Three cheers for subway platforms

Last night I took the train into the city to meet up with some friends. I removed my sandals before departing from the train. Once I got off the train, I strolled around the platform barefoot. Within minutes of strolling barefoot at the station, my soles were jet black. Needless to say, I was in no rush to exit the station at that point, so I strolled around read the various signs and even sat on a bench and read part of the newspaper. After five minutes or so, I decided it was time to head to one of my favorite wathering holes. The ten minute walk did wonders for my soles, as they got even darker from the journey. After leaving the bar, I headed for the subway. Once there, I strolled around the station again for a few minutes before catching the train. On the way home it donned on me that a friend was working at one of the other establishments, so I got off the train at the next stop and made the twenty-five minute walk barefoot. Upon arrival, I took a quick peek at my soles and was thrilled to see that they were still back n black.

Years ago I bought a book called The Barefoot Hiker by Richard Franzine. In the book the author covers walking barefoot on various serfices. He also points out that ones soles should never appear soiled or stained. For someone who is such a hardcore barefooter as Franzine is, I don't know how he could say that. I've said it before and I'll say it again-I'm disappointed if I don't have evidence on my soles of a day or evening of barefooting.

Such was the case on Saturday night. Once again I found myself in the city and despite walking barefoot on various sidewalks and what have you, my soles still looked like I had just stepped out of the shower. During the course of that evening, I saw several women barefoot by the waterfront and they seemed to enjoy much more success then I did. Oh well, I guess it just wasn't ment to be.

 

I really don't think that the blackness of your soles is what qualifies your success as a barefooter. The environment dictates this, as you duly noted at the end of your post.

During our recent trip to Hong Kong, I walked everywhere barefoot, including the metro. Even after a very full day, my feet were not black. I can walk everywhere for a week on our island and my feet would still be perfectly clean.

A barefooter is not determined by the blackness of their soles, but rather by their ability to bare their souls.

 

Personally I don't care for black soles. I don't like the look.

Congrats on your subway adventure!

 

Black soles just say that you're more of an urban barefooter on dry ground. People out in the country or who go on barefoot hikes might not get black soles as easily as urban barefooters do. So you really can't measure your trueness as a "barefooter" by the color of your soles. It's possible, especially on a day when it's just rained or snowed, that your soles don't get very dirty at all even though you've been barefoot all day. So I concur that black soles don't necessarily indicate a true barefooter...just a true urban barefooter, maybe.

 

just because he is an "urban" barefooter who likes black soles doesn't make him any less of a barefooter than country barefooters who don't get black soles.

he goes/went barefoot, thus in my opinion, he IS a barefooter regardless of where

 

Exactly!

 

Silly me...I knew what I was talking about but said something completely different!

What I meant was that having black soles from going barefoot is a sufficient, but not necessary, condition for being considered a true barefooter. If you don't mind, please disregard my nonsensical statements to the contrary in my last post here.

So yeah, he is a true barefooter. The point I tried (and failed) to make is: so are those who have brown soles from mud, clean soles after walking through wet ground or hiking on a good trail, etc.

 

Actually a true barefooter's soles tend to pick up less dirt than someone who just goes barefoot occasionally. It's fun to see other people's soles black, but personally I don't like stepping in a lot of grease. I go barefoot mainly because it is more hygenic than wearing shoes, so deliberately trying to get my soles black is kind of antithetical for me.

 

Yeah...I guess it just depends on a lot of things. That's awesome, though, that it's cleaner to go barefoot. But I wonder what it means for someone who has really black soles...would their shoe soles have been even blacker if they were wearing shoes?

 

Soles of bare feet get dirty faster and more intensely when the skin is moist and soft, such as those of a shoe-wearer going barefoot occasionally. True barefooters have soles that are thicker, harder, and drier so they don't get dirty that easily. Their soles are much like moccasins. The dirt doesn't stick. The soles of shoes are even harder and drier so they don't get very dirty either.

 

Sweet dream is right, i find it is quite difficult to get black soles. Even when i do, such as in train or subway stations, they seem to self clean quite quickly when i go outside, especially if i walk on some grass. Better than soap and water! I'm in London tomorrow, so my soles will be clean/black/clean/black...etc.