WYNDE KATE REESE sets off for a day hike that will take her to the top of Rooster Comb Mountain in Keene Valley. She’ll pick her way over gnarled tree roots, pine needles and rock for several hours until she reaches the summit, just shy of 3,000 feet. On this trek Reese lacks a piece of gear most hikers wouldn’t consider going without.
“Anytime I’m feeling confused or anxious or a little lost or depressed, I’ll step into the woods in my bare feet,” she says.
For 44-year-old Reese, hiking barefoot is a natural extension of her longtime connection to the natural world. As a child, she grew up on 20 forested acres in Tupper Lake,
