I heard a story a few years ago about a small cult among students at University of Alaska Fairbanks. They were going barefoot year round. I think they were also trying to go outdoors with a minimum of overclothes. I heard they existed. I believe they existed. I don't know for how long they were in existence.

And I was hiking down a local small mountain Saturday and did see with my own eyes a young man running up the trail in sandals. While many of us with real boots were flailing in the dry sandy gravelly bits.