Mt. Huron, just below the 14,005 ft summit cornice on June 25, 2009.
Since Mt. Huron is supposed to be one of the easier fourteeners, I figured this would be a good place to test my Vibram Five Fingers KSO. The sensation is almost like being barefoot, except for a 1/8 inch (3 mm) thick layer of flexible rubber under my feet.
There was a group of 7 people from Mississippi that started from the trailhead on the jeep road 2 miles past Winfield (10,000 ft) at 8:00 AM. I was wary of driving it so I parked in Winfield at 8:40 AM and walked to the trailhead at 9:20 AM. The group got to the summit about 11:15 AM and I got there 5 minutes later.
The Three Apostles.
The trail below treeline had lots of rocks. The Vibrams made it easier to walk on the small bits of gravel without discomfort but I still felt all the larger rocks. I tended to walk carefully on my forefeet, especially coming down.
Above treeline the trail has many rock steps and some snow patches and mud where streams ran down the trail. I found that the Vibrams grip as well as bare feet. Walking on sloping wet rocks was no problem, but the sections of ice on top of snow was still slippery. I had to descend very carefully near the summit.