Going Barefoot?

The fall 2006 edition of bulletin of primitive technology has a great article about it by Scott Jones
 
I would tell you get the hook up on Tetanus shots and go for it. But I would go for Mocs or Sandals as for myself. There is always the Stealth tracker boot too.
 
My friend and I walked around town barefoot for about 2 weeks a few years ago. Our feet sure got tougher, but it took a LOOOOONG time to wash the black from the soles of our feet. I'm pretty sure it was ingrained into our skin.:barf: On an unrelated note, sandals will not stop nails and such from harming you. Case in point: When I was about 8 years old I had sandals on while running through our yard. I felt something hit my foot, looked down, and saw about an inch worth of nail sticking out the top of my bare foot. It pinned my sandal to my foot. I didn't think it was any big deal because there was absolutly no pain (Don't know why, but it didn't hurt in the least), but when I showed my Mom, she all but freaked. She then pulled it out and bandaged me up. It didn't bleed a whole lot, either. No stitches, no nothing, and I was back playing that day. All things considered, I'd have to say that was the wierdest injury I've ever had.
 
I love walking around barefoot but lately I have been thinking about getting these. They look goofy but have potential to be really comfy.
vibram_five_fingers__discover_the_barefooting_alternative-20070815-033125.jpg
 
I went barefoot for a couple years , when I was drifting around kinda enjoying being a homeless bum :)

I ended up with really thick soles on my feet , thick enough that I didnt notice prickles or thorns anymore , or hot sand or bitumen roads .

What I didnt like was other folk spitting on the ground , their toilet habits , or their rubish disposal habits .

when I went back to civilization again and got a house and job , I had to wear boots , that was difficult , my callouses wore holes in my socks and tore the inards of the boots apart , and my feet burned ... the boots made my feet burn for months , I was rubbing at the armoured skin with pumice for days till I got rid of most of it and boots got kind of comfortable again

I miss having my feet firmly in the hot red desert sands of my tribal land , especialy stalking something ... there is nothing to compare ...

I enjoy comfy boots tho , especialy now my feet are soft again , when Im walking over reefs encrusted in oyster shell or thru spiky stuff , I really like having good boots .
 
Tried the barefoot hiking thing a couple of times last year, noticed a couple of things.
1.Once you take your shoes off you walk slower and significantly quieter.
Suddenly you are seeing (and able to sneak up on a lot more critters) than you normally ever see.
2.Even on normally deserted trails within 5-10 minutes of taking off your shoes you will encounter another hiker who will look at you funny and/or ask "why aren't you wearing shoes?"
:D
 
The one summer I went almost completely barefoot in my early 20's--I got a case of Plantars warts that took FOREVER to get rid of.

Haven't gone barefoot since and never anymore problems.
 
I dunno... I think shoes are one of the great advances when we came down from the trees.
 
I spent a while walking on hot driveway stones (I was staying over my cousins for the summer) and it really toughenned my feet....
we used to race across them and stuff too and that was pretty fun.
:D
you can really move faster and quieter...

one time when my dad was cleaning out my basment and had garbage piled up in front of the door and I was running in and out of the house to fill my water gun (i remember it very distinctly)
I stepped on something in the garbage and didn't even know it until I looked down and saw my kitchen floor covered in bloody footprints (it was pretty freaky)...
yeah... but my feet are pretty tough, althought whenever I run barefoot it feels like the soles of my feet are going to just rip off!
:D


...
anyways, I'd def try it... it's a good feeling.
 
I remember cleaning my boots one time and pulled out of the bottom of the sole a thorn that was over an inch long. :eek: Until then I did not know it was there, but I was glad to be wearing the boots whenever it did get in there.

I've cut my feet on glass before and it is no fun. If you are on the trail when that happens you are seriously disabled from walking any more. Shoes and boots have their advantages in my opinion.
 
this weekend i was running around the whole time barefoot...i noticed a little bothering sensation in the ball of my foot...upon closer inspection i saw nothing so moved on. it started bothering me again...this time i inspected more carefully and dug out a little spec of glass...but once out i had no problems.

i was also in the woods and started stepping on last years thorns...but you learn to walk light pretty quick when that happens...and i had no more problems. the nice thing about being barefoot is you really do know what you are walking on, and you can almost see with your feet, like how you can see with your hands in some ways. its really cool...i enjoy it alot.
 
I'm having a hard time reconciling the advantages of going barefoot with the risks of plantar warts and hookworm. In the past couple of days, I've been toughening up my feet on gravel and pavement, but don't think I'll be going barefoot otherwise anywhere that's not rocky or sandy. We'll see.

For people who want many of the advantages of barefoot but with some protection, try those "water shoes" people wear on beaches to protect from getting cut by shells.
 
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