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Hiker Hikes Appalachian Trail Barefoot
hosted.ap.org — More than 500 people hike the entire Appalachian Trail, which runs from Maine to Georgia, each year. Ron Zaleski has been trying to accomplish the feat barefoot. His goal is to bring attention to the need for combat veterans to receive counseling.
tlmac59- 252 diggs
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- gwjc, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6dugg, because he's been barefoot for 33 years, and "almost forgot why". The "kids" are apparently vietnam vets.. the youngest of whom would be almost 50; so I think they lose their "kid" status.
- NachoBusiness, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1There are also the famous (to Appalachian Trail people) Barefoot Sisters: http://members.aol.com/CAR525/hike/pages/bfsisters.htm
Though they didn't technically thru-hike barefoot. Still cool. - tlmac59, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5It turns out that there is a whole group of people devoted to barefoot hiking. See: http://www.barefooters.org/hikers/
I guess there's a group for everything. - thewaz, on 10/12/2007, -1/+9"His goal is to bring attention to the need for combat veterans to receive counseling."
such an obvious joke here.. i wont even start.- rutterj2, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3just take a minute to savor the irony...
- scooterbaga, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4What's the joke? They need counseling so they don't do crazy *****...
oh.
- u8myfoood, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1OUCH!...
- RatherDashing, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6Of course! First thing I think of when I hear barefoot hikers are those poor crazy combat vets. A perfect match.
- hodyoaten, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4This event is brought to you by Pfizer, makers of Vermox, for all your hookworm needs. And Pfizer would like to take this opportunity to remind you to clean up after your dog when walking the trail.
- brady47, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0going north to south would be the only way I guess, but still might run into some weather cold enough for frostbite
- NSMike, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1Well, yeah, if he does it in the dead of winter...
- escheppa, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3I love the pun in the description 'Ron Zaleski has been trying to accomplish the feat barefoot'
- Ansible, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3I want to see a pic of the feet! Gotta be some unreal callused-up feets... its tough enough on your feet with boots on.
- themouth, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3I have thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail, GA-ME 2005.
Although it's already been pointed out that the barefoot sisters and several others have already thru-hiked essentially barefoot, I think this guy still deserves respect.
However, i don't know if I fall for the whole "hiking for a cause thing". Although I crossed paths with many people who were hiking for one reason or another, I think it's a bit of a misunderstanding. Although long distance backpacking is surely an achievement and a physical feat (no pun intended) it's also a blast. I can without doubt say the time I spent on the trail was the best time of my life. So if pulling off a thru-hike brings attention to one's cause, great; but I hope people don't get the idea that he or any other thru-hiker is enduring anything along the lines of torture, etc. for his cause.
On the other hand, I guess if you can get people's attention and do something you love, why not? - WaldoJ, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1There's a barefoot hiker just about every year. In '95, the year before I hiked, a girl did the whole thing barefoot.
- infra172, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3I smell hippies. What do hippies smell like? Like a pot smoke and bad feet.
- winberrym, on 10/12/2007, -2/+1The funny thing is, what with all of the barefoot hillbillies in the appalachians, he'd just be another redneck. Give him some removable teeth, a rifle, a knife, and a hunger for pork, and he could be a river man from Deliverance!
- rutterj2, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0pork?? maybe where your from, city slicker. 'round these parts we eats possum!
- andergriff, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1After it's been run over or before? Just kidding. Actually, I was going to add that if a native from the Amazon or Congo were asked to walk the same trail, he'd probably refuse the offer of a pair of hiking boots.
- winberrym, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Well, to be fair, the pork would have to look like Ned Beatty, so he could punch it in the flank as it tried to scramble up the hill. River men are particular about who they violate in the woods.
- rutterj2, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0ill violate anything that moves!
- redbaron122, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0this guy is crazier than the dude who tied himself to a tree to see if he could survive hurricane wilma
- arter2, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I hiked the Appalachian trail for a while and to be completely honest hiking barefoot is quite a common place thing.
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