RAGS TO WILDERNESS

One thing that I have learned from hiking barefoot for over 50 years is the difference between hiking with shoes on and hiking without. I can honestly say that it is like daylight and darkness between the two. I can travel down a trail with shoes on and totally enjoy it while still getting a lot from it. But when I hike barefoot, it is quite different for me. There is a connection I receive and it is easy for me to describe. I have tingling rushes that shoot up my legs and throughout my body that gives off a feeling of being euphoric. This is from the ground coming in contact with pressure points at the bottoms of my feet. Once my soles become more callused as hiking seasons go by, the bigger the buzz I will receive from being on rougher terrain. There have been many moments when I have felt so connected with the earth and God’s presence that I can’t stop the tears from pouring out. Usually, these feelings start when I begin my day down the trail and at times throughout as well. I contribute this to being able to transition from the not so real world that we live in out here, into the much more powerful and truthful one that one can receive while becoming an actual part of the cast in nature.  

The connection is there. Go out, try it and let me know.