Going barefoot in cold weather (down to freezing). People are going to gawk if I go barefoot in hot weather; they may as well gawk if I go barefoot when it's 30 or 20 (Fahrenheit) or 10 outside. (Mom always said: "Wear a jacket!" She was right!) It's the same great intensity from walking on burning blacktop. Always be careful, of course. Go barefoot for pleasure, not destruction! Any other coldfooters out there????
Less gawking when it is cold - I think people think I am letting my boots dry out! (LOL ... or I am so crazy they should keep their distance). You can coldfoot further if your body is kept warm. Mom was right about the coat! The worst thing you can do is step in freezing water - it greatly diminishes your tolerance. Pain usually ensues in a couple of minutes unless you can walk on a dry surface. Nuspieds is right - do it for fun - don't overdue it. If you have pain for more than a couple of minutes - I would stop and warm up your feet. Frostbite is dangerous. With training, I am able to walk a half a mile on dry surfaces with the temperature below freezing. Same great feeling as when it is warm.
I can walk on cold ground, as long as i keep on moving, and i can walk on rough ground, but i find it very painfull to walk on cold, rough ground. Cold seems to sensitize my feet to the stones and gravel we get up here. Anyone else find that?
I also have the hardest time walking barefoot over rocks when it is icy/snowy. Chat, rocks, shredded wood are no problem in the summer but really slows me down in the winter. The other part about walking around outside in the winter without shoes is you seem to get no traction on icy patches(which really hurts to find out btw). And definatly have a way to warm up your feet quickly if you go out barefoot, don't wanna freeze your lil toes off.
I walk on dry gravel, rock and dirt roads without any problems to about 0 degrees F. I have really thick soles but suspect both of you do. However, I am barefoot on gravel almost every day - maybe that makes a difference.
Cold and dry isn't too bad for me - my soles seem to toughen up more on the cold surfaces. But as soon as it gets cold and WET, that's when my tolerance levels fall drastically and every tiny little stone feels like a boulder!
I managed to stay bf at the reserve today, in spite of the cold wet stones and gravel. (they don't do any damage, just give pain). I still enjoyed it, in a masochistic kind of way. No one commented, they are used to my "eccentricity"!
I have been barefoot for about 4 years. I live in snow country. I love coldfooting, especially in snow. I started snowfooting when I was a kid and have done it for many years. I work at home so I am barefoot 24/7/365. I live in a rural area; the next closest house is 1/4 mile away so I have plenty of privacy and plenty of open space and wooded areas to wander around. Since I been walking barefoot in snow for a while, I know how to do it safely and smartly. As already stated, the best way to enjoy coldfooting is to dress warmly. A winter HAT is the most important. Several layers of upper body clothing is also very smart. Covering the lower body is not so vital and shorts or rolled up pant legs make walking in snow more pleasurable. Be aware of the air temperature. Temps above freezing are ideal, temps below freezing can be dangerous after only 1 or 2 minutes. Cold winds can be dangerous as the wind will reduce the ability of your feet to maintain comfortable warmth. Obviously, icy cold water is also dangerous and can rapdily speed the onset of frost damage. Hard frozen ground can be a dangerous hazard when coldfooting. Frozen obstacles do not give way and can be rather jarring and injurious to your feet. The same ground you cover when the ground is not frozen can become uncomfortable and painful when frozen. Hard, crusted snow such as after a rain or a sunny day is very abrasive to the skin. It can result in bloody toes and especially bloody ankles and legs. Deep snow can be fun for a few minutes, but does not allow your feet to re-warm with each step. The best snow for snowfooting is newly-falled snow. For one, the temperature of newly falled snow is relatively warm compared to snow that has been on the ground for some time and gotten colder and more compact. Newly falled snow is probably 50 percent air - light and fluffy and easy to walk in. Also, the air temperature during a snowfall is warmer than it might be at other times. Obviously, blizzard type conditions are the exception and require extreme caution. With any kind of coldfooting, do not dismiss the signs of pain in your toes or feet. That pain signals possible frost nip and eventual frost bite. Get your feet warmed up quickly to avoid damage. The pain may also indicate a minor injury that your semi-numb toes and feet did not detect immediately, like contact with a sharp rock or stick. Coldfooting and snowfooting requires time to train your feet. Multiple short trips into the cold with rewarming times between done in one day can be very enjoyable. On the right days with the right weather conditions coldfooting and snowfooting are safe pursuits for up to 2 or 3 hours. So far this year, I have been able to walk in snow for only about 6 days, but I look forward to a long winter with many opportunities for snowfooting. Today, it started to snow about an hour before I was planning to leave the house by car. No wind and the air temp was well above freezing. These were ideal conditions and I did not want to lose this opportunity. So, I took a hot shower and did some minor warm-up exercises, put on a winter hat and gloves, and then went outside to enjoy the snow. I cleaned the snow off of the car, swept the snow off my porch, picked up a few fallen tree brances, and walked around outside. My total time outside in the snow today was more than 20 minutes. I did take one small warm-up break of about one minute inside the house. After a while, my toes started to tell me it was time to go back inside, so I did. Once back inside, I warmed myself back up by taking another shower in moderately warm water with the tub drain closed. The closed drain allows the cool water to accumulate and warm up my feet slowly. Within a minute or two of exiting the shower, my toes were back to normal. I warmed myself up and got ready for my trip into town by car - barefoot, of course. It was a great experience and once I look forward to enjoying again very soon -- hopefully tomorrow.
still barefootin, mind you we haven't had any proper cold snaps yet here in London. They're used to my bare feet on the school run and at college, don't get any shit for it even if they probably think I'm odd, what the fuck, we all have good bit of banter over it. Only time I properly cold footed was by accident, stepped out for a smoke with at least 2 inches of snow and locked myself out. Kids were asleep, mobile was inside, partner was away...had to sheepishly call my mum from the neighbours to get the spare key... Did I get some shit for that or what, barefoot in snow was the least of anyone's worries! Luckily no-one came to any harm
I do love to go barefoot... and I do during the warmer weather, but when it gets below like below 50 I have to wear something on my feet - it just isn't pleasurable for me to be barefoot when the ground that's cold. However I usually never wear socks and slip off my shoes once I'm inside. I need to live some place where it's warm year round!
Lots of opportunity to do so. The main thing that keeps folks where they are is fear; kind of like wearing shoes all of the time...
