Why you shouldn't barefoot to a waterfall?

Last saturday on 17th of Feb, 10 of us

went hiking to Lepoh Waterall is located near Kampung Pangsun at Hulu Langat, which is estimated about an hour from Kanna Curry House in SS17 PJ to reach Asli Adventure Base Camp (you can waze this place).

As you reach the starting point, you will see a signage “Lepoh”, and you have to pay RM5 for parking and register yourself before you hike.

I actually wanted to try something different for my hike this time, it is a short hike (about 2 hours to reach the waterfall), I thought why not barefoot. Plus, I wanted to be close to nature, and in my mind, our ancestors had no shoes and they walked barefoot or wear animal skin shoes to make contact with earth! I’m well aware of potential leeches or stepping on really sharp objects (or worms).

Most importantly, I wanted to test this viral video on Facebook (source:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0gUgPI3ParY#action=share) that it is great for health and helps to detoxify your body, fight against harmful diseases, relieve pain and inflammation, sleeps better, increase blood flow, reduce stress and make your skin glow – yes that one got me. I wanted to see if my skin actually glow?! Because the earth is filled with electrons and our body contains positively charged free radicals the earth will help to neutralize it (source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KVUntbzmHkg).You can get more information on studies published online too. There are also many other methods you can use besides barefooting, such as grounding mat, bed, and wristband (source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IkGtTaK0A3I).

We started hiking from about 9am. It was not easy to walk barefoot to the waterfall, knowing very well that it was not only rocky ground, with dried leaves, twigs and splinters.

I came prepared with tweezers, sanitizer, positive vibes and courage (and lots of prayers) so I did hope that I won’t get into any major trouble. I was excited for the first 10 minutes until I walked into a muddy area and full of small rocks.

I was always checking for any leeches or splinters, and kept on going. The track was easy, except for the times when it gradually ascended and we had to climb – twice!

2 hours later, we reached the Lepoh Waterfalls and I made it there barefoot the whole time!

The water was super cold, even though it was already about 11am, and thanks to our friend Jay who brought a portable stove and prepared hot instant coffee for everyone.

I was shivering after the dip in the waterfalls and the coffee helped me to feel slightly warmer. After 30 mins, we trekked down and I still continue on my barefoot experiment, knowing that I survived the first half, so it should be ok to continue walking on the same path.

And guess what, I made it both hiking up and down with no shoes! Of course the fact that I was with a group of nice supportive friends, it kept me going and I was determined to finish it. As we were walking to our cars, we were walking on the tarmac and it was so hot that I felt my skin was burning! So I jogged faster to my car and felt so relieved when I stepped on grass.

There was toilet and shower room for you to freshen up – I wouldn’t shower there though, wasn’t sure if the water was clean. I just changed to new clothes. You may ask, did my skin glow after nearly 4 hours of grounding/earthing?

Yes it did, and it could be due to the fact that I applied body lotion earlier, or probably the sweat but some of friends did comment that my skin looked “glowing”. I guess it worked, but the pain part was there, I had slight migraine, my feet hurts and body aches the next day. So, as conclusion, if you have options to barefoot or not when hiking, but just take extra precaution and know your risk. I wouldn’t do it again but I will barefoot on the beach, soft sands, soft grass and anywhere that has lower risk of getting injured. Overall, it was fun and I felt a great sense of accomplishment which I might do it again on my next short hiking trip, why not ;)