Imagine going for a hike in the woods: breathtaking sights surround you, calming sounds meet your ears and warm earthy smells fill the air. One sense, however, that seems to remain out of this imagined forest is the sense of touch. Perhaps on a typical hike you would run your hands in cool water or prickly pine needles, but the only persistent “feeling” in your body is that of your feet aching in those $80 hiking boots. While shoes perform very necessary functions socially, medically and culturally, they come at a price; we as a shoe-culture are becoming sensory-deprived, feet are becoming weaker and sicklier, and billions are being spent every year on these “essential” accessories1. Luckily an alternative exists: welcome to the ecology of going barefoot.
What are you talking about? The ground hurts! When tender feet used to soles are exposed to the raw elements of the earth, yes, they can get a bit sore. However, “The Barefoot Hikers of Minnesota2” give plenty of reassuring advice to those considering ditching the shoes. Barefoot Hiker Jim Guttmann compares shoes to a blindfold or earmuffs that stifle the senses. According to Guttmann, when you remove these sensory blockers, “At first it’s overwhelming, but you get used to it.” And indeed, all of the Barefoot Hikers claimed that they felt much more “in tune” with nature when they constantly felt the earth at their feet. The members of this Minnesota club were also more knowledgeable of how each different plant or material affected them; they could describe what plants to avoid, what type of mud was fun to step on, etc., allowing them to have an entirely new perspective of this forest ecosystem. A simple hike can contain dozens of new textures that could never be experienced with shoes, and each hiker had their favorite. It cannot be denied that choosing to walk barefoot opens a person up to entirely unique experiences and interactions with their environment: barefoot ecology!
But what about foot injuries? Shoes are there for protection! According to a 2007 study3, only 0.89% of “bare footers” had any sort of barefoot-related ailment. However, there are many health benefits linked to running and walking without shoes. Using footwear prevents a natural, healthy gait and stride, increases stress on the foot and the arch, and causes flat feet. A very interesting 2007 study4 comparing the feet of 2,000 year-old skeletons to modern human feet found that humans had healthier, more powerful feet prior to the widespread use of footwear. The takeaway lesson: humans have survived millions of years without shoes; the pressure and influence of the ecology and environment surrounding early humans has allowed the human foot to become an admirable natural technology.
The ecology of bare feet has to do with more than nature and evolution, and is much more than just a counter-culture. Barefoot running is becoming increasingly popular, and companies are seeing this trend. Minimalist shoes that mimic a bare foot so that “runners experience the sensation of having no footwear”5 have grown into a 1.7 billion dollar business. An example of a minimalist shoe is the Vibram Fivefingers®, which has been becoming increasingly popular among runners and hikers. If the natural and medical benefits of bare feet are not enough to convince people to study the ecology of bare feet, the economic incentives might be. These shoes are also recommended to any who want the barefoot experience in places where frostbite is a possible danger, as it provides the food with insolation without the sensory deprivation of traditional shoes. These “5-fingered” shoes also provide barefoot enthusiasts the ability to enter businesses declaring “no shoes, no service”.
The term “barefoot ecology” may be difficult to understand, but like many forms of ecology, it refers to the study of relationships among living and nonliving things. Humans are living things as well as the microbes and fungi that like to live on our feet; living things can also refer to the plants we step on or the complex living systems we may hike or run in. All of these “biotic” factors absolutely relate to footwear or lack there of. Some nonliving factors affecting barefoot ecology can include physical factors such as bone, tendon, and muscle stress; surfaces that people may walk on and the climate people live in. Abiotic factors relating to this practice may also include cultural and social trends, economics, and poverty (some people have no choice but to go barefoot). Let’s not forget that human evolution, a product of living and nonliving factors, has designed the human foot. When considering all of these interrelated topics, the simplistic idea of bare feet is not so simple after all. However, for people interested wondering if they can experience this ecology, a Barefoot Hiker assures you that “you can. Just take off your shoes2”.
1. “Footwear Industry Statistics.” Statistic Brain RSS. N.p., 22 Aug. 2012. Web. 26 Feb. 2013.
2. Todras-whitehill, Ethan. “Fall Adventures; Footloose and Boot Free: Barefoot Hiking.”The New York Times. The New York Times, 22 Sept. 2006. Web. 26 Feb. 2013.
3. Zipfel, B., and L. Berger. “Shod versus Unshod: The Emergence of Forefoot Pathology in Modern Humans?” The Foot 17.4 (2007): 205-13. Sciencedirect. SciVerse, Dec. 2007. Web. 26 Feb. 2013.
4. Adam, Sternberg. “How We’re Wrecking Our Feet With Every Step We Take” New York Magazine. New York Best Doctors, 21 Apr. 2008. Web. 26 Feb. 2013.
5. Mirshak, Meg. “Minimalist-style Shoes Mimic Running Barefoot.” The Augusta Chronicle. N.p., 19 July 2012. Web. 26 Feb. 2013.
By Emily Shea
FRESH 