When was the last time you felt mud ooze between your
toes? Richard Frazine in The Barefoot Hiker encourages readers to
free their feet as well as their minds. No joke: Frazine, who lives
in Connecticut, has been hiking unshod for over 20 years even
through sleet and snow. He recommends a woodland trail for a
barefoot debut; to avoid cuts and bruises, he advises stepping
straight down without any heel-to-toe motion. Frazine includes tips
for hiking in snow, dealing with thorns and tells you what to wear
and carry above your naked feet. And don’t worry about getting
ugly, callused feet: Going barefoot cleans and polishes them. Going
barefoot in the forest is “almost mystical,” says Frazine. “It is
also an experience that brings into question our entire
relationship with nature in a way that disturbs and challenges our
ideas about ourselves as civilized beings.”
Ten
Speed Press, Box 7123, Berkeley, CA 94707 (800/841-2665). $7.95
softcover, 98 pages – Sara
Phillips
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline Soul in your soles.
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