoes, but I was wearing them with my husband’s cotton socks to keep ticks and such off my ankles.  Bad move!  The socks absorbed  moisture from the wet grass through the mesh of my shoes, not to mention the sweat (sorry!) from my feet.  The cotton expanded and made my shoes fit too tight, rubbing for hours on my toes, which actually didn’t hurt until afterwards.

So, last year, I was looking for open-toed sport sandals–I wanted nothing touching my toenails!–and the ones in the link above fit the bill perfectly.  Plus, I loved the girlie flowers on them which, as it happens, matches this year’s Tiffany blue toenail polish.  However, I have flat worn those sandals out!  I am still wearing them, but am in desperate need of a new pair.

In the market for a replacement today with this lots more walking and hiking on tap for this summer (including a trip with Earl again this August), I decided I wanted another sport sandal, but something with a closed toe to protect my newly grown back toenails (it took a full year as I was warned it would!).

The shoes had to be vegan, close-toed but open on the sides, breathable, stylish, and, hopefully, orange, this year’s fashion color.  So back to J-41 I went and was rewarded with this pair of “Seabreeze” sport sandals in coral and cream on sale for $39.99 at Boscov’s online, a $50 discount!  The shipping was hefty at almost $10, but the price was still far better than most of these non-vegan sandals (like Keen, Merrel, and Teva) which run in the $70-90+ range before any shipping is added.

I can hardly wait to kick-it in my new J-41s!