We saw it, but couldn’t believe it. Was it from a shoe made to leave a print in the sand to resemble a human foot? Sue and I were near Garnet Lake, trekking northbound on California’s John Muir Trail in August 2021, when she spotted the print. Around the next bend, we found our answer: Kenneth Posner, an American who was in his second attempt to walk the entire 211-mile trail from Mount Whitney to Yosemite Valley barefoot. He was happy to pose for Sue’s photo. His email when we got home broke the news: He had failed again, having to put on shoes on a difficult rocky section.

The JMT surfaces are tough enough with the best of shoes, but Kenneth returned in 2022 for his third try. And once again, a hard-to-get thru permit eluded him, so he had to walk the trail in sections. Read what happened here.