I think I unintentionally invented a new exercise activity...

... barefoot mud skiing!

Disclaimer: just sharing my own accidental personal experience, absolutely do not attempt! I repeat, do not try this at home!!!

It’s been raining every day for the past 2 weeks and just the other night it poured for hours and hours. So naturally the very next day when we finally had a day of sunshine, I had to get out to the hills! There’s a trail over by the old cemetery that requires ascending a steep hill that takes about 15 minutes to climb even on a good day with great cardio conditioning to reach the top and continue along the trail. I chose this trail fully knowing it would be even more challenging than usual due to all the mud but I’d probably have the trail all to myself because no one would be crazy enough to hike in this much mud!
By the way, I hike and run barefoot so I had my backup sandals tucked into my running belt. It was slow-going but I was able to get up the hill without falling, my feet only occasionally sliding around as I carefully planned each footstep in an effort to remain upright. I then had a fantastic hike on the hilltops and upper trails which were less slippery as they’d dried out more in the sun. Time to go home, so I began the descent. Immediately after starting down the trail I realized the mud was going to be even more challenging going back.
I slid around and couldn’t get much traction anywhere I stepped, and even if I hadn’t been barefoot and had been wearing hiking boots, I think they’d have been so caked with mud as to render the treads useless anyway. A hiking pole might have been useful but I don’t carry one and all the tree branches were too thin, short or soggy to use for support. One side of the trail cliffs out and follows a creek down below, the other goes up a 50?-60? degree grade along the side of the hill so not much room to maneuver. What to do?
I tried half squatting down to shift my center of gravity and took smaller steps. After only a few steps one or both of my feet would slide and I’d start to lose control of my descent. I figured scooting down the hill would be better than risking a fall so I squatted all the way down and used my feet like skis, propelling and stabilizing myself with my arms. I started down and got moving, picking up more speed than I had anticipated. Soon I was gliding on the mud using my arms like ski poles and leaving a set of ski tracks behind me. One day soon someone is going to see those tracks and wonder what the heck happened here?!
I had to be careful about going too fast or getting too close to the edge that dropped down but if I felt like I was losing control I just lowered my bottom and used it to brake, my poor leggings were caked in mud

It turned out to be really, really fun!!!

I made it to the bottom of the hill and checked myself over, I was muddy but otherwise fine. I cleaned the mud off my feet and hands in some soft dewy grasses and used an old towel to sit on in my car since my leggings were still covered in mud. Today I’m having some light DOMS in my arms from using muscles I don’t normally work out, but other than that it’s been a fantastic experience that made me totally feel like a kid again! Although I don’t think I’ll add barefoot mud skiing as a regular exercise... it’s free and doesn’t require any equipment at all but it does create more laundry than I’m willing to do on a regular basis

Pics were taken going up the hill and you can’t see the muddy part of the trail, only the lush new grasses it was a fantastic hike!