PDA

View Full Version : Tyvek, the hiker



rainmaker
12-09-2006, 12:35
Has anyone seen a barefoot SOBO named Tyvek? He was hoping to make Georgia about now.

Lone Wolf
12-09-2006, 12:36
I don't think he came thru Damascus.

Ender
12-09-2006, 12:37
Is this the same as Tyvek Man from 1998? He was barefoot, from the NY area I believe.

Lone Wolf
12-09-2006, 12:37
same guy. yeah.

fiddlehead
12-09-2006, 12:57
Pretty cold to be out there barefoot now. the barefoot sisters knew that and did their winter hike with shoes.
I believe he came thru PA about a month ago. Probably either working on his feet somewhere or waiting for warmer weather.

Sleepy the Arab
12-09-2006, 18:12
I saw him at Upper Goose Pond in late July.

rainmaker
12-10-2006, 23:40
WE sorta figured Tyvek was not going to finish. We met him at a shelter just north of Elkton, Va. the first of October.He didn't appear to be enjoying himself. In fact told me he really didn't like this long distance hiking stuff, he was only doing this to raise public awareness of the need to fund and provide treatment to vets suffering from PTSD. He caught our attention. His feet looked really, really bad. He was also suffering from the "trots". Apparently he believed that Rocky Balboa stuff about drinking a dozen raw eggs and a quart of milk togather. Anyway, he was in pitiful shape. With all this said though, my hat is off to him if he did make it from Katahdin to SNP and he was certainly entertaining. He said my wife was a noisy damn woman and he's right. Of course she pointed out to him that it was already 7:00 AM and by his own statement, time to hit the trail.

cutman11
12-11-2006, 00:10
I spent the night at Eagle's Nest Shelter with Tyvek on 9/5. He really REAKED of garlic, but after you got to talk a while, was actually a pretty interesting guy. I got a couple photos of him in full "tyvek gear". He said he was scheduled to speak at a hearing at the US Congress a few weeks later, and was hoping to reach Harper's Ferry so he could take the train from their to DC. He does have a web site, WWW.Thelongwalkhome.org (http://www.Thelongwalkhome.org) for any interested in his hiking cause.

Chicken Feathers
01-02-2008, 21:39
I ran into him at Low Gap Shelter about the 24 of June. He stayed at the hostile at Neel's Gap and had his picture made I mean his feet it is going to be posted on the wall there. He finished 2-3 days later. MA-GA

Lugnut
01-03-2008, 00:44
Couple pictures of him at Kincora last May in my gallery. I heard he finished. Said he would start wearing shoes once he was done with the trail.

Monkeyboy
01-03-2008, 21:54
I saw him as he was coming down from Springer Mnt. going to the parking area north of the mountain. Had a Japanese film crew following him.

He definately finished.

Monkeyboy
01-03-2008, 21:55
It was about July 1st, 2006

Bob S
01-04-2008, 01:13
More power to anyone that wants to hike barefoot, I wouldn’t want to.

MyFeetHurt
01-15-2008, 09:56
Ha, I met Tyvek in VT. I was wondering if he would finish. His feet looked NASTY when I saw him, and I was convinced there was no way he was going to finish. Good to hear that he did!

JAK
01-15-2008, 10:47
I relearned to walk barefoot, in moderation.

I tried doing the Fundy Footpath in summer once without socks. I had these Nike things that were sort of half sandals half sneakers, worst of both worlds really. Anyhow as you might expect my feet got trashed and I was holding them together with duct-tape and after I crossed Little-Salmon River on the way back and let my feet dry it _finally_ occurred to me to walk barefoot for a few miles. The cool carpet of spruce needles was particularly soothing. I think the spruce gum did some good also. So I don't hike barefoot much, but I have relearned to do it now and then. When I was a kid I think I went one whole summer without shoes.

Shiraz-mataz
01-15-2008, 14:27
I hike barefoot about half the time and in sandals the other. It's a lot easier than one would think but it's not something for everyone. The AT is challenging with all the little rocks - especially when they're covered by leaves in the fall.

Green Bean
01-15-2008, 22:24
There was an article in the PATC newsletter :banana ~GB

Green Bean
01-15-2008, 22:26
There was an article in the PATC newsletter :banana ~GB woops the article talked about TYVEK

Strategic
01-16-2008, 13:14
I met Tyvek in 2006 in NY, just south of Orange Turnpike. Stopped and talked to him a bit on a log in the trail (where we met), but I was NOBO so we didn't have a long talk. He told me about the PTSD element and seemed really committed. His feet were like I imagine hobbit feet would be (at least, really dirty hobbit feet), all horny and thick-soled looking. He gave me his card before we parted (which has a tiny picture of him in his tyvek gear) and I still have it tucked away. Quite a character to meet, and one of the bolder hikers I've ever run across.

DLANOIE
07-04-2010, 16:50
I never met him, but I was following his footprints in the mud in Maine. He was always a few days ahead of me and hiking at a steady pace. I was doing about 15-18 miles per day. He swam across the Kennebeck River instead of taking Steves canoe across.

Glad to hear he made it.