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From: kroot@hercules.UUCP (Ken Root)
Newsgroups: net.followup
Subject: Re: Firewalking
Message-ID: <249@hercules.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 11-Jul-84 19:41:24 EDT
Article-I.D.: hercules.249
Posted: Wed Jul 11 19:41:24 1984
Date-Received: Fri, 13-Jul-84 03:08:00 EDT
References: <240@scc.UUCP>
Organization: Tektronix, Beaverton OR
Lines: 29

I firewalked about a year ago, without any burns at all.  I have a few
ideas about it (no answers, though).  The first point I would like to
make is that it wasn't at all a "Gee look at me!" kind of thing.  The
point is to overcome fear, not physics.  There was no ego satisfaction
in telling my friends about it, they thought I was crazy to even try it.

I mainly wanted to throw out for discussion my theory on why some people 
got burned while others didn't.  One person in particular got burned
severely.  In watching him cross the coals, he seemed to walk like a
samarei warrior going in to battle, with heavy, deliberate steps.  He
later mentioned something about wanting to prove to himself that the
trick is more mental than how one crosses.  That got me thinking, and 
I saw a trend.  Other people that were a bit timid in taking the first
step seemed to mostly get small burns in the front part of their soles.
I noticed that as soon as these people hit the coals, they pushed off
with the foot that first hit the coals, and that's where they got burned.
I mainly concentrated on just getting to the other side, without any
mental or mystical preparation other than a good foot massage to help
the blood flow and hopefully dissapate heat.  I also tried not to push
off, but to walk smoothly with even surface pressure.  I didn't even get
singed, so I walked across a second time to be sure.  My theory is that
it has something to do with time of exposure and pounds/square inch.
Obviously, walking across very quickly and always having one foot in
the air helps, but what about pressure?  Anyone else notice the people
that panicked and sped up got burned?

Oh, by the way, there was no water on the leading side of the pit.  Just
on the far side to wash off with.  That wasn't the trick.