Going Barefoot?

C

CanDo

Joined
Mar 10, 2006
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With the Spring here, I'll be spending a lot more time outdoors. I love going barefoot but am worried about potential health issues. I understand that going barefoot is supposed to be better for your feet and joints, but are there other problems to worry about? Strange fungi or infections? Anything to anticipate or prepare for?
 
CanDo,

I grew up on a farm for part of my childhood, didn't wear shoes spring through fall. I never had any problems, but I can't speak to the health benefits....
 
Would you consider nails and broken glass a fungi?

I go barefoot alot during the summer but I normally keep some sandals nearby, in case of problems.
 
You're likely to have less foot fungus if you go barefoot. It is easier to keep your feet dry. However, you are somewhat more likely to scrape, abrade, cut, puncture, and otherwise injure your feet. Also, if you have weak feet to begin with, then the loss of foot support will be a hinderance (at least initially), especially if hiking with a pack.

Personally, I have found that the rubber outsoles on my merrells are tougher than the fleshy outsoles of my feet. I like to play volleyball barefoot, but hike with shoes. YMMV.
 
One of my friends went all summer barefoot.... in the city.

Couldnt take that guy anywhere, shop keeps and restaurant owners are still up on that "no shirts, no shoes" thing. The soles of his feet turned a disgusting black that he couldnt wash out.
 
No fungi nor infections from barefootedness, here.

If your feet are used to only being heavily shod, if they are weak and soft, then you may want to ease into it.
 
Thanks for the responses. I typically go barefoot anywhere that's rocky or sandy but am a bit apprehensive about regular old dirt because of what may live in it. I'll have to try it out. I don't plan on going on any big hikes with full gear barefoot at first - I'll toughen up my feet with local hikes and try leaving the shoes at home more often when I run (maybe easier said than done when running on roads with thrown out bottles and whatnot).
 
I used to go barefoot a lot more than I have in recent years. I've taken to doing "water hikes" where I kind of follow a river or creek for the majority of my walk and since I can't always see what I'm going to be stepping on I like to have some protection for my feet.

2 bits of advice. . . First, always keep a pair of sandals in your pack or clipped to a belt loop with a carabiner or something. Second, even after you toughen up your feet, try to keep an eye on where you're stepping. If you want to look at the scenery stop and look, don't try to look around too much while you're walking.

There are actually clubs dedicated to barefoot hiking and just going barefoot in general. They're a good way to learn about barefoot friendly (or at least tolerant) shops and restaurants.
 
pitdog said:
This guy has no problem...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mmmpg-XCU-k
Click to expand...

LOL! Cody's feet are like steel-belted radials.

I do some barefoot in the Spring/Summer/Fall just to toughen the feet and the first week to 10 days are pretty brutal but the toughness comes quickly after that.

You don't want to walk through a construction site without shoes but most of the debris you're likely to find in the woods can be avoided with careful planting of the foot prior to putting weight down on it.

B
 
I don't go barefoot in the bush here...

img2742ch4.jpg


Notice two things, the condition of the tread and the PUNGI STAKE through my boot. Taking a hit like that means you'd be whittling yourself a crutch. This one didn't puncture my foot but did leave a bruise. I need new boots. Mac
 
i walk around barefoot all the time...i started last summer. i couldn't walk without pain at some level for two days after i did a two mile hike on hot asphalt...

i decided to get into barefooting this season a little more gently. just go slow and get used to walking barefoot...it is a different motion from the cow plodding...if you scrape your feet like most people do in shoes nowadays, you will quickly find yourself without heels doing it barefoot.

i am going to start running barefoot once my callusses build up a little more...probably another week or two.
 
pict said:
I don't go barefoot in the bush here...

img2742ch4.jpg


Notice two things, the condition of the tread and the PUNGI STAKE through my boot. Taking a hit like that means you'd be whittling yourself a crutch. This one didn't puncture my foot but did leave a bruise. I need new boots. Mac
Click to expand...

One of the best values in bootdom IMHO. By the way, where did you happen to find a pungi pit???:eek:
 
i changed my mind...

i took my usual 2.5 mile run today barefoot

conclusion: all i was reading about the extra use of the toes was right...my calfs are still tight and its been almost 6 hours since i got back. the pads on the balls of my feet are sore...

apart from that, it was just like running with shoes...well except it was nice to feel the ground while i ran...something previously relegated to walking.

and then i was walking around in the woods behind my house playing with tarp shelter set-ups...and stepped on a piece of last year's pricker vine...no blood spilled though
 
I've tried a few hikes in it. Fun unless its real rocky or you deal with cat briers. Here is the last time I try it in a SC swamp. This photo doesn't do the damage justice, cuts all over the foot, not so much the bottom but the tender top. All those briars were very dry so the tips broke off into thorn zits that I had to pop out individually. Cuts along the tops of the toes too. Wasn't bad though after I put on a sock, it didn't seem to impede healing at all.

P1014685.jpg
 
I used to always go barefoot as a kid until I stepped on a blowgun dart... Don't get me wrong I'd stepped on bottle glass and nails before, but the dart went through my foot because of its length... It really freaked me out.




Now I like my feet nice and clean, the only time I'm barefoot is when I go to sleep and step out of the shower.
 
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