Mick Dodge

Well, I have been watching this new show on Nat Geo....wondering if anyone else is and what you think about his practices? He calls himself the barefoot sensei. I would greatly much prefer a show with Ted or Ken Bob, but.....

Originally posted in my Georgia forum thought i would open it up to a wider audience.
 
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Can you point to a link where he says that? I've seen people mention that but anywhere they've said he said that I sure haven't read that into what he said. To me it sounded more like he does some things just for the camera, but I haven't seen where he says it's ALL fake. Either way, look at his feet and the way he moves around on some of those surfaces and he sure isn't a fake barefooter.
 
I think that is pretty consistent with his presentation on the show. I noticed him standing in hot coals to toughen his feet. My feet are soft but I handle a lot of terrains. I don't see a need for callouses. I run 5-6 miles daily on asphalt with no probs and can get much more on the trails. I would really like to see comparisons in his, kenbob's, and cody lundeins philosophies.
 
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Thanks Sid. I had seen several mentions of this but did not ever see a link to where he says this. Hmmm, kinda surprises me, although it probably shouldn't, that NatGeo would misrepresent to this degree.

That article is pretty consistent with the show. Though the ads make it seem as if he's a hermit in the wild he is pretty honest about his life. My curiosity is simply in his philosophy as it relates to being barefoot.
 
He can't be much of a hermit if he is sending Like requests to me.
 
He and his friends aren't as simple and backwards as the show makes them out to be.
http://www.mountainmanleatherworks.com/index.php
http://www.olympicmountainearthwisdomcircle.org/the_8_compass__the_three_terrains.php

Some comments by locals.
http://www.survivalistboards.com/showthread.php?s=b0389e77fe741547263a9c2fd38ed490&t=334327&page=2

It seems that the show uses quite a bit of dramatic license. Even if he is just doing his daily routine, the producers and voiceover seem to be intent on creating a "legend".
 
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He's cooky. I haven't perceived from him that he sees himself as a completely separated from society guy. On the contrary he uses a lot of things to make his life easier.

My question is related to his philosophy of toughening his feet.

Cody lundein sees his feet as a mitochondrial link to the earth

Kenbob sees his feet as a natural way to move.

I love being barefoot. I love the sensations on the road and on the trail. I believe (though I have no evidence) it has improved my immune system. I'm not an earther, but I don't fall as much in the woods when I'm bf. My knees hurt less. I guess these are the concepts I would like to ponder.
 
I'm also go barefoot in the woods! I just saw the first episode on YouTube and I got much inspiration from it.


I'm also into wild edibles and foraging ...

I can see it because I spend a lot of time in the woods.

Don't think he's a fake...,

...but I also can't imagine to spend 25 years in the woods ...

The biggest hollow tree trunk I found was just big enough to growl into it, but no good place to sleep or spent a lot of time in there...

But I'm from Germany! There aren't any tree trunks that big...:D

I'll check the other 11 episodes out and see what else is there to learn!

And I like him...:)

Bye,
Alex
 
There are plenty of cultures that have adapted well to forest life. Doesn't Nat'l Geo routinely cover those sorts of places? I guess it's more interesting to watch a white dude fumble around and spew half-baked philosophies. As one of Sid's links indicates, it would be more edifying, albeit less sensationalist, to do a program on veteran survivalists and/or naturalists.

Didn't the Beatles teach us to avoid gurus?
 
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As one of Sid's links indicates, it would be more edifying, albeit less sensationalist, to do a program on veteran survivalists and/or naturalists.
Just to clarify, I have nothing against Mick or his show. I've enjoyed the few episodes that I've watched. Those links seem to suggest that the producers may have emphasized certain aspects of reality, while completely ignoring others.
 
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Just to clarify, I have nothing against Mick or his show. I've enjoyed the few episodes that I've watched. Those links seem to suggest that the producers may have emphasized certain aspects of reality, while completely ignoring others.
Yah, didn't mean to implicate you. I've only watched a short clip posted here at BRS, but the fact that after all those years Mick was getting diarrhea from drinking unfiltered water suggests that surviving out in the wild wasn't a regular practice. Either that or he doesn't learn from his mistakes. The comments on one of your links pointed that out as well as other inconsistencies. That's why I think it would be more edifying to hear from that link's survivalist/naturalist commentators or others like them.

In any case, whether Mick was a willing or unwitting participant in this charade, I'm sure he'll benefit from it and pick up more New Age-y clients willing to pay for his earth-wisdom in a seminar or weekend get-away. Fine with me; caveat emptor and all that.

As for barefooting, I wonder if having it linked to these bearded guru-types helps or hinders its wider acceptance. It would be nice to see more stories about ordinary folks espousing the benefits of the barefoot lifestyle, like the one that ran here locally last year on the Barefoot Hikers of Minnesota (I've never gone hiking with them, because it's impossible to get my wife to go hiking period, but I get their emails and saw the local news clip of them hiking in one of our regional parks).
 
I'm watching the show now, and I like it! I like him.

He saved some maple trees from poachers. He's good peoples to me.

He says whenever he goes into town people look at his bare feet, and say you can't come in here.
 
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Yes, the show might dramatize things and make him to be more of a hobbit than he really is but I still like the show and he is more hobbit like than any of us! Heck I've given it a lot of thought over the years even lately, just if one could try something like that. Even if just for a couple season would be very challenging.