A HARDCORE walker bagged seven Munros in one day – while completely barefoot.
Ethan Dyer decided to embark on a 17-hour voyage around the peaks by Crianlarich, Perthshire, on Tuesday as he feels he connects better with nature when barefoot.
Departing at 3.30am, Ethan averaged a pace of 1.3 miles per hour whilst scrambling over 20.82 miles of rock, grass and even snow.
The 21-year-old, who lives in Glasgow, conquered 11,000 ft of climb and continued on when his feet swelled up due to challenging terrain on snow and wet ground.
Despite taking on the hardy challenge, Ethan was thankful when a fellow hiker, known only as Neil, offered him a lift back to his car – saving him a further two and a half hour trek.
Ethan, originally from Solihull, West Midlands, has now completed 33 Munros in total without any footwear since July last year.
He posted about his unique hiking on Facebook on Tuesday, writing: “I like to walk barefoot and linked up the Crianlarich hills today.
“Needless to say the feet are sore.
“Shout out to Neil the hiker on Ben More who offered me a lift back to the start.”
Ethan then listed the seven Munros he managed to climb – Beinn Chabhair, An Caisteal, Beinn a’ Chroin, Beinn Tulaichean, Cruach Àrdrain, Stob Binnein and Ben More.
Ethan’s post has now collected hundreds of likes and comments from users who were impressed by the achievement.
Some impressed social media users even likened Ethan to Wim Hof, a world renowned extreme athlete who teaches his mind to overcome physical pain.
Robert Davies said: “I did four of those yesterday and it took eight hours. The whole lot in one go is a complete mission. Impressive!”
Gareth MacGuire said: “I remember meeting you on Beinn Bhuidhe back in the Autumn and thinking you were a bit nuts. Suspicion confirmed!
“Very well done.”
Shaun Gorry said: “Well done big Wim Hof there.”
Bea Anderson said: “Take the jumper off too and you’re like Wim Hof.”
David Pennie said: “Wow, that’s some feat.”
And Ricky Mmorgan said: “Toe-tally brilliant.”
Ethan now plans to conquer the notorious Cuillin Ridge on the Isle of Skye in May while continuing to leave his shoes at home.
The treacherous rocky travers will see the dedicated hill walker conquer all 11 peaks on the Ridge whilst camping high in the mountains to break up the walk.
As a part of the expedition Ethan will also be raising donations towards Trees for Life, a charity which looks to rewild the Scottish Highlands.
Speaking today Ethan said: “I went up Loch Lomond last July in my bare feet to make it harder and I got really hooked into it.
“If I’m working I’ll put shoes on but on days off I like walking about without them on, but its mainly just for hill walking.
“I’ve been trying to walk harder things to build up for the Cuillins and this was a lot harder.
“My feet are definitely tough, they’re pretty gnarly on the soles.
“Cold and wet are the problem when walking barefoot, hard rock and sharp surfaces aren’t that bad when your feet are tough.
“ A lot of man made things like tarmac or gravel are surprisingly nasty.
“It was pretty easy on the skin, it was more the fitness which was a challenge.”
In a fundraising page, Ethan said: “I began walking Munros barefoot as it connected to nature and I was originally inspired by the article ‘The Art and Sole of Barefoot Hiking’, teaching us to become more connected with the nature we are slowly losing thanks to our neglect.
“The combination of the clarity I feel when I walk barefoot and the challenge to my skin it delivers mean I see this as an example of why re-wilding charities should be donated to.
“We need to protect and allow the wild to reclaim us through whatever way helps us best personally.”
