Hmmm. Interesting about how folks feel about how stuff works. In no way am I gonna say that the stiff boots are "wrong", but I've gone the opposite direction.
I hunt in very steep, very rocky country down here in the desert. Walking hunting, 12 to 15 miles in a day. (My legs went and got old on me, so I don't go so far these days.) I've always preferred a flat, crepe-soled Russell Bird Hunter or Red Wing 20-mile. My experience has been that the soft sole sorta "wraps around" the rocks. On the sharp stuff, it's sorta like an art gum eraser on sandpaper.
, Art