The Dirty Sole Society 1994 Fall Barefoot Hike Trip Report Filed by: Paul J. Lucas Location: In and around Shenandoah National Park, Virginia, USA Dates : October 7-9, 1994. Well, the first DSS hike was a complete success! In attendance were: me, Greg, his wife Wendy, their son, Jordan, Phelps, Maggie, Don, and his SO, Diana. Friday, October 7 ================= Given Greg's experience at airports, I tried barefootin' it the whole trip. After I passed the guy who took my ticket at the gate in O'Hare, it dawned on him that I was barefoot. He yelled to me, "Sir: You'll have to put your shoes on." "Why? I'm just going to take them off again as soon as I reach my seat." He got busy again with other passengers waiting to board, so I just ignored him and walked on board barefoot. For the smaller prop plane from Pittsburgh to Charlottesville, I wimped out and boarded shod. (Sorry!) I arrived right on time: no barefooted guy that would be Greg. Hmmm. I was about to call him after 10 or so minutes when I spotted this brown, curly-haired guy walk into the airport barefoot--that must be Greg! It was. Cool! On route to his place, we stopped by a pharmacy since I forgot to pack nasal spray--a necessity for my sinuses. This was the first time I ever walked into a store with somebody else who was also barefoot if you can believe that. It's great moral support to have somebody else there so you're not the "only one." We then went to the supermarket next door to pick up some brew. The cashier mentioned, "Y'all know you're not supposed to be in here without shoes." Oh well! Greg just gave me a look and neither of us said anything. She still sold us the beer. We got back to his place--nice house with a lot of land behind it. I got to see (and feel) the gravel driveway Greg had told me about that he uses to "practice" on. It's a good driveway for that. I met Greg's wife, Wendy, and son, Jordan. Nice family. Jordan's this happy little barefooted guy. :) Maggie arrived next and seemed excited to be here. I know I was. We decided to go for a short walk since we didn't expect anybody else to arrive for some time. We piled into Greg's car and headed off. On route, this white Saturn driven by a guy who looked like Aristotle whizzed by. "That was Phelps!" I exclaimed. (Remember, I had met Phelps before and knew what he drove.) We made U-turn and caught up to him. Obviously, he made much better time than he expected. Phelps had made excellent strides with the soles of his feet: real elephant soles as tough as Don's. Very cool...very elite. I was envious. (Despite my regular barefoot hikes, my soles, while quite thick, still aren't really hard. This did not prevent me from enjoying the weekend, though.) We then all went off for a walk on land owned by Shannon Farm, an intentional community set on nearly a square mile of land. Much of the land remains wooded. It was a nice walk: Ah! Soft, moist soil, leaves, pine needles, and moss galore. A treat for the feet! Fortunately for all of us, Maggie is eagle-eyed: she spotted a copperhead snake on the path! We gingerly walked around it...well around it. We got back to Greg's house, all with good-feelin' feet, and just hung out and chatted. After a soup, salad, and homemade "broiled bread" dinner, Don and Diana finally arrived. There must be a conservation of facial hair law: Greg shaved his beard and Don grew one. Don and Diana brought samples of Barefoot Wine with them. It was fun to see. From the labels: Barefoot Wine Vinted and Bottled by Barefoot Cellars Geyserville, Sonoma County, CA Footnotes BAREFOOT CELLARS has long been recognized as the producer of top value, award-winning varieties. Make the "Chateau La Feet" of California wine your own house wine. Ask for BAREFOOT in larger magnum bottles for even greater value. GET BAREFOOT AND HAVE A GREAT TIME ! The label has a bare footprint on it as does the side of the cork. I'm not a wine-drinker, so I can't comment as to how good it was. I didn't hear any complaints, though. Don, Diana, and Maggie camped in Greg and Wendy's back yard. I got a nice big, comfy bed with my own thermostat! I like it warm when it's chilly out...around 75 or so. Phelps stayed at a nearby motel. Saturday, October 8 =================== The next morning, it was chilly! It was also cloudy, so I decided to bring my umbrella. This would guarantee that it would not rain. ;) We piled into two cars and headed for Shenandoah National Park. Don and Maggie had on their official Barefoot Hiker shirts. Cool. We arrived at Jones Run. Before heading off on the trail, we took our first group photo. By this time, it had gotten sunny out. The trail was composed of moist soil that had some give to it with many embedded rocks and stones. Being embedded rather than on top made them not a problem -- the stimulation was _wonderful_. There were also many leaves. Almost needless to say, we got a few comments from other hikers. They ranged from, "That's crazy," spoken by a young, punk-looking guy, to, "I'm impressed." One of the neatest was when another group passed us. Greg overheard their leader say, "OK, everybody: shoes off!" When asked questions, we all made positive comments; Don gave out many of his Barefoot Hiker / Tenor Soloist cards to people. We had lunch on some rocks at a scenic waterfall. We took another group photo with us laying on our backs so that our soles all pointed at the camera. :) I'm glad my camera has a timer so I could get in the photo too. On the way back, we noticed that we had made a "convert": In a group of five women whom we had seen previously on the trail, one had removed her sneakers and socks. She said her toes were hurting her. Sneakers...phooey! We did about a 3.6-mile hike. After the hike, Don, Diana, Phelps, and I decided to be "transgressive" (the