Yes, we did!  On my recent trip to Havasu Falls in the Grand Canyon in Colorado, my friends and I hiked the whole thing in our Vibram Five Finger Shoes.  It was questionable whether these shoes could hold up on the rocky terrain for that many miles.

I’m also happy to report that nobody got any blisters during the hike.  The hike to Havasu Falls is 10 miles each way.  It begins with a steep descent into the canyon and then a relatively flat walk in a wash for 8 miles.

The next day we hiked from our campground to Beaver Falls.  This hike involved alot of rock scrambling and water crossings.  The only issue with the Vibrams that we had were that they gathered sanded very quickly.

Sediment in the water quickly built it in your toes.  Unlike with sandals, the sand had nowhere to escape and the only relief was removing the shoe and pouring out the sand.

Of course, along the way other hikers kept asking us what we were wearing and where to get the shoes!

I am beginning to think that my sweat is embedded into the shoe itself.  I had this happen in Hawaii once.  I had a pair of sandals for 2 years that never smelled.  Then I went into the ocean with them and they stunk the next day.  I washed them and bleached them but they always kept smelling.  I think that 2 years worth of sweat was embedded deep into the sandals and the contact with the water just released the smell.  I did resolve it by washing and soaking the sandals for weeks until the smell went away.

Since the Five Finger shoes are thinner and have less material, I think a multiple wash and long soak will fix the issue.

Vibram Five Fingers are taking over the world!!!

Oh well, into the club I go.  And really, I didn’t expect people to see them in a dark club at all.  I just wanted to wear them around.  A few hours go by and nobody is feelin my shoes but now I gotta pee.  And this is when these shoes sort of felt really weird.

I am sure that none of you would walk into a restaurant or bar bathroom barefoot.  I mean the floor is wet and filled with undesirables.  But I knew that my shoes were fine.  My barefeet would not be touching any of that crap.  However, you can’t erase 30 years of filthy bathrooms in a second.

This is what happened.  With these shoes, you “feel” like you are walking barefoot.  As you step into the bathroom, you can feel the uneven tiles under your feet, you can see the floor is nasty, you know your feet aren’t touching the floor but you also know that there is a super thin layer of rubber between your feet and the floor.  There is no thick padding, followed by an air cushion and then a thick rubber sole.  You might as well walk into the bathroom with a plastic bag on your feet.  So I had to calm down and just do my business and leave.  As I left the bathroom I really felt like I needed to wash the bottom of the shoes.

You see, the shoes make you feel barefoot, hence you treat the bottoms like they are your soles.  It’s hard to step into mud with them, because it’s like putting your foot into the mud.  You can feel the mud squeeze up between your toes.

I was eating lunch and the cute blond waitress came up to me and said, “those are cool shoes.  Where did you get those?”  She went on to ask me about how they feel and what I use them for.  Of course, I’ve only had them on for less than an hour but it dawned on me, I can pick up girls with these shoes!  Ok maybe not.  But they sure can start a conversation!