Isis and Jackrabbit (Susan and Lucy Letcher) are two ladies who hiked the Appalachian trail barefoot. More than 2000 miles and during 15 months. You can download an interesting MP3 interview here: www.trailcast.org/programs/16 More information on them here: http://www.barefoothikers.org/barefoot-sisters.html http://your4state.com/content/fulltext/?cid=74791 http://www.herald-mail.co...d=228195&format=html Their books in Amazon: Barefoot Sisters: Southbound (Paperback) http://www.amazon.com/Barefoot-Sisters-Southbound-Lucy-Letcher/dp/0811735303/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_b"]http://www.amazon.com/Bar...5303/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_b Barefoot Sisters Walking Home (Paperback) http://www.amazon.com/Barefoot-Sisters-Walking-Home-Letcher/dp/081173529X/ref=pd_sim_b_2"]http://www.amazon.com/Bar...81173529X/ref=pd_sim_b_2 And a couple videos here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RD7-e7q_al4"]YouTube- Barefoot Sisters Book Signing at ATC HQ 041 http://your4state.com/content/video/?cid=74791 Some excerpts: Reported by: Jamie Burke Tuesday, Aug 4, 2009 @07:42pm EDT HARPERS FERRY, WV - It's nothing new for people to travel the entire length of the Appalachian Trail, but two sister from Maine are doing it a little differently. One day in the late spring of 2000, the sisters set out to hike the entire 2,175 miles of the Appalachian Trail barefoot. It took Lucy and Susan Letcher 15 months to complete their trip. *** At the ages of twenty-five and twenty-one, Lucy and Susan Letcher set out to accomplish what thousands of people attempt each year: through-hike the entire 2,175 miles of the Appalachian Trail. The difference between them and the others? They decided to hike the trail barefoot. *** WHAT Did The Barefoot Sisters Do? Over 1000 miles in each direction, hiking the Appalachian Trail takes one over mountains, through valleys, past towns, and through untouched wilderness. The hike takes months and weather conditions can vary from snow to sweletering summer heat along the course. Not only did Isis and Jackrabbit make this incredible trek, but, unlike most of there fellow AT hikers, Isis and Jackrabbit did most of it free of footwear--that's right--BAREFOOT! This somewhat unheard of choice of gear has gotten the sisters much attention during their hike, from others hikers and the press. Most people can't imagine the feet being able to handle such a journey unprotected. Of course, we can! *** On toughened soles: A few weeks into the hike, the ladies could "run on gravel" without a problem. Also a few weeks into the hike, it took almost an hour wandering around a campsite before the ladies even realized that the ground was "covered in broken glass." Again, not a problem for them. On cold weather: While they did sometimes wear shoes in the snow, "7 or 8 miles" in snow that didn't come over the tops of their feet was tolerable. I also found it interesting that they were sometimes forced into shoes by ICY conditions, not because it was too cold, but rather "too slippery." On shoes: Susan notes that, despite the rugged terrain, her feet really didn't hurt "Until [she] put shoes on." *** “The rough-barked roots, mud, and soft spruce needles felt good underfoot, but sharp rocks and sticks seemed to lurk in unexpected places....Unless I get better at this barefoot thing, I thought, I’m going to see every rock and tree root between here and Georgia,” Susan wrote. The trail soon toughened the bottoms of their feet. It was easy going through Maine, Lucy said, and by the time the sisters reached Pennsylvania, their feet had become “pretty thick” to meet the “little sharp rocks” that marked the trail in the Keystone State.
I met one of them on the barefoot hike, one of these links. "Jackrabbit" was extremely friendly, real-world, unpretentious, and looking ahead to graduate studies in forestry. Yes, she was barefoot on the hike, but so unimportant was that that the topic just never arose. How 'bout that? A "celebrity" who just doesn't care about why. Just doin' it.
