Walking

I read a fascinating article in the New York Magazine last night about walking and how shoes are wrecking our ability to walk properly. It makes the case that our feet have been honed by four million years of evolution to carry us everywhere and that shoes, even the ones designed for maximum comfort, thwart the abilities of our foot to work properly. I'm not going to try to paraphrase the arguments here; read it for yourself and see if they don't make a good case for going barefoot.

But barefoot is hardly a choice for me, even when not working. Despite the fact that I walk an awful lot for pleasure, my bare soles are tender and I couldn't walk across more than a few feet of pavement without wincing and mincing, not to mention the dangers of encountering glass or dog poop. The article did suggest some footwear that is designed to allow the barefoot gait while offering some protection against our urban environments, but they tended to be ironically expensive for things trying to be so very natural.

That leaves me considering investing in moccasins. Proper ones, made of real, durable leather, not the little slippers designed only for indoor use. The New York Magazine article only mentioned moccasins in passing, but they're really the time-tested footwear for walking as close to barefoot as possible while adding protection for the foot. I found a place in Minnesota that will custom make moccasins using the outline of your foot as a template. Before I try that though I'm going to look around locally a little more and see if there isn't a moccasin-maker a bit closer to me so I could try them on first.

In the mean time, I am going to go and have a look at Vibram Five-Fingers for kayaking purposes. They look a bit silly, but also fun.