A girl in...her spiffy Barefoot Merrells

I'm getting geared up for an upcoming trip to Costa Rica (so excited!) and one of the decisions I made was to purchase a multipurpose shoe that would be good as both a walking and water shoe. Our Costa Rica itinerary is pretty packed with all sorts of fun adventures, including a volcano hike, night jungle hike, canyoneering, white water rafting and zip lining.

In ticking off my mental packing list, I realized I'd be bringing five pairs of shoes: hiking boots, waters shoes, tennis shoes, flip-flops, and a dressier pair of sandals. That's a definite no-no for me, so I thought I should try and find a shoe that will serve multiple functions. Enter the Merrell Pace Glove Barefoot running shoe.

Though I was initially drawn to the shoe for its cool styling, light weight and breathability, the friendly gal at REI spoke really highly of the shoe and espoused the benefits of barefoot running. Granted, I'm not a runner by any means but even I was tempted to take the shoe out on a few trial runs around my neighborhood. Verdict: I still haven't developed a great love for running but did notice the difference in that I take lighter steps.

I also took the shoe out last weekend for a trip to Joshua Tree for a guided rock climbing trip. While I didn't climb with them on, they came in handy for running around and taking breathers from having my feet squished into tight rock climbing shoes.

The Merrells hanging out with our climbing ropes.