Question re: barefooting across rocks

Hi, new member here. I live in the southern Arizona desert. I'm not a 24 / 7 barefooter. My job requires shoes, but outside of that I'm always bf at home, sometimes in public (just depends on where), and I love bf hiking, even though the desert has some brutal terrain. I've only been barefooting for about 5 years, but my feet easily handle the desert trails laden with rocks, cactus thorns, and stickers from many different indigenous trees and shrubs. If you grow up here, as I did, it becomes imperative to just "get used to" the abundance of thorny plants. I've even walked a few hundred feet across rocks with small round bursage stickers in my instep and the bottom of my toes without even knowing they were in there.
Anyway, getting to my question - As I said, my job requires shoes. However, a couple weekends ago I got to work alone. I work in horticulture and spent the morning watering plants on a 25 acre property. I was wearing my sandals and just couldn't take it anymore, so off they came. 90% of the property was covered in small (1/4 - 3/4 inch) rock. About half was round, smooth river rock, the other half was crushed and jagged. I spent about 4 hours bf, probably about 1 1/2 of walking and the rest just standing. It was getting pretty uncomfortable toward the end and it slowed down my barefooting for a few days after. Now, here's something I found very interesting and was wondering about others' experiences. I found that the smooth, round river rock was much more difficult to walk on than the jagged rock. I thought that was strange. Looking at the two, you'd definitely have thought the smoother stones would be easier to walk on, but with every step it was as though my feet just plowed into them with less stability. As I manuevered the jagged rocks it was as though my toes were instinctively grabbing hold with each step, sort of balancing me moreso for a split second with each and every step. I just found this to be quite a trip. I've noticed this same pattern before, just never to this extent. Anyway, just curious about thoughts on rock-walking, smooth compared to jagged.

 

Jagged rock with the rough surfaces may make it easier for your feet to grab ahold while other rocks with less surface tension may take greater effort for your feet to grip with each step.

Nice to read a post from another barefooter here in the Old Peublo! You said you go barefoot depending on the place, I'm curious where do you dare to go shoeless here?

BTW, watch out for those rattlesnakes and bark scorpions!

 

Actually I rarely go bf into places like resteraunts or major department stores. I'm always in flops, and cool with that most of the time. I definitely still have some inhibitions about being barefoot in really large crowds, but it's slowly fading away. Small, convenience stores is where I've wandered into bf before, as well as going shoeless on the patio of a couple of 4th ave. resteraunts. If I go to the park I'm bf, and I have a friend whose gone bf with me several times. I used to walk some of the river pathways, but mostly I enjoy being out on a hiking trail in one of the mountain ranges.

The crushed rock most definitely had a rougher surface making it more easy to grip. Of course, the depth of the rock varied, but even where there was only a light layer on the ground, the more jagged rock was much more stimulating to walk through.
As for the rattlesnakes and scorpions. I follow one simple rule of hiking - never step where you cannot see what you're stepping on. I've even told a couple people I've met while out hiking, "If you follow this rule when it comes to snakes and stuff, then think about it. Does it really matter whether you have shoes on or not? I've come across a rattlesnake on a path twice now. I simply stopped, admired him for a few from a distance, walked back, waited a few minutes, and went on my way. But then again, I'm kind of an "animal person" with little fear of most wildlife. I find that the slightest bit of respect given to an animal is usually returned tenfold.
Nice to meet you, Take care

 

Interesting post. I once walked along a dry desert creek bed for several hours and also found that the smooth round rocks were a challenge, only because they slipped around and made it difficult to stabilize. The jagged rocks stay put better so you know what parts of the rocks your weight is going.

 

Rocks and crushed stones come in so many varieties it's amazing. I've found the rounded stuff is much less stable and shifts under your weight and gives the ankle muscles more of a work out. Jagged sharp stones and crushed rock seem to lock in place and are less likely to move around. I've gotten toes pinched when river rocks slipped. All of the variations are part of the fun of barefooting. Who wants boring flat asphalt when the world around us is covered in a smorgashboard of variety.

 

There is a footpath alongside a railway line not far from here that's composed of a nasty mixture of crushed rock and gravel of all shapes and sizes, some feeling loose and some fixed. Dog owners won't take their dogs on it, horse riders avoid it, even mountain bikers go slowly on it, so when my feet need a workout, i take them there to see how far i can get down it before being forced back. My record is about a mile, according to the map. This is the only place i take shoes along. It doesn't actually damage my feet, it just hurts a lot...

 

I go on long barefoot walks along the railroad gravel several times a week. It's really coarse crushed rock and feels really good to my feet. In the late summer my feet are tough enough that I can run and jump on it.

 

If you like barefooting, try these shoes! They're called vibrafingers, but I call'em feet shoes! They are made by the same company that makes chaco's, and they are vegan friendly. They are shoes for people who prefer bare feet! They're like those toe socks, but they're slip on and they have rubber souls. They are the most amazing shoes I have ever pulled over my heels! They're really good for your body too! They help to realign your back, even out your stride, and enhance your ballance! They meet the shoe requirements for most jobs as well, I wear mine EVERYWHERE! I can go from on campus straight to the cave, cliff, trail, or gas station! I know I sound like an add, but if you like to be bare, you have to check out these shoes! Peace and all, T.

 

Never heard of these shoes called Vibrafingers. Where did you get them? Do you know of an online company that sell these?

They sound interesting.

 

They're actually called Vibram Five Fingers.

Manufacturer's web site:
http://www.vibramfivefingers.com/index.cfm

Store locator (hopefully there's a store that sells them in your state):
http://www.vibramfivefingers.com/productsupport/store_locator.cfm

Also, you can Google "vibram five fingers" to find the online outlets that sell them.

 

I have to say I find them quite strange, but to each his own. I know there are many members here with a variety of bf lifestyles from occasional to always, and I'm not even a 24 / 7 barefooter, but I seriously doubt I'd be interested in a "shoe" like that. To me, it's about literally feeling the different textures of the earth make contact with the bare skin of your soles. I realize they're probably "close to being barefoot" and I wouldn't automatically deny their claims of enhanced balance, support, or stability, but I'm also a little uncomfortable with the add's emphasis on the word "barefooting." If these shoes are the next closest thing to being barefoot, then that's literally what they are, the "next closest thing." If they're slipped over your feet, then guess what? You're not barefoot. Again, I'm not trying to simply slam the product, but I've always been of the opinion that nothing in the line of footwear can enhance your support, balance, stability, strength, and stamina like being barefoot. They also look like they fit really snug tight over your sole and toes. Honestly, that makes me shiver - the thought of having something grip my feet like that. Also, for me personally, walking barefoot upon the earth is a spiritual thing, a connection to earth energy which offers a vast array of healing. I believe that in order to fully "tap into" this energy, there can be no barrier whatsoever between your feet and the earth. As I said, I'm not a 24 / 7 barefooter, so I can understand a person wearing these things into a store or somewhere that shoes were required just as I'd wear my flops, but if I'm headed outdoors into bare nature, I'm gonna be literally "bare"foot.

 

I wonder what wallyworld greeters would say about these things cuz you aren't barefoot but $70 ??!! thats crazy