I imagine I will get interesting looks and/or comments the first time cross paths with somene else on the trail. <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

I habitually hike in Otomix wrestling-type shoes with a thin, soft rubber sole. I think of them as high-tech moccassins.

Anyway, I just wanted to mention that in additon to being able to sneak up on fun, furry animals like bunnies and deer, I find I can also sneak up on Eastern Diamondback Rattlers. It cuts both ways.

Fortunately, along with decreased pace comes increased time for vigilance.

And don't forget to look behind you from time to time.

Bear

It's already happened to me, more than a few times. No comments yet, but "interesting" looks, for sure. Like, borderline fear that I might actually be dangerously insane...

Best suggestion I can make is, if you get too self-conscious, paint your feet black, and no one will notice. <img src="/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

Presumed Lost:

You have to be careful about painting your feet black in todays "politically correct" world.

Look what happened to Ted Danson when he was dating Whoopi Goldberg.

Bountyhunter

Snakes are something I am all too familiar with, having grown up playing in the woods in an area (SE TX) litterally infested with many varietys of poisonous and non-poisonous snakes. I hear ya loud and clear. Of course all shoes really do is 1) let the snake know youre coming ahead of time so you dont sneak up on him and force him in to a defensive posture and 2) "maybe if you're lucky" you'll get bit on the foot rather thyan the ankle and the fangs won't penetrate through the shoe. Of course the advantage of barefoot hiking seems to be (and obviously I'm a newbie barefooter and could be way off here) that you are in fact muuuuuuch more attentive and aware of where, when and how you step as you're walking along so you "should" be a lot less likely to step on anything you don't want to step on.

ROFLMAO

And while we're talking snakes...

As I walk along a forest path, I scan as far ahead as I can, then walk a little less than that distance, then scan ahead again. I don't like to walk with my eyes down on the path all the time, and periodic scanning seems to work.

The first two times I encountered diamondbacks, I was one step away from them. That is, I had to stop my step in mid-air to avoid stepping on them, then teleport back a few yards. (I'm not kidding. I have no idea how I retreated from one step to three yards away. It just happened.)

By the third encounter, I was skilled enough at scanning ahead that I saw the snake from three or four steps away. It's not that I saw a snake, either. Some pattern-analysis routine in my brain detected too regular a pattern on the ground ahead and sent a warning message in an adrenalin envelope straight to my consciousness.

How do you deal with a snake you encounter? It does no good to throw things at it. That only makes them angry. And I couldn't hold a stick that was long enough for me to feel safe pushing a diamondback off the path.

The only thing that works is to back off twenty paces or so, then approach the snake at a normal pace, but stomping as hard as you can. Evidently they can't hear very well, but they can feel the vibrations, and are interested in avoiding being stomped on.

Bear

Ok, seriously...

Well, when I first did this there were a couple of times I was self-conscious enough to put on footwear. I think every time I've done a barefoot hike I've carried either soft mocs or flip-flops in the pack or shoulder bag, partly because of obstacles (gravel roads, long paved areas) but mostly because of that one really big hazard- the men's room in the visitor's center.

Another advantage of going barefoot is that, because you're making so much less noise, you can also hear other things much better (those who haven't tried it won't believe any of this). It makes it much easier to hear other people coming on the trail, so you may have time to put something on your feet for the meeting if you want.

I vividly remember one such meeting... I heard a gaggle of loud girl-voices coming. They were driving a couple of deer in front of them, and the birds and squirrels all disappeared. I stepped about 20 yards off the trail and listened to them come, giggling and jabbering. It took them a long time to actually appear, the noise was carrying that far. When they got to where I could hear what they were saying, they were complaining that there were no animals in "these woods". I was in plain view, but just stood still. Not one of them, or the lady "guiding" them, ever saw me.

Curiously, I find people seem more disturbed if I'm going barefoot with long pants on than they do if I'm wearing shorts. I have no idea what that's about.. one of those strange social things, like the fact that crowds seem to give me LESS "personal space" when I'm wearing a hat.

I have a lot of mocassins, I've even made my own, but these days I generally pack one of the pairs I mail-ordered from Hillbilly Mocassins in Branson, MO. They make them up to order, so you can get a good fit, and, unusually, you can get SOFT mocs (their elk is the kind tanners call "orthopedic elk", and it's good) with NO hard sole and NO sole padding (tell them you don't want foam). This makes them pretty good (quiet) for wear on the trail or around camp, they attract no attention from people, and they pack flat and light when you decide to go barefoot. I also keep a pair in the car for long drives, as they are very comfortable once broken in. They will, of course, wear out quickly on pavement. I have one pair with buffalo-leather "canoe" soles that wear much better on pavement, but I don't like them nearly as well, they feel too much like shoes.

I'll just stay barefoot and let the strange looks roll in. Should be quite entertaining for me. I think I'll just stay out of the mens room too. Funny how that is about the ONLY place I can think of where I always absolutely must have shoes on. <img src="/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/images/graemlins/shocked.gif" alt="" />

After encountering probably hundreds of poisonous snakes in my life (and even having one as a pet when I was a kid) I have found that the best way to deal with them is to leave them alone. For example if Im on a trail and come across a sunbathing snake then I go off-trail to go around him. If the brush is too thick for going around then I wait politely for him to continue on his way. The real kicker is Water Mocasins. They (atleast in SE TX) are territorial, kinda like dogs, so when you see one it's best to move really far away, however when you encounter one in the water, while swimming, this is not always so easy. Fortunatly I have never heard of a snake biting someone under water so if they are going to bite you, you should be able to see it coming. Maybe they dont want lungs full of water. I know I wouldn't. I hate those things. I'm glad I live in N TX now and spend all my time in N TX C TX or SW TX I don't miss Water Mocasins at all! <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> Non-poisonous snakes are another story. I have been bitten more than once by non-poisonous snakes but this could have been avoided as well if I had been concerned (but I was not).