Can anyone explain why 'the others' do not leave foot prints? They cannot be tracked (unless they want you to) and seem to wonder through certain parts of the jungle. What is going on here?

:undecide: :ohwell:

this has not been answered yet...there are many theories and such.

If the Others really don't leave footprints, and we assume that Ethan was an Other, then why were Kate and Locke able to track him when he kidnapped Claire and Charlie?

I guess I look at this as something not quite physically possible, as we understand things in our world. How can a group of humans not leave any foot prints if they are walking through a jungle? That would lead one to believe they are not human then or do not exist in the same world we do where there are physical laws that we accept. What is weird is that Ethan, an 'other' as far as we know, was killed. How can an 'other' be killed, but not leave foot prints? Is this an a la carte system that they can choose which one of life's accepted truths they adhere to? Sorry if this has been posted elsewhere, but I wanted to explore this issue in a thread of a show where the 'others' take quite a few people.

:lipsseal:

Thats the tricky part...because the sailors were others too, but they had shoes. theres gotta be more than one group of others or seperate chains of command within the others

I don't think Ethan was one of the others, because if he was, he would be after Walt as opposed to Claire's child. Chances are he was probably trying to save her baby from the enevitable, her baby being sick. By not explaining himself, he looked worse than he really was. Thats what I think regarding Ethan. Maybe them not leaving footprints is an exaggeration.

I don't think Ethan was one of the others, because if he was, he would be after Walt as opposed to Claire's child. Chances are he was probably trying to save her baby from the enevitable, her baby being sick. By not explaining himself, he looked worse than he really was. Thats what I think regarding Ethan. Maybe them not leaving footprints is an exxageration.

I'd doubt if anything is exagerrated in LOST... everything is for a reason, I think.

Well, Eko just proved that the Others can be killed, so it's possible that Ethan was one of them.

Seems to me that American Indians were known for their ability to travel undetected through forest. "White Man" tends to walk heel first, and when running, lands heel first, whick leaves a deep impression. Hard or uniformly distributed shoe soles flatten the ground (flatten grass, break sticks, leave prints). American Indians went barefoot mostly, sometimes wearing mocassins (which are more pliant, more like a thick sock than a shoe). When they walk and run, they land on the balls of their feet and toes. This spreads the weight over a greater surface area than the heel has, leaving a more shallow impression. Also, if you're running barefoot, you WATCH where you're stepping. The others we saw walking through the forest (well, their legs anyway) were walking slowly, carefully, practically tip toeing through the forest. If you were barefoot and avoided bare or muddy patches of earth, dead leaves, and sticks you could pass vitually unnoticed.

If the Others really don't leave footprints, and we assume that Ethan was an Other, then why were Kate and Locke able to track him when he kidnapped Claire and Charlie?

Because Charlie and Claire left footprints.

If the Others really don't leave footprints, and we assume that Ethan was an Other, then why were Kate and Locke able to track him when he kidnapped Claire and Charlie?


wasn't it because Charlie left his bandages behind as clues

O.k., so let us say that the 'others' walk very carefully and cannot be detected when they are on their own walks, what about when they are dragging people off with them? I hardly doubt that if you threw someone on your shoulders and can still tip-toe through the jungle undetected. Somehow, no one sees which direction the 'others' leave with their newly kidnapped 'survivors' and they still cannot be traced? Mr. Ecko clearly hides from them with Jin and claims the 'others' cannot be tracked, unless they want you to, which convalutes the picture futher. They can leave tracks if they want, they cannot leave tracks, it is their decision, but even with more weight they can make a clean get away without a trace.

The list of people to take and the comment about Nathan not being a good person seemed to give us more fuel for the other fire than we have had in some time. A real good episode! :cool:

With the tail section survivors the kidnappings happened at night. The kidnappings occurred on the beach. The others could have grabbed their abductees, headed into the jungle, and moved parallel to the beach for a short distance. Then it would be quick and easy to cut back over to the beach (the tailies only had torches, so the light doesn't carry far). A tree branch could be swept behind as the others walked and they could disappear into the jungle at any point.

wasn't it because Charlie left his bandages behind as clues

Yep, he did that as well, and they were able to track him like that, but Locke also found foot prints. Locke the hunter.:smile:

they don't leave footprints because they have a car.
tee hee

They were able to track Ethan because he was wearing shoes. Pehaps they can only be "untrackable" whilst barefoot