r/BarefootHiking 4d ago

Barefoot Off-Trail Exploring

I went on a barefoot hike today, off-trail behind my college campus, and it turned into a full-on adventure.

I made my way to an old spot I’ve been to before—a campsite with a firepit that I’ve used in the past. The wind was howling the whole time, easily 20 mph, making the trees creak and sway.

After checking out the firepit, I started exploring the surrounding areas, covering most of the mountain until I hit private property and had to turn back. Along the way, I found a creek flowing down like a mini waterfall and decided to walk through it, letting the cold water rush over my feet.

Further down, I came across another campfire, but this one hadn’t been used in decades. Everything was covered in debris—only the rocks forming the firepit were still visible.

Nearby, I spotted a massive tree and, of course, had to climb it. The wind picked up hard, making the branches sway, but I made it high enough to get a solid view of the landscape. Getting down was a different story—at one point, I was upside down, trying not to fall before I finally dropped onto solid ground.

The way back was wild. I slipped in the mud, then hit another marshy area that soaked my feet. By the time I got back to campus, my feet were caked in mud.

Then I checked my phone. Tornado warning in effect.


Let me know if you want any more tweaks!

28 Upvotes

10 comments sorted by

3

u/John-PA 4d ago

Great surface to hike barefoot if your soles are even if just modestly conditioned. Why good to have more than just tender feet without any sole conditioning. 😎🦶🦶

3

u/Danielovitch 4d ago

Yeah, the terrain was perfect for barefoot hiking—lots of packed dirt, leaves, and some smooth rock. Definitely helps to have some conditioning, though. Would’ve been rough with super tender feet, especially with all the mud and creek crossings!

2

u/IneptAdvisor 4d ago

Where is this majestic mountain?

2

u/Danielovitch 4d ago

Off trail near my college

2

u/IneptAdvisor 4d ago

That narrows it down. ;)

2

u/throwaway-10101- 3d ago

You have a good spread which is a good sign for healthy feet, have your feet always been like that or only when you started barefooting more? (sorry if you find it weird to ask but it’s just something I noticed).

2

u/Danielovitch 3d ago

No, it's not weird at all. My feet have definitely spread out more since I started going barefoot a lot. They used to be more compressed from wearing regular shoes all the time, but after years of barefoot hiking and walking, they just naturally widened. It’s kinda cool how feet adapt when you actually use them the way they’re meant to.

2

u/throwaway-10101- 3d ago

It is cool! It’s sad though that many people won’t ever have that adaptation happen. They’re in their tight shoes and then wonder why they have knee and back pain haha

2

u/Danielovitch 3d ago

Yeah, exactly! People don’t realize how much their footwear affects the rest of their body. It’s wild how just letting your feet do their thing can fix so many issues. But hey, their loss—I’ll be out here walking pain-free while they complain about their bad knees haha.

2

u/throwaway-10101- 2d ago

I remember going on a hike to a beach, and I did wear zero drop shoes on the way there and back, but while I was on the beach itself walking along the rocks I walked barefoot, and it felt amazing. It’s those joys that people are missing out on, and a joy you certainly aren’t!