Posted by zog
on September 14, 2009, 1:14 am, in reply to "Re: Older vehicles"
I did that once. Mostly I am a boot guy, rubber boots around the farm year round, various weight leather boots for going into town depending on season. But one summer back in me 20s I went all barefoot, all the time and yes, your feet toughen up considerable. I got to the point I could woods run over granite boulders and through pine forests on hard green cones, etc. I went through the fall but winter was out, next spring, didn't bother with it again, back to boots. You just can't barefoot it in new england winters. Maybe someone can, but I sure can't, put it that way. I think they would have to chop your feet off after frostbite. Heck, it can get cold enough even with good insulated boots. I wound up getting army surplus bunny boots, and I still have them and they stil look almost new. I got them used in...geezzz..don't recall, I believe 71 or 2 around there, used them for years. Hardly ever get to wear them now but could very well be my oldest "regular" possession now thinking about it, aside from personal old records and pics and mementos.
The first month barefoot was *painful*. After that though it wasn't too bad.
You get similar toughen it up routines from any martial arts guy you study from, for hands, various striking surfaces, etc. More or less careful and extensive abuse, this side of damage, but way over to the "you know you've been doing it" stage.
I just prefer foot cover for several reasons, mostly hygienic (see: farm, parasites, bacteria, viruses whatever) and protection (rusty barbed wire scraps,busted glass from 200 years of people just tossing the stuff at random, old machinery coming out of the ground, (I call that archaeological ruins, of which we have bunches here, great sport digging it out to see what it is. We are also on a civil war battlefield but all that stuff has been long picked, except for a few old bottles I found when first doing the garden here), various forms of pickers and thorns (I don't care how tuff yore feets are, multiflora rose thorns will nail ya), rather annoying and nasty snakes of the "keep away" brand, etc.
Serious competitive runners now are getting away from expensive padded footwear and going back to either barefoot or just thin almost slippers. Was reading about that some time a few months ago, they actually get faster from being able to use their toes, and they get even better balance and stability and a more natural stride. Joe Nike is not amused though....
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