Tough, calloused and dirty soles - THE symbol of "our tribe"!

I'm just back from a one-month trip to Rajasthan, the "Desert State" in Northwest-India: Exploring some of the most amazing forts I've ever seen (including Jaisalmere, Indias only LIVING fort, and Bikaner), visiting forgotten villages with beautifully painted houses (Havelis), strolling through ghost-towns which got abandoned many centuries ago, hiking in the desert... I had LOADS of fun, and the fact that I was (as usual) barefoot all the time made it an even more intense experience!



Travelling barefoot is ALWAYS fun, no matter where I go. Now, Rajasthan is definitely a challenging destination, even for an experienced barefooter like me: It get's pretty hot at noon and chilly at night, there are quite a few weeds and scrubs with thorns, there's sharp gravel (basalt!)... And the streets in almost all of the cities, towns and villages aren't only dusty (often unpaved!) but also incredibly dirty. Plus: Literally EVERYONE is curious about foreigners, and whoever speaks even a bit of English won't hesitate to start a conversation, usually with "What's your name?" and "Where are you from?" - in my case followed by "What happened to / where are your shoes?". Well, that's not exactly new for me, and I'm happy to explain, especially as people ask in a friendly and polite manner and are - in most cases - positively surprised that a "farangi" prefers to go barefoot for the sake of comfort and health!



While travelling, I've the habit of checking my soles for thorns and little splinters after a day of barefooting - it's usually one of the first things I do as soon as I return to my hotel or guesthouse. Carefully examining them, I soon realized: Things were different this time! They never got black - like, let's say, in Bangkok or Delhi. But they got dirty! A different colour every evening: Greenish, brown (light or dark), grey, with many stains - depending on whether I had spent my day in town, in the desert, a village... Plus: They got tougher and rougher than ever! New callouses developed... Even little cracks around my heels...



No doubt: Somebody who's used to wearing shoes all the time will worry a lot if he's taking a quick glance at my soles: My version of footwear - layers of "natural leather" - definitely looks different, and a few people might even get scared from merely imagining what kind of "ordeals" my bare feet must have endured... My own attitude is, of course, completely different! First of all: My soles always remind me of all those fellow barefooter I have met over the years - for, I'm definitely not the only one who LOVES barefooting! There was that Italian couple in Bangkok, both of them barefoot with evenly tanned, strong feet. They had spent six month in India before coming to Thailand and told me they "stayed bare" all the time. Guess what: Their soles looked exactly like mine... If you ask me: Tough, calloused and dirty soles are in fact THE symbol of "our tribe"! Whoever is an active barefooter has to accept that his soles will get dirty, and most of us don't mind. And I'm absolutely sure each of us is happy that his soles adjust quickly to the various challenges of our barefoot lifestyle, getting tougher day by day. I've countless friends - both online and in "real life" - who will wholeheartedly agree, and most of them don't hesitate to post pics of their equally experienced feet in online-forums and barefoot-groups!



Our soles tell a story - a tale of of a happy, carefree barefoot life! We've accepted to "be different" the moment we decided to free our feet from their prison, those little boxes made of the skin of dead animals or plastic... We don't mind if people gaze at our bare feet or our dirty soles... It's OUR choice, and we know what we're doing - and what they're missing!

The texture and colour of someone's bare soles tells me if he - or she - is serious about barefooting. And I might even be able to say what he/she has been up to recently - be it hiking, climbing or shopping! Going barefoot is cool and natural - NEVER feel shy about it!

If you're also into barefoot travelling - please mail me at barefoot_jens@yahoo.com!

 

Some more pics:

 

As much as I admire the fortitude of those who, like myself, travel extensively barefoot, I must caution against elitism. It's far too easy to alienate those who might just be starting out barefooting by unintentional intimidation.

Furthermore, not all full-time, extensively traveled barefooters have feet that are so exquisitely colored, as some of us prefer to scrub often:



More pictures at: Barefoot Hiking in Micronesia

Like Barefoot Traveller, I've been all over SE Asia, Micronesia, Europe and North America barefoot and enjoy the experience immensely. I do not believe, however, that sole color is the sole (pun intended) distinguishing characteristic of a committed barefooter.

 

Barefoot Traveller: So your feet are dirty. Big effin' deal. What tribe? If there was a tribe of barefooters, I'd probably get kicked out in five minutes. I do my share of city and cross-country barefooting, but I take care of my soles and they aren't anywhere near your "tribal standards".

Elitism and senseless rebellion just get under my skin sometimes.

Yeah, Alexandra's feeling a bit pugnacious tonight, can ya tell?

 

........OUCH !!......:chillpill:


Cheers Glen.

