According to the dude I saw:

1) My left foot points slightly outward when I walk, and I am more aggressive with it than my right. My left foot is actually 1/2 a size larger than my right.

2) My walk lands heavily on my heel and then flops forward onto the rest of the foot. Other people have more of a rolling motion.

3) The short fourth toe on each foot is probably genetic, which of course explains why no one else in my family has it, including my daughter.

4) I am not flatfooted. My feet are on thick top to bottom and on the wide side, and the outside of my feet is fleshier than is the norm. None of these things is that unusual.

5) Given the thickness of my feet, he suggested that I would probably have more problems with overheating instead of overcooling, and suggested I wear a thinner sock when hiking.

So I got some inserts made that should help me a bit on the hikes. I have to break them in slowly over the course of the next two weeks.

He was also a big fan of European hiking boots. He said that European companies designed boots specifically to match certain types of feet. Apparently, you have to learn which type of foot matches the right manufacturer's boots. In my case, he suggested a certain Italian manufacturer might make a better shoe for a person with my wider feet, while I should avoid boots made by a German footware manufacturer. The German boots are good boots, but not for my feet.

He said the boots I had were less than ideal, but should be ok with the inserts.

I never knew footware could be so complicated. Half of it was probably bull, but it was a very good line of bull.