Anyone consider hiking barefoot?

[Dogtra]

During my first thru-hike attempt I was introduced to barefoot hiking for the first time... I hadn't even considered it before then. Still makes me smile whenever I remember my fellow hikers, and myself, trying to just walk around camp barefoot. It always ended in laughter and tenderfeet.

I've always loved being barefoot whenever possible but even then it was always limited to in and around the house. When hiking I tend to favor sandals because I enjoy them as multi-purpose footwear and they let my feet breathe. But I still think back and wonder what hiking would be like with feet conditioned for barefoot hiking. So over the last few weeks I've begun the long and arduous task of conditioning my feet for hiking. It is going to take a LONG time.

I've been walking/running on many different surfaces and I'm enjoying all the sensation I'm now getting from my regular outings that I wasn't getting before. Concrete, pavement, micro gravel, standard gravel, grass, dirt, mountain trails, creek beds, boulders, roots, etc. The trails and gravel paths are doing the most to toughen the bottom of my feet. But every type of surface is slowly strengthening the muscles and tendons in my feet, ankles, and calves. LOVE the soreness I'm getting in my calves because I know that they're only getting stronger for it. My Achilles tendons are definitely not up to where I'd like but they'll slowly come around. Learned the hard way what kind of damage hot pavement can do to bare feet. Blisters, oh my. Running from shady section, to white lines, to shady section just wasn't good enough. Lesson learned.

All in all I'm enjoying the experience and I'm getting stronger. Will it eventually lead to hiking long distance barefoot? Only time will tell.

Was curious if anyone else considered trying this before?

[fiddlehead]

My feet have been too good to me over the years to do that to them.
I'm hoping for another 10+ years out of them yet.

I do run on the beach most every day and have toughened up the skin on my feet.
But, to abuse my toes by kicking rocks, no thanks.

I lost a toenail last week in a marathon in Cambodia, that was bad enough.

[Sarcasm the elf]

I lost a toenail last week in a marathon in Cambodia.

Well there's something I've never heard anyone say before!

[Sarcasm the elf]

Every once in a while I will do a little barefoot hiking or running, either in the road or on the local trail next to my house. It's definitely fun but I don't know that I'd try it for a full or multi-day hike.

On a side note about hot pavement, walking barefoot did get me into the habit of using my hand to quickly test the temperature of concrete and asphalt in the summer before letting my dogs walk on it.

[rocketsocks]

I know we were brought into the world with no shoes on our feet, and will likely leave the same way...but not wearin' shoes I think would be a great start to trashing your feet and potentialy ending a hike.

[Josh D]

During my thdu-hike I played around with the idea of hiking barefoot. I would always walk around camp San shoes and in georiga and NC I would start some days barefoot for a couple miles but I was hiking with other people and the barefoot miles were much slower for me so eventually I stopped doing it. But it was fun and I think it can be good for.your feet if you do it very slowly and carefully.

I hiked the entire AT in a pair of teva sandals and folks would always ask me how many times a day I kicked rocks. But wearing footwear that made my feet more vulnerable just made me more aware of where I was stepping. Good foot placement is a much better way to prevent knee hip and foot injuries and falls than a pair of boots. On the whole AT i had one cut on my toe, zero blisters and no leg or foot injuries or pain. If you want to hike barefoot I say go for it and let us know how it goes!

[Tuckahoe]

Well there is the Barefoot Sister -- http://www.barefoothikers.org/barefoot-sisters.html
And well that website is for barefoot hikers -- http://www.barefoothikers.org/index.html

[Theosus]

I've barefoot hiked before. I would suggest toughening up the feet before trying it. I've done it before and it feels great, until you step on one of those little root nodules right under a leaf, or a pebble in the mud, or you do like I did and step on "the vine of a thousand spines" while crossing a log, and have what looks like a zipper down the length of your foot for a week.
But it's rewarding. It feels very strange, like being naked in target or something...

[fiddlehead]

Well there's something I've never heard anyone say before!

The AT is the gateway to the world.
There were 3,000 runners in the race.
It was held at Angkor Wat in Siem Reap.
sorry for the thread drift. I didn't see any barefoot runners there (although did meet the barefoot sisters on their 1st hike)

[Offshore]

I know we were brought into the world with no shoes on our feet, and will likely leave the same way...but not wearin' shoes I think would be a great start to trashing your feet and potentially ending a hike.

+1
Great way to cut your foot and infect it in one step (so to speak).

[joshuasdad]

During my final section hikes of the AT in the Whites, my left trailrunner was almost completely blown out, and my backup water shoe was damaged. Barefoot hiking over the Kinsmans was a possibility, but I think I would have tried two wool socks (+ possibly a microspike) first.

[rocketsocks]

+1
Great way to cut your foot and infect it in one step (so to speak).

I should add I haven't barefooted since I was a teenager...stepped on a pop top and laid my foot open between the toes. So I'm a little leery of the whole idea, but get why one would want to...whatever gets ya there.

...I know that thought just made some of you cringe, still does me too. Sorry bout that, had to be said.

[rafe]

Barefoot Sisters did it most of the way on their SOBO journey, though they donned footwear in snow and ice. And even then, one of them had foot problems as a result and had to drop out for several weeks.

I did a couple miles of AT barefoot, along the river walk in Baxter Park. It was smooth, dense mud and actually felt pretty good. But for most of the AT.... no way!! Not for me, anyway.

