[pct-l] Barefoot Hiking

[mark utzman]

Hello everyone,  Does anyone have experience hiking barefoot? I have a
strained Achilles tendon that I have been trying to recover from, and I
looked into the philosophy of barefoot running/walking and was intrigued by
it. I normally do not like to wear shoes, and really only wear them when I
am hiking, walking or backpacking. In the past, before my injury,  I would
often walk barefoot with no problems. But since I strained my heel, I have
been wearing shoes most all the time. Well, as part of my own therapy, I
thought I would start to walk barefoot just to see where it would go, and *
viola!* the soreness in my heel was reduced by half during my walks and
reduced post walk. I am excited about this discovery and want to expand on
it. I believe the shoes and boots I have been wearing have been pressing
against the back of my heel, causing it to be sore. I am not 100 percent
yet, but I think I am on my way. I am thru hiking the PCT this year and
want my feet to be in the best shape possible. I know I cannot thru hike
barefoot, as I have hiked sections of the PCT in my area,( Tehachapi Pass
to Kennedy Meadows) the terrain would be ferocious on bare feet. But as a
part of training, and maybe a pair of minimalist shoes for backpacking,
maybe I can pull this off after all. I don't know if feet need some kind of
"support" while carrying a heavy load. Any help would be really
appreciated. Thanks,  Mark