From clay trails in Seoul to remote Australian coastlines, a small but growing number of hikers are hitting the trail unshod. But what happens when you feel the ground beneath your feet?
When Gen Blades set out to hike South Korea’s Namsan Dulle-gil trail, she didn’t expect to be slipping her boots off halfway along the track.
An outdoor education lecturer and researcher based in Castlemaine, Victoria, Blades was tackling the 147km trail in Seoul when the terrain abruptly changed. Ahead lay a damp stretch of clay – known as “hwangto” – designed for barefoot walking. Naturally, she dived in feetfirst.
“There’s something about that direct contact of the sole of your foot in the clay. It almost feels like mud,” she says. “But then you realise, ‘Oh yeah, it’s oozing up between my toes!’”
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