The Barefoot Hiker [Paperback]

Richard K. Frazine (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 1993

Once again we have found the unique in outdoor books-the first book about hiking barefoot. Developed by a hiker in New England, it introduces people to the idea that the foot can hit the trail without benefit of boot or sneaker. All the joys, the hazards, and the myths are dealt with, along with a lot of careful instructions for beginners.

Product Details

• Paperback: 98 pages
• Publisher: Ten Speed Press (May 1, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0898155258
• ISBN-13: 978-0898155259
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,545,351 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Shoes: who needs 'em?, January 17, 2002

By 

John S. Ryan "Scott Ryan" (Cuyahoga Falls, OH) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Barefoot Hiker (Paperback)

Maybe you're one of the many people who slip off their shoes as soon as they get home. Maybe you even remember running around barefoot when you were a kid. If so, then you're already aware that going barefoot is mighty comfortable (and maybe even faintly subversive).

Did you also know that it provides a number of medical benefits? Well, it does; there are lots of chronic problems -- and not just foot problems -- that are caused in part by wearing shoes unnecessarily.

So have you ever tried barefoot hiking? If not, Richard Keith Frazine would like your attention.

In this altogether charming book, Frazine sets out the case not only for hiking barefoot but for avoiding shoes in general. Far from being unsanitary or gross, he holds, going barefoot is actually physically, mentally, and spiritually healthy.

Frazine invites the reader to explore not only the benefits of going barefoot but the sources of various attitudes _about_ going barefoot. Why, for example, are bare feet associated by some with poverty or bad manners and by others with freedom and tolerance? (I myself avoid shoes whenever possible and I'm occasionally surprised by people who think there's something rude or offensive about bare feet.) And he clears up myth after myth about the supposed dangers of going barefoot and its associations with negative feelings.

As for hiking itself, there's a lot of sound advice in here about how to do it safely (and a lot of correction of the misunderstanding that it isn't _possible_ to do it safely). And it's also fun to read; Frazine's prose style has a delightfully old-fashioned, New England-y air that reminds me a bit of Emerson and Thoreau.

A fine book all around, then -- a well-written volume of sound advice and arguments, devoted to a subject on which I agree with the author. Now _that's_ a treat.

Going barefoot: it's not just for hippies anymore.

(You can preview the text online if you know where to look...

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book about a wonderful way to hike., July 9, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Barefoot Hiker (Paperback)

I bought a copy of this from Ten Speed Press a little while back. Richard did an excellent job writing about a subject that most people would not even attempt. The only way to appreciate the book is to have actually done some barefoot hiking. This encourages one to go barefoot when doing other things on a daily basis, such as walking to the train on your way to work, just carry your footwear in your hand and slip it on when boarding the train, etc. This keeps one's feet in condition for barefoot hiking. Go barefoot and go barefoot some more, especially in the Summer. It just feels great and really is good for foot health. Richard's "basic rules" to follow are excellent advice. I just want to conclude by saying it is a wonderful little book.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An often overlooked way of experiencing nature, April 17, 1998

By 

Michael M. Berrow (Concord, California) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Barefoot Hiker (Paperback)

It's a "how-to" book on barefoot hiking, but also on bare feet in general including thoughts, perceptions, and a historical and cultural viewpoint. It's a wonderful little book. Richard has inspired many others to try and greatly enjoy hiking barefoot. "Why hike barefoot?Because it is an exercise in reverence, vulnerability and respect in which we humbly admit our dependence on the earth for our very existence. It symbolizes our willingness to open up instead of shut down to the natural world around us. Maybe in this exercise, we will begin to realize our interconnectedness to the whole of life and to each other."