 

Callouses are nature's way of protecting your feet. Have you ever seen the soles of people in Madagascar where they NEVER wear footwear? they are very tough and calloused. Their skin has adapted to the environment in which they walk. That is why someone who is not accustomed to going barefoot feels uncomfortable on hot pavement, gravel, rocks, etc.

Going barefoot in all terrain and weather is the BEST way to take care of your feet. It is the way nature intended! I've had a couple of ex-girlfriends who were also true barefooters. We never had any problems on city streets, hot pavement, etc.

 

Wow.!! So Much Hate Spewing Forth Here Lately..

In A Sub-Forum That Has..(up until now) Always Been Filled With Love

And Camaraderie...

Let Me Just Hazzard A Guess Here..

Methinks The Word We Are Looking For Here Is ENVY.

This Guy Is Barefooting In Some Of The Harshest's Environments In The World.

And The Best Alexandra And BarefootGurl Can Manage..

Is To Totally Heap S**t On Him.

GIRLS.......There Is A Bigger World To Barefooting..

Than Walking To The Mailbox, Or Corner Store Barefoot..



Cheers Glen.

 

I agree that Alexandra's And BarefootGurl's responses were completely unwarranted. You can disagree with another's point of view without resorting to personal attacks. They are pointless and have no place on this forum, IMHO. If you wish to be respected by others, exercise respect in your posts.

Folks, please see my previous post for an alternative point of view which was presented respectfully and appropriately, but was unfortunately overshadowed by the acrimonious subsequent posts.

While I can relate and agree wholeheartedly with the second paragraph, I would like to add that other functions of callous building include genetics and hygienic practices. After 15 years of 24/7/365 barefooting, including extensive travel and hiking , I have no callouses to speak of (see pictures above). Nonetheless, my feet are extremely tough, yet still flexible.

 

Oh, bite me. Especially GlenGlen. Envy? In your dreams, sweetheart. In your wildest dreams You haven't seen or done 1/10th of what I've seen or done, I guarantee it

I heard that back in the Soviet Union days, Russians used to sarcastically say "everyone is equal, and some people are more equal than others". That's what those dirty sole shots say to me. That, and people who would grief others just to make a point at NSNSNS places.

 

"everyone is equal, and some people are more equal than others"

ALL ANIMALS ARE EQUAL
BUT SOME ANIMALS ARE MORE EQUAL THAN OTHERS.

The quote is from George Orwell's novel "Animal Farm"

Maybe a good idea to re-read it?
http://www.gutenberg.net.au/ebooks01/0100011h.html

 

Honey, what I'm referring to may have been born from the Orwell quote, but it became popularized and rephrased. Don't go presuming you're the only one with reading skills here

 

Hi, i didn't want to be smart alec, sorry. Actually, Orwell's novel is an allegory to the soviet history, so we both are right. But maybe some "very equals" should remember the story though ;-)

 

I admit i envy the bf traveller. I get plenty of miles under my soles, but not on his scale.
When i retire i'm taking a very long holiday in India!

 

Completely wrong IMHO.
Callosities prevents from feeling the ground, and WEAKENS: who goes always barefoot usually develop them, but only as an unfortunate consequence.
Then, there are VERY RARE barefooters that goes unshod and DOES NOT develop callosities, if not a little.
They're the ONLY UNSTOPPABLE ONES.
My girlfriend is among them, and could easily outdo the guy/girl in the pictures in an hipotetic barefoot endurance challenge.
It happened several and several times in our lives, ALSO WITH MORE CALLOUSES SOLES'OWNERS than him/her.

 

Hey, darlin' what do you do besides BITCH and MOAN?

 

Dipped in patchouli too

 

I've met several women whose soles were soft yet they had no discomfort whatsoever on the searing hot pavement, gravel, concrete, etc. Every person is different in how their skin adapts to the environment. I've had a couple of girlfriends, one with very calloused soles, another with leather-like toughness and all of us have no problems on urban environments, hiking trails, etc.

>Then, there are VERY RARE barefooters that goes unshod and DOES NOT develop >callosities, if not a little.
>They're the ONLY UNSTOPPABLE ONES.
>My girlfriend is among them, and could easily outdo the guy/girl in the pictures in an >hipotetic barefoot endurance challenge.
>It happened several and several times in our lives, ALSO WITH MORE CALLOUSES >SOLES'OWNERS than him/her.

 

A couple of years ago I spent a week touring New Zealand's North Island on my crutches and bare foot. The sole of my foot is well calloused from city surfaces and it can get pretty black at times. While there I encountered a couple of local barefoot one-leggers so I was not unique. My foot never got really dirty except when I was in the larger cities.