Unlike other trail shoes, the Experience Wild 3 is soft and pliable. The shoe’s cushioning is balanced with a 4 mm drop. Its MaxTrac outsole provides good traction on the trail with 3.5 mm lugs. Just like running in zero-drop shoes, the trail can be intimidating for newbies. I have finally come to terms with the fact that the rail “trails” I frequent are as low stakes as a walk in the park compared to the technical, rocks-like-knives trails many of my comrades run on. But I still run in trail shoes when groomed trailheads get sloppy. Shoes like the Altra Experience Wild 3 are the kind that my road shoe feet can tolerate when I make the switch. They’re hardy, with lugs on the soles and a protective toe sweep, but pliable too. The Experience Wild 3 is one of Altra ’s shoes that happens to have a 4 mm heel-to-toe drop, making it not only a welcoming trail-running beginner shoe but also a transitioning-to-low-drop-is-easy option for the zero-drop-curious.…