An 11 year barefooter struggling with a ground. Rare. Calling other barefooters for help.

So, I've been barefoot for 11 years. I can walk on hot grounds and know how to manage when it is too hot--alternate from the heel to the part right under your toes, and in training, the sides of the foot on the outer part. And on the very rare side, give in and where flip flops to cross the fire ground I need to cross, always determined to condition my feet as much as I can. I'm thinking of the burning sand where I have no place for a safety net, along with the boardwalk when I have no shadows, as that is where it has happened.
I can walk in snow. Like fluffy clouds of ice.
I have hiked barefoot.
When I tried to hike in the Amazon, I did cave and where hiking boots due to thrones, fire ants, giant roots, and grasping trees with thorns to catch myself. And with a heavy pack, it just doesn't go well. But I do love hiking barefoot aside from the Amazon. Ok, I put boots on to climb a mountain. But I threw those things off when I got to the top.
These recent hikes with boots has been all within less than a month. I recognize my limits and safety. Speaking of safety, if I ever were to play in the snow for passed 30 mins where I could no longer see my ankles, snow boots go on. Because I am not immune to frostbite.

NOW
I'm in Jamaica. These roads are unpaved with LOTS of rocks. Tiny ones that poke constantly with no relief. It is so rare for a ground to make my callouses throb the way they are. And to put flip flops towards the end after walking on it for hours. I have a Jamaican showing me to walk where the cars drive over because that is the smoothest, which is quite a difference. But the backroads aren't well traveled and dear lawd. I've never experienced the pain these grounds are giving. I mentioned hiking barefoot. That did include rocks. I've walked through rivers with rocks. Uncomfortable. But tolerable. This is a whole new level making my callouses sensitive to just walking in general.
I'm here for a couple-some of months and I need to walk those roads to get everywhere. Granted the heat gives me some concern as I noticed it heating up passed noon. But I have tolerance and tactics for that. But this. It's been 11 years, and this has to be the biggest challenges I have ever been faced with.

Barefooters out there, walking on tiny rocks unpaved roads that constantly poke you, how long did it take to condition your feet for this and and tactics to deal with this?

 

*excuse my dyslexic errors. like where should be wear.
and the hikes in the Amazon to the mountain was less than a year. not a month.

Sigh. Things just flip around on me.

 

The sad reality is that there are materials and conditions out there that can and will defeat a naked foot. Railroad gravel/track ballast, as many people here would call it, is one such material. Being granite, it's simply so hard and inflexible, it can easily even injure flesh, and put painful pressure directly to your foot bones, if you step on some of the more pointier rocks.

Ask yourself, is it really necessary to walk directly on something that can quite obviously damage you? Could you maybe find an easier path, like walking on the shoulders of the road instead? Especially, if the shoulder grows some nice grass, or is sand instead.

However, if this is not an option, you have maybe two choices: Keep training your feet until the skin on your soles achieves the required thickness (could take a long time), or give up and wear shoes. There's actually no shame in it, if doing so means avoiding a show stopping injury. Protect your feet to barefoot another day, and you have already mentioned examples of this. Risk vs. reward, my friend.

I've been barefoot myself since 2007. First summers only, then a transition to winter walking from 2011 onwards, and I can tell you that I'm still not used to railroad ballast precisely because, as a material, it's so hard and inflexible and because the individual rocks have so many sharp and pointy edges. The stuff is legitimately evil. On snow in -10 Celsius (14 Fah)? No problem. But railroad gravel? Yikes. And not helped at all by the fact that I'm currently a good 254 lbs in weight. I simply cannot avoid feeling it in my foot bones.

So put on as little weight as possible, and keep training, until your soles are of sufficient thickness. That's really all I can think of.

 

Oh, I jump side to side when sand and grass is available, that's for sure. If I could, that's all I would walk on. But those areas don't last long. It's all the only roads I can take.
Of course, never any shame towards myself, and I have no problem being with people and admitting defeat when I reach my limit.

Ah, the cold. I never liked going below 27F/-2.7C. Once got stuck trying to get to a train station as the temperature was dropping to 24F/-4.4C.
I was facepalming to myself as a homeless guy offered me socks. Another guy offered socks off his feet. And another once I got to the station.

You wiggle your toes too to keep the blood flow and warmth going? I like bend my legs to the side to feel a good rush of blood while doing that.
Maybe I'll get to your tolerance if I was around the cold enough.

But I digress, hearing another longtime barefooter call those damn rocks legitimately evil gives a sense of at least I'm not alone here.
I'll buy the flip flops and switch them on and off.
I'd rather just be able to conquer it straight up. But I suppose I can do it till I hit my limit and then put the shoes on. Also just have them on in general's sake at times so I don't need to hop scotch around the road while I attempt to condition my feet.

 

Haha, oh wow.

I just try to keep moving. Standing still forces your feet to suffer a sustained exposure from the cold beneath, which drains body heat faster, whereas moving around allows your feet to have those short bursts, where they're not touching the icy ground. Staying in motion also stimulates your circulation. I would also like to point out, that when I do negative double digit temperatures, I do observe safety rules, and I do have a definite safety cut-off for this. On a cold day, say -5 to -15 C (23 to 5 Fah), I only stay outside for no more than 10 minutes in my bare feet. And I only do so in the safety of my home yard, or in some other safe area where I have 1st made sure, that I have an escape route, a way out, if things begin to get a bit too much for my feet. And they will. You'll know it when the pain hits. Always remember: You can't defeat the laws of physics. It's OK to push your limits and challenge your body, but the ultimate breaking point will always be there. If you go too far and wreck your feet, you might not barefoot ever again after that. Because injuries that require amputation are a thing.

So on winter days I still always boot up, if I leave the house to go someplace where I don't control the environment. And if it gets to -20 C (-4 Fah), I either don't leave the house at all, or I dress up appropriately. Risk vs. reward, same as sex. A lot of people would also like to raw dog their partners every time, but we both know it's not always smart.

Hey, bro, I hope you get your tolerances up.

 

I have found that keeping my core warm and moving around in every cold temperature I can stay outside longer. When it’s in the negative temperatures. I love using my snowblower and being barefoot in the winter I do have some people ask me if I’m ok or if I need money for shoes or boots. I just tell no I’m good I always remove snow in my bare feet and I mow my lawn barefoot to they just smile and shake their head and drive off .

 

I walk on gravel everyday and feeling pretty comfy now.

 

I'm wanting to hike the Superior Hiking trail barefoot so I walk on the nastiest gravel.

310 miles in a month is doable.