Hi everyone,

I live in the most beautiful spot in the world. It's green and lush and I really don't think anyone in my wee bitty town would give a rip if I came walking along unshod. One of the wonderful things about living here is the black berry canes. From July to September, you can mosey down the road and pick them, stuffing them into your mouth as you go. The bad part about this, from a neophyte's point of view, is how do you barefoot when there are so many thorns?

My path into town has me crossing through two wooded areas with blackberry bramble snaking through the grass, totally hidden. Eventually, I will step on it. There are also two gravel roads, which don't concern me much and two public roads where I often see glass, tacks and other mean looking sharp stuff.

I'm still a tenderfoot, comfortable on asphalt but not much else. What do you recommend to increase the thickness of my soles so I can go tramping through the woods without a care? Does anyone have a timeline of how long it takes to build up that much protection?

With gratitude,
Em