Barefoot and Vibram FiveFinger Pioneers

For the better part of four days, I was required to get into the character of an olden day pioneer, suspenders and all. Quite a bit of prep was required for the youth group reenactment, but it was worth every minute. I gained a greater appreciation for my ancestors who helped settle the west despite the daunting odds and had a chance to see if my FiveFingers were up for the task.

On the first day, I was assigned 11 children, given the task of building a handcart, and made out across 8 kilometers of wilderness, and I did it all in bare feet. Gravel, dirt roads, and grass fields were the easy parts. It was the occasional thistles that gave me trouble, but I worked on keeping an eye out for them as they snuck under foot. Admittedly, I was grateful to pull my Classics over my increasingly tender feet later in the evening. How many pioneers walked over a thousand miles on varied terrain and all kinds of weather in bare feet will never cease to amaze me.

Throughout the remainder of the camp, pioneer activities such as making ice cream, racing carts, throwing axes, overcoming wilderness obstacles, and much more filled our time. I chose to wear my FiveFinger KSOs much of this time as we travelled from one site to another over rough gravel roads. Historical re-enactments, from the pages of pioneer journals, also educated the youth about sacrifices made to build the American continent. The weather was warm, the scenery stunning,  the activities exciting, and the experience inspiring.

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