I thought today would be a nice day to do a light hike with the dogs I am watching. Well, more like stopping themselves from killing each other. I chose Israel Canyon in Saratoga Springs since I can drive the majority of it. As soon as we got there clouds came in faster than we could have turned around. I had brought only flip-flops and when it started to sprinkle I had decided that I was going to be doing this hike barefoot.

I had recently read in article in Mens Health about a tribe in Mexico that race cross-country distances on trails completely barefoot. Studies have concluded that this is a healthy alternative, especially for people with flat feet. There is an aspect of it that allows you to find your natural balance point and is known to improve your stride. I already have an affinity to bare feet so I was looking forward to this. I knew however that it was going to be very painful. What I wasn’t expecting was the hail and thunderstorm.

I passed the spot that I got crucially stuck in once before when the snow was melting and I had to be dragged down a trench by a Jeep. This was by the way my crowning moment of shame for the Nitro. The Nitro is too heavy. Anyway, we passed a few gnarly spots where there would be no returning from if we slid into. For some reason going up is always more successful than down. This applies to hiking barefoot also.

The walk up really wasn’t too bad until the wind picked up. I would hear what almost sounded like a screech in the distance. This was a precursor to the heavy wind carrying rain sideways that was headed our way. It was only a few seconds that passed after I heard the sound that I was getting pelted with water. There was one point where I had to take shelter behind a large bush. For about 5-10 minutes I waited for the wind to die down. We were on the face of the mountain at this point and near the top so the storm was at its strongest. We came to where there was a great view of Timp but the skies were dark and covered with massive clouds. This was at ~3pm.

We didn’t realize we had reached the top until the wind blew what was left of the clouds from the mountain top. The radio towers were suddenly clearly visible and we subtly celebrated our victory. We took a few pictures and immediately headed down. Moments after we turned around the storm broke and fog lifted from the canyon. This was another victory, but I was learning how difficult it is to stop yourself from sliding down a muddy hill barefoot. This in itself was not a problem, however the rocks in the mud were. Mud would cake up in the arch of my foot and collect pebbles and rocks along the way. So when my foot slipped, these rocks tore down my foot as they rolled between my foot and the ground.

I got to the point where I didn’t try to find the path of least resistance, because there didn’t seem to be one. It was hailing at the top and it was raining the rest of the time up so I was completely soaked. I was enjoying myself though – that is the almost confusing point. It hurt but I wasn’t being seriously injured. By the time I got to the bottom my feet were either numb from the cold, used to the conditions, or some combination of both. We made it back to where the Nitro was parked and the dogs started circling the vehicle, barking aggressively, and jumping on the door before we even got there. They were wet, dirty, and likely tired. We all were. Needless to say the entire interior is covered with mud, some places 1″+ thicker.

The worst part wasn’t over. The most painful was, but not the most fearful. The Nitro weighs ~4200lbs and doesn’t have mud tires. And there was easily 3″ of mushy mud that we had to get through. The trail not only had a forward decline, but it also had a sideways decline towards the meeting of the road and the hill that goes up at a 60 degree angle. At this junction water had formed a 2′ ditch that many vehicles would not be able to get out of. When I got stuck the first time I was actually on my way down, and the weight of the Nitro, lack of tread, and steep sideways incline contributed to a momentous slide that I had no control over. At a dead stop I slid into an ice-laden gulley. I wanted to avoid this from happening but on the way down I didn’t feel I had any control.

At one point I actually slid into a fairly deep gulley and I couldn’t stop it from happening so I just stepped on the gas and hoped I could muscle my way out. The bottom kept dragging on the high point in the gulley and rocks laid about. We bounced a lot, and slowed down to a near stop but we made it out while fish-tailing towards the edge (the other side of the road). It was a unnerving experience but it created a rush that can’t be intentionally duplicated – unless you have absolutely no sense.