Hiking in the nude

RetroTechie

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Hello all,

I would like to share an experience from a few days ago with you. Involving yours truly, a flashlight, and nothing else except the wonderful outdoors.

Since >20 years I've been a naturist. And as far as experiences go, there's something even nicer than go without clothes at home or in a designated place: do so elsewhere. Better yet: not stick to a single place. So to walk around, or eg. ride a bicycle (been there, done that! :whistle: ).

In my area, there's a local lake with a nude beach that I have visited many times over the years. And since last year, I have walked around this lake a couple of times -stark naked- on different occasions. Takes about 3/4h to an hour depending on speed & shortcut(s) taken. Route is a mix of grass, sand, and a bit of pavement (foot / bicycle path). Obviously, if I were to do this while it's crowded with people, that would be asking for trouble. And though I am a person that likes to exercise my rights, I try hard to avoid bothering other people in doing so. Or get myself in trouble unnecessarily. So: I have done these walks at a time of day when this lake is (practically) deserted. Usually: the early hours juussst when it starts to get light.

These early hours coincide with minimum temperatures, so given the Dutch climate there are not many days in a year that this is possible (read: comfortable). Which is where climate change lends a hand: here in the NL, over the last couple of years we've had markedly more 'tropical' days than usual. And more so: especially warm NIGHTS. Like the past week: 5+ days in a row with minimum temperatures around 18..20 o​C (such nights used to be quite rare in the Netherlands).

But anyway we had several of such nights, I had some free time, and thus I decided to do another around-the-lake walk. On this particular night, it was rather cloudy. Only a partial moon. And I decided to go a bit earlier than on previous occasions. So I expected it to be rather dark, and therefore brought a flashlight. As it happened, there was lightning in the distance. But since there was virtually no wind and it was far away, this lightning was not going anywhere. En route to the lake, I quickly found that places with water nearby tended to have foggy conditions.

So imagine the scene shortly after arriving at the lake: no other people around (and I would know if there where - I know this lake & its immediate surroundings like my pants' pocket, and the small groups of people that sometimes hang out there after midnight, tend to be the noisy kind. Youths mostly - often equipped with small BBQ's, junkfood & alcoholic drinks). Time around 04:30h. Yours truly wearing nothing - no clothes, no jewelry or hat, not even shoes. Only my trusty 18350 size Convoy S2+ in hand. Dark. A dim moon hiding behind the clouds. Moist but warm-feeling grass under my feet. Fog everywhere. Lightning in the distance (but no thunder). Lake water that felt almost like a hot bathtub. Some bats flying overhead. Situation all in all: magical.

To be honest: besides the superb conditions and magical atmosphere, this particular walk around the lake was rather uneventful. Roughly halfway, I spotted a flashlight being used some distance away. Spooky! :duck: I have seen this a couple of times before. Not sure what for, I suspect people looking for specific wildlife (salamanders?) that are easier to find at this time of night. Anyway it didn't scare me, so I continued my walk. Shortly after, as it was slowly getting light, I saw a guy leaving the area. Backpack & all... Walked right past me, I simply greeted "Goede morgen!" (good morning) as if nothing unusual, and he had a big grin on his face. So did I... :D Most Dutch people are quite tolerant about public nudity (especially in places with lots of room like beaches, dunes etc). I'm guessing both he & I thought it was rather funny. Not the first time I ran into some other people on such walks. As said: usually not a problem. Although I prefer to avoid such encounters as you never know (those other people & how they might feel).

All in all: a wonderful experience. If you have never done such a thing but encounter a suitable opportunity: highly recommended! For beginners: safer & probably more fun when done with (close) friends. Note that not everybody needs to get nude. Just ask if you have questions or want some tips!

P.S. I wouldn't mind posting pics, but I didn't bring a camera, not many people care to see pics that include a naked dude (full frontal or otherwise), and this being a family-friendly forum would push it into NSFW territory... figured the story itself should be safe to post though.
 

nbp

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Oh my goodness, what a story! This is not something I would personally do, but I am glad that you had fun! ;)
 

aginthelaw

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I wouldn't get five hundred feet before I'd have to fight someone one in this neighborhood. I went to the netherlands in '95 and a friend of my cousin Is french. She picked us up, drove to a beach in france and everyone proceeded to take their clothes off. I followed suit (suitless?) and had a ball. We walked around, observed many bodies good and bad. Complete strangers came up and talked to me. They knew I was American without me opening my mouth. But the best part was hitting the water and leaving every care behind.
 

chillinn

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I don't claim to speak for Americans, but it seems to me that here, the naked male body, unless absolutely Lou Ferrigno-perfect, is perceived as ugly or offensive, especially the sex organ. To risk sounding sexist, it is the opposite here for the healthy female form.

