Soothing pastel colors are associated with the foresty areas in Western Pennsylvania in later winter. The snow has melted but it's too early from the brilliant spring blooms, so the drab colors take over the trails. When I opened up my new Wolverine Pulsar hikers, the bright turquoise would inject some color into my upcoming hikes.

The Pulsar is new for Wolverine and is due to hit retailers in Spring 2012. The low-cut hiker features a mesh upper fortified with a waterproof Gore-Tex membrane. Wolverine looked to Vibram to create the Pulsar's outsole.

The iCS technology is the star of the Wolverine Pulsar. iCS lets you personalize the Pulsar's comfort by providing four adjustable comfort settings. A gel disc accessible under the footbed in the shoe's heel is how it's adjusted.

Walking a few short hikes showed the firmed up the outward stabilization. I tested out setting the gel disc for firmer inward stabilization. And I felt it the added support in my inner part of my arches.

One of my Pulsar shoes (size 10) weighed in at 19.1 ounces. Its low weight and lower cut make the shoe rugged lugs on the Vibram sole meet the differing terrains in Beechwood Farms Nature Reserve. I definitely suggest for any hike that doesn't require lugging a heavier pack.

The only drawback that is the colors choices Wolverine offers for the Pulsar. Besides black, the colors are bright and bold. I'm fan of colors that burn the retina but others prefer subtle colors. (MSRP $160)