[OCDave]

I recently acquired a pair of Luna Oso sandals. I wear them constantly. I have hiked some pretty rugged terrain with them but, not with a pack. As these sandals offer the same benefit of hiking barefoot with less risk I see no reason ever to put my feet at risk. I am not sure I'd use them with a pack. My take is that you would need to have a very, very light pack to go barefoot or even with minimalist sandals. I'm not in that neighborhood.

[Old_Man]

I know that there is a lot of debate about the merits of minimalist shoes--but if you are considering walking barefoot, why not just get a pair of light shoes like the Merrell Trail Glove or something with 0mm drop and minimal cushioning. That way, you could at least protect your feet while still getting the benefits of minimalism. I screwed up my knees from years of poor running form. When I tried to hike on the AT the first time, the hiking down-hill part was hobbling me hard core. That's how I got my trail name Old Man. It felt like there was a huge amount of pressure under my knee cap.

So I stopped jogging for a few years and focused on swimming and biking and hiking. Short-story long, I finally decided to get back into running to condition myself for the trail (plus, not gonna lie, nothing like runner's high). This was right around the time that Vibram was gaining popularity. I'd tried doing barefoot trail running a few times but I just couldn't get comfortable with the idea. I wanted SOME kind of protection for my feet because I use them everyday and they're pretty damn important.

So I bought myself a pair of Merrell Flux gloves and started running again, verry slowly at first, in combination with a lot of swimming, biking, and knee exercises (squats, etc). All of my knee problems are gone--I just recently did my first three mile jog in about 5 years.

Needless to say--I understand the attraction to going minimalist/barefoot.

But--

Most of my experience with minimalist footwear has been with jogging. I did one twenty mile backpacking trip through hilly north Florida sand country in my flux gloves carrying about 30lbs and my feet were fine--no blisters, minimal soreness. The only downside was they were filthy because I wasn't wearing socks.

But I'd always wondered about carrying a heavy pack with shoes that didn't support your ankles--especially in rocky areas. Maybe if there was no pack--but with all that extra weight...

I don't know, maybe some with more experience can shed some light on this.

[Del Q]

I am concerned going through the Smokies in trail runners, at age 55, 210 lbs + 30 lb pack ............could not imagine going barefooot + how many miles could you do per day. That would get really frustrating.

[Shutterbug]

During my first thru-hike attempt I was introduced to barefoot hiking for the first time... I hadn't even considered it before then. Still makes me smile whenever I remember my fellow hikers, and myself, trying to just walk around camp barefoot. It always ended in laughter and tenderfeet.

I've always loved being barefoot whenever possible but even then it was always limited to in and around the house. When hiking I tend to favor sandals because I enjoy them as multi-purpose footwear and they let my feet breathe. But I still think back and wonder what hiking would be like with feet conditioned for barefoot hiking. So over the last few weeks I've begun the long and arduous task of conditioning my feet for hiking. It is going to take a LONG time.

I've been walking/running on many different surfaces and I'm enjoying all the sensation I'm now getting from my regular outings that I wasn't getting before. Concrete, pavement, micro gravel, standard gravel, grass, dirt, mountain trails, creek beds, boulders, roots, etc. The trails and gravel paths are doing the most to toughen the bottom of my feet. But every type of surface is slowly strengthening the muscles and tendons in my feet, ankles, and calves. LOVE the soreness I'm getting in my calves because I know that they're only getting stronger for it. My Achilles tendons are definitely not up to where I'd like but they'll slowly come around. Learned the hard way what kind of damage hot pavement can do to bare feet. Blisters, oh my. Running from shady section, to white lines, to shady section just wasn't good enough. Lesson learned.

All in all I'm enjoying the experience and I'm getting stronger. Will it eventually lead to hiking long distance barefoot? Only time will tell.

Was curious if anyone else considered trying this before?

I hike I Vibram FiveFingers exclusively. That isn't exactly barefoot, but it is close. Most people focus on the toes, but the biggest difference is not having a built-up heel. Back when I wore boots, my feet hurt constantly. My doctor said it was "bone spurs." When I switched to the FiveFinger shoes, all of the pain has gone away.

The biggest problem in hiking with FiveFinger shoes is when I stub a toe on a rock. There is a little protection over the toe nail, but not much on the sides of the toes.

[Berserker]

I have considered it. I started by trying to do short walks on local trails. The thing that kept happening is that I'd get small cuts, abrasions and sharp things stuck in my feet. So I got a pair of the Vibram Five Fingers, and started using those regulary. I then wore them a few times carrying a pack, and decided that I just don't think it's gonna work for me. I like that extra support and cushion of a trail runner. Plus, getting that thick skin built up on soles to protect from the cuts, abrasions and so forth probably takes a considerable amount of time (i.e. years). I still day hike in the Five Fingers though, and really enjoy it.

[swisscross]

hmmm.. hike barefoot and carry a pair of shoes to get out of the woods after you trash your feet or
wear a pair of shoes and go barefoot around camp.
I hate carrying more than I need.

[LittleRock]

A few years ago, I encountered a guy who hiked from Dick's Creek Gap, GA to Fontana Dam, NC (~100 miles) barefoot. His trail name was "Mantis" because he looked like one with all the hopping around he was doing to avoid rocks. He was with his brother who was carrying their food, and his pack only weighed like 25 lbs. He said he had run a marathon barefoot and done several barefoot day hikes in order to prepare for their trip.

When I saw him on their last night on the trail, his feet looked badly cut up and blistered, and he was in obvious pain when I saw him walking around. The next morning, he put his shoes on and walked the last 12 or so miles to Fontana in them.