do you notice that it seems to be easier to go barefoot when ya can't see whats on the ground? maybe it's just me..
It's me, too! I like it very much, it's a great pleasure. The feet should be experienced and tough to enjoy it fully (your's are, too).
I have also noticed that too. Nighttime barefooting is better for me especially during the summer months when the daytime tempatures are around 100 degrees. Even better after it has rained. As a teen when living up in Ohio I would often go barefoot outside once evening came. My guess is that the darkness would somehow make it less noticable that I was barefoot.
It's the other way around for me, Boogabah -- the more clearly I can see what's beneath my feet, the happier I am putting them down. But then, compared to you, I'm picky about where I go barefooting. Mainly, I stick to parks, and other places where sidewalks are likely to have been swept clean. (By the way, before anyone asks, Boogabah and I are two completely different people. There's been confusion in the past.)
I don't know about "easier," but it certainly heightens the sensory awareness aspect of it. I do notice that when I can't see the ground, I hesitate slightly before putting my full weight down. Once I stepped on a thumbtack while walking barefoot in the dark, but because I was waiting slightly to make sure the ground below felt safe before I put my entire weight down (this happens naturally after one goes barefoot for awhile), all that happened was that the tack got stuck in the callus pad on my heel and didn't even draw blood. It barely even broke skin, just enough to hang there for me to pick it out more easily. So I just plucked it out, dropped it in the next trash can I saw and kept on truckin'. Walking barefoot in the dark is all about feeling your way as you go.
Hmm... Never really gave it much thought, but I do enjoy the cool of the evening, especially on the beach...
i just cant grasp this. i used to think that the first rule is "watch your step" and the worst accidents happen when walking blind: broken bottle bottoms waiting for your sole underwater. sharp wood stocks hidden in the grass right in the point where you're about to jump to trespass the ditch. sharp stones who injure your plantar arch in the totally dark alley where your friends want to pass for no apparent reason. seriously, what did you mean?
Around where I live -and where it's likely to be just a little glass etc on the streets- I really enjoy the summer & fall evenings and it's ok not to see the ground. For most of the time though, I'd like to see at least a glimpse of the ground. I don't feel comfortable walking bf in large crowds or along a forest track tagging on just one or two steps after other people. Then I must adjust pace to others, my 'planning' gets spoiled and I'll focus too much on checking whats just in front of me. Maybe I'm not tough enough. Really, when staying outdoors whole day during summer or vacation, I don't care to much where I put my feet, but want it to be reasonable safe. Only time i cut myself was 10yrs ago when I stepped on a cut metal pipe. Yes, some idiot had cut the signpost with a blow-torch and just left the anchored part hidden in the grass.
On far most paths, trails and roads I don't really care, since I pretty much trust my feet and rarely if ever change my step, day or night. However I don't like walking in the darkness in unknown places off the path or off-trail in the woods regardless of what I am wearing; until my eyes adjust to the low light, I get very clumsy and afraid to trip rather than step on something. When you miss a step down off something, or step into a hole or encounter a large branch, you'll trip regardless of whether you're wearing boots, shoes or are barefoot, and that concerns me more than the things I might step *on*. Except for the rare places where there might be *lots* of nasty litter like bottle bottoms, like an inner-city street with lots of bars on both sides, but I'm not a bar-hopper and the few times I go into a city late at night I stay in well-lit areas for other reasons. Again, it's not primarily my feet I'd be worried about if I for some reason found myself in a pitch-dark, garbage covered alley!
Indeed, the depiction of an experienced barefooter. This is down-to-earth, really. For people with tough, experienced feet it's accurately described, I think. Tough bare feet are made for walking. I trust mine, too, and so I enjoy barefooting very much.
I like barefooting after dark on familiar territory. I've noticed it's often possible to follow a country path by "feel", even when you can't see it. The trick is to relax and let your feet lead the way.
I prefer to go barefoot at night. The streets and sidewalks tend to be pretty well lit, so it's not like I'm trying to survive an obstacle course. Also, it seems after a long day of being in uncomfortable shoes, people in general are more comfortable going unshod in the evening. In the end it doesn't matter if it's day or night, odds are I'm probably going to step on something that everyone else managed to avoid. Hence dog poop and a heated lamp that was built in the ground.
