I treat myself to a few spectacular mud walks every year. I have two large county parks near home, both the size of soccer fields, and they are completely unlit and unattended at night (odd for neighborhood playing fields, as who knows what evil might be lurking out there in the dark). Consequently, they become my own private "barefoot parks" like in Germany, where there are so many different surfaces and elements to walk on. The grass is deep, and the pockets of mud deep and rich, some fortified with sand for playing, others just natural (and mindbending) dirt---thick "schlucky" mud! The rain fell heavily and oft today, so barefooting conditions were prime (and primal!). Going barefoot after a good rain is always a treat. I rolled up my jeans and had at it. All alone, quiet, unbothered, just about untethered, and totally barefoot in the mud and grass for a good 20 minutes, just walking on, over, through, and criss-crossing. Over the ankles, between the toes, across the soles, under the heels, etc. The ground was cool, cold, and completely barefoot-loving! Thank you, Mother Nature, wherever you are!
Bare feet and mud - perfect. A bit hard on my crutches, but still possible! Mud under the toes - great. Mud inside my cast - not so great
I like getting my feet muddy, and as i do voluntary work at a nature reserve, i get plenty of opportunity!
Mud is part of it all. The best long-distance treks I do include a wide variety of surfaces, mud included. Nothing like slogging through a field of ankle-deep mud, hopping across fields of sun heated boulders to let it all dry and then coming to a beach and using the sand and seawater to scrub it all off again.
Okay, okay, some folks apparently enjoy mud. It's just not my thing. A bit of unavoidable floor soil or backyard dirt/grass stain is about it for me. Any more than that and I'd break out the hose and a scrub-brush!!
