Another toughening the feet

[lparker]

I went for a 5 mile hike that turned into a 6 miler - my longest yet. I hike to give my feet exposure to different textures of terrain. Trail hiking also toughens up the entire sole of the foot because you apply pressure to the arch area moreso than when road running/walking. This one was in Alleghany State Park - 3 miles up to a fire tower and back again. I'm absolutely happy I didn't try running this one...for one thing, it was UP from the get-go, for another there were lots of leaves on the trail that covered lots of rocks...seems like half of them were standing on edge (shale and sandstone flats). I believe this trail would be a challenge to the most experienced (barefoot) trail runners. Pics in my blog.

 

[Barefoot TJ]

Looks a lot like where I

Looks a lot like where I hiked at Tugaloo State Park earlier this spring. I know what you mean by the variety of textures and difficulty. The trees shed everything onto the ground during fall and winter, so by the time spring comes, everything on the ground is new and fresh. I've ran the same trail at Tugaloo in the late summer, and the path is more worn from all the runners and hikers, so it gets easier as the year goes on.