Supermarket Hippie

Nearly naked, I placed one foot onto the smooth rubber mat, my mind ringing with Edward Abbey’s war-cry, obey little, resist much!   Abbey was the bestselling author who advocated for protecting wilderness from commercial exploitation, if necessary by sabotage (he called it “monkey-wrenching”).

Instantly the automatic door swept aside, and I entered the supermarket, the tiles slick and cool underfoot.  I noticed the specials (two pints of blueberries for $5) and the surprise on the faces of some of my fellow-shoppers – evident in a subtle downward flicker of the eyes — as they confirmed that I’d violated an unwritten moral code.  Honestly, people are mostly cool with it.  But not always. Continue reading “Supermarket Hippie”

Supermarket Hippie

13,000 Miles Barefoot

The 19th-century English art critic John Ruskin saw in mountains a story of endurance and destruction.  All we can know about a mountain is that “it was once greater than it is now, and it only gathers vastness, and still gathers, as it fades into the abyss of the unknown.”

And so it is with people – we endure as long as we can, hoping to leave something behind.

This is my report on reaching 13,000 miles of barefoot walking, hiking, and running, after starting on this unexpected journey some ten years ago. Continue reading “13,000 Miles Barefoot”

13,000 Miles Barefoot