operative word for the weekend) and wander around Charlottesville. (The rest of the group wanted some down-time so they went back to Greg and Wendy's place.) We got to Charlottesville and went to the Downtown Mall, an old, historic, shop-lined, brick street for pedestrian shoppers (no cars). Don wore his Bare Bottoms; the rest were just bare. We wandered around, into and out of shops, no problems. The only people who seemed to have a problem with our feet were a bunch of grungy teenagers who kept staring and exchanging comments. What's the world coming too if even grungy teenagers don't go barefoot?! We went into this antique-type store where the clerk, in what was believed to be a contrived British accent, asked us what we were protesting. "Shoes!" was the answer. We met a young law student who seemed interested in us and thought barefoot hiking and going barefoot in general were kind of cool. We talked with him about the legality of being denied service, etc, because of bare feet. We toyed with the idea of a class action suit. :) Don gave him his card and I wrote my name, e-mail address, snail-mail address, and phone number on the back. We'll see if he contacts us. If he does, the DSS will have its own lawyer...assuming he graduates and passes the bar exam. We went back to Greg and Wendy's place for dinner, a most excellent veggie lasagna. After dinner, we headed over to Shannon Farm again, this time for a campfire and for some to experience the sweat-lodge there. The lodge is a small, wooden, enclosed structure containing a pot-belly stove with rocks on top and water jugs. We decided to do it in the traditional manner: nude. The participants were: Maggie, Phelps, Don, and me. It was dark out by this time and the only light-source was a small flashlight we left outside. Maggie really steamed up the place! It was difficult to breathe at first, but we got used to it. We did a couple of sessions, running outside in between to cool off. Don and Maggie were gung-ho enough to jump in the _cold_ river nearby...very cleansing, I'm told. Phelps and I just waded in--that water was _cold_! Around the campfire, we sat, talked, toasted marshmellows, made smores, and Don entertained us with his guitar playing/singing. When it was time to pack it in for the night, we put out the fire. Some of us were daring enough to stomp on some of the hot coals. :) I only noticed some discomfort in the tender spots of my feet like the underside of my toe knuckles. It was a great day. Sunday, October 9 ================= The next morning was not nearly as chilly. It was cloudy again so I brought my umbrella to ensure that it would not rain. ;) This time out, only Don, Maggie, Greg, Phelps, and I went. We went to Crabtree Falls. This trail is rated in the book, "Hiking in the Old Dominion," as a "moderate to strenuous" hike based on change of altitude. This hike was more challenging since we climbed a great deal up the side of a mountain along switch-back trails. The trails here were more rocky than those at Jones Run, but they were still negotiable. This site was more populated; hence, we got even more comments. One was, "You're my idols." At a scenic spot along the trail where there was a guard railing, we took another group photo, this time with us kneeling up on the railing exposing our dirty, soil-coated soles! Somebody made the comment, "Get them a bar of soap." One of the most entertaining exchanges was between Don and a woman who asked "Where are your shoes?!" Don feigned surprise, "Oh no! I forgot my shoes!" She immediately quipped, "It must have been a wild night; were you at the same party I was?" We didn't go all the way to the top since people wanted to get back by 3-ish. We stopped, sat on some logs and rocks, and had lunch. As ever, Don was plugging barefoot hiking every chance he got. After lunch, we started back down. Ordinarily, going downhill is easier; when barefoot, however, preventing yourself from falling forward and/or walking too fast placing your foot not necessarily where you would like makes it challenging. Maggie's advice: keep your knees bent and lean your torso back--this will shift your weight. It works! Towards the bottom, Don demonstrated breaking a piece of glass with his bare foot, and initiated Greg into trying it too--he did it! Talk about macho! ;) When we got back to Greg and Wendy's place, we relaxed for a while, then everybody except for me packed up in preparation for their long drives back home. (I flew out early Monday morning.) There were many hugs as people departed. There will definitely be more DSS hikes in the future. Greg said he would be happy to host semi-annual Shenandoah hikes in the spring and fall. Monday, October 10 ================== This part only regards me since I was the only one left. Greg drove me to the airport and we both sat and waited for my flight be board. (Yes, we were both barefoot in the airport.) Once they announced the boarding call, Greg and I hugged and I left. I tried again to fly the whole way home barefoot. This time, I was not hassled at all. I walked across the runway to the prop plane and boarded, went through Baltimore where I changed planes; again, no hassles. As I got off at O'Hare, a couple of airport workers were standing along the gangway. One commented, "You see that?! No shoes." "You're kidding!" the other responded. Get over it, guys. It was a bit nippy in Chicago around 10am: in the 40s. Still, it was no problem being barefoot. I would most definitely like to plan a DSS get-together (hike or whatever) on the west coast. Greg and Wendy visit California every summer for about a month. If it is scheduled then, they could join us. But I'd still like to do something this winter. Perhaps winter/summer on the west coast; spring/fall on the East coast. - Paul