Q5: What about hot surfaces such as asphalt?
Summer is a wonderful time to get outside barefooting, but the hot midday sun in many parts of the U.S. or other parts of the world can sometimes be so intense that it heats up certain surfaces to the point of being not only uncomfortable, but having the potential to actual burn or blister the soles of our feet if we’re not careful. The surfaces where that’s most likely to happen are asphalt, bricks, and even sand on a beach.
Most of the time, these surfaces, if we encounter them, are relatively small in area, and can be traversed by walking quickly or even running from one shady spot to another. In parking lots or at street crossings, the white painted lines are almost always cooler than the other surfaces, so walking on the lines will usually help.
There are occasions of course when we may want to spend more time on potentially hot asphalt, such as at events like street festivals or flea markets. These areas should be handled similar to parking lots, by avoiding places that feel like they are burning our soles. For temporary relief at any spot that starts feeling painful due to the heat, experienced barefooters have found relief by (1) alternating standing on one foot then the other, or (2) standing only on the heels or outer sides of the soles, keeping the toes and front parts of the feet off the surface. However, we should never remain barefoot in any area where the entire surface feels like it’s much too hot for comfort. Otherwise, serious damage to the skin of our soles could occur.
The important point here is to be aware that such areas may exist in hot weather, and take appropriate measures to not let our feet get injured from being burned.
Many barefooters have found that as their soles have become thicker and tougher, they are much better able to walk on relatively hot surfaces than they could when they first began barefooting.
For more in-depth details about hot surfaces and bare feet, see the article “Barefooting on hot surfaces can sometimes be a challenge” in the blog Born to Live Barefoot.