Shame is a thing here also, as well as modesty. America sucks in a lot of ways, like with television and sensors, the radical religious right that can't seem to understand different strokes for different folks, but it is also sometimes quite charming, and there are countless that are tolerant and won't try to impress their sensitivities on others.

There are probably a lot of nude beaches in the US, I have been to one, and it was culture shock. I am bashful, ok? But the only time I took off my clothes in public is skinny dipping at night with intoxicated friends in high school where we should not have been, but we escaped unmolested or without anyone really noticing. And it was fun. Recommended.
 

FlashKat

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Anaheim, CA.
I really wish nudity was accepted in the U.S.A. Once I am home my clothes are off immediately, and it's the best feeling.
There are times I wish I could just walk outside to get the mail, or answer the door without any worries.
 

bigburly912

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True story, my buddies papaw rescued his red bone coon hound that got its coin purse all knotted up in a Briar patch. Ripped him wide open. Ol Flash was smart enough to sit still while Ralph cut him out.

I won't be hiking nude.
 

scout24

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Penn's Woods
Given that I get poison ivy bad enough to need cortisone shots and steroids by simply looking at pictures of it in a magazine someone else is reading, I gotta say it's not for me. And I don't want anyone thinking there was a sasquatch sighting. It's best for everyone that I don't...
 

RetroTechie

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Hengelo, NL
There are probably a lot of nude beaches in the US, I have been to one, and it was culture shock.
That is the thing: it's only shocking to some people because it's different from how they where 'imprinted', family tradition, etc. A cultural issue. Unfortunately this is then forced onto the rest of the population, even though people going about their daily lives nude wouldn't hurt anyone else. Not much different from people who wear piercings or paint their hair purple.

A good way to decide for yourself, is go to a family-oriented nude resort (better option imho than eg. a nude beach as it's a more sheltered environment). For people who've never been there, it's typical to be very nervous at first (or beforehand). And it will feel sooo strange, seeing all those people with boobs hanging out, bits dangling etc. :laughing: Depending on the person, this may take just hours, or a couple of days.

But then, the strangeness / newness wears off, and the "switch gets flipped". After which you'll usually see 2 types of response:
a) "Hmm, yeah, okay, I can see what naturists like about it. But it's not my cup of tea."
b) "Oh wow this feels so great! Wish I had tried this 20 years ago!"

To grow as a person, PLEASE find out in which group you belong. ASAP! And (if needed) give it a couple of days to find out. If you're in group a), well then: little time / money lost, interesting experience, 99.999% chance you'll come out unharmed, and good for some stories among friends.
But if you're in group b), and for whatever reason never even try it, you would miss out on so much joy in the rest of your life, just thinking about that makes me sad. :mecry:

Note that skinny dipping or a one-time visit to a nude beach (probably) won't do, as the "unusual" aspect remains then. You really need to give it enough time (or do it often enough) for the "strange" to wear off. For people who have naturists in their circle of friends, simply hanging out with them for a while might be the ticket. :thinking:
 

chillinn

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Allow me give a few details. Martha's Vineyard, Gayhead Beach, below the lighthouse. I must have been 14yo, so this is before I could even talk to girls. I see people on the cliffs, not realizing they were naked, rubbing a white stuff that comes out of the cliff face all over their bodies. I would guess now it was marl. Nice sized group of strikingly beautiful French teenage girls (they were speaking French, and they were naked, that's how I knew). I'm a tourist, not realizing what I was walking into. I had a camera around my neck. Mortified (because of the camera. 35mm Canon with 300mm telephoto).

I forgot. I have been very naked in public. I am BPD. Treated. As is very typical of the disorder, my first (and really my only) episode, 28 years ago, I ran down the middle of a highway naked, right on the divider lines. At least a mile. Against traffic. Broad daylight. Morning traffic honking. Semi trucks. Cop saved my life. I made all the papers. Whenever you read about something similar, it is only BiPolar Disorder. BPD places me squarely in Group b.

There was another time, a couple years after that. I stripped and crawled out on the roof. That was intoxication.

I have always showered naked, such as in middle school after gym class. I noticed some could not do that.
 
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Unless you are good with DEET on your private parts, my area of the world is probably somewhere you don't want to be nude hiking. Heck, at some points of the year we purposely cover head to toe :) .... ah the great outdoors. I save my nudity for the water or a warm Caribbean beach ... but that is probably more than what most of you want to know about me :)
 

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