Adventures of a Nude Hiker

(Thanks to our Facebook Friend, Billy Rayson for this guest post)

Adventures of a Nude Hiker by Billy Rayson

Nude Hiking (Billy Rayson)

I’ve been hiking nude since the mid-seventies. At the time I was attending UCSB and would enjoy hikes in the foothills of the Los Padres National Forest whenever I could. It was in Sycamore Canyon one day that I saw my first nude hiker coming down the trail wearing only hiking boots and a gigantic back pack. He flashed me the peace sign as he passed by and continued on his way. That was my light-bulb-over-the-head moment! Having spent as much time as possible nude throughout childhood, this first sighting resonated very deeply within me. I stripped off immediately (except for the flip-flops I used to hike in back then) and continued my hike naked for that first, exhilarating time. The exertion, sun, shade, and the ice cold water of Sycamore canyon felt so much better, intense, closer, and more in tune with Nature than I had ever experienced. I spent the rest of summer, almost daily, nude on the trails, rock hopping, and skinny dipping in the cold, refreshing crystal clear waters of Sycamore Canyon. Been hooked ever since. The exhilaration of that first hike has never faded. By contrast, clothed hiking feels constricted, separate from Nature, clumsy, hot and sweaty. In short (please pardon the kid-speak), yucky!

 Nude hiking over the years teaches you many things about yourself, your abilities, trail etiquette, others who use the same trails, and Nature itself.

I have come to regard my nude hikes as a time to commune with Nature as can only be done when naked in Nature as Nature intended. It is also a time for contemplation, reflection, and walking meditation. The rejuvenating properties, and the feeling of oneness you experience when there is nothing between you and Nature are a priceless gift! Not that hiking with friends is not fun (and safer), but I enjoy my nude hikes most when I hike alone. I’ve always returned refreshed and more prepared to face the world after a day nude in Nature.

There are, of course, many practical matters you learn to attend to as a nude hiker as well. I try to keep things as light as possible, but the basics like water, a snack (I only do day hikes), sunscreen, first aid, knife, fire, flashlight, etc. are important to have in your pack. That, and a good hiking stick. I wear Teva or Chaco hiking sandals instead of hiking boots or tennis shoes. To me, sandals are “more nude” and instead of those silly looking ankle tans, yield a “Teva or Chaco tan”, the proudly broadcast hidden message of which is: “This is all I wore this summer!”

(Of course as a nail painter, there is the added matter of not chipping a nail during your hike to consider. More incentive to watch your step!)

There are a few other basics particular to nude hiking you pick up along the way. Mostly common sense things like, use trails that are not heavily trafficked: the more remote, the better. Go early in the morning. (The old saying, “Plough deep while sluggards sleep”, really applies here.) And if at all possible, go on a week day. The idea, of course, is to encounter as few other (clothed) hikers as you can.

Regardless of any precautions you take, you will encounter clothed hikers from time to time. Most experienced hikers, particularly in remote areas, have seen nude hikers before, and in general, are of the “we-all-look-out-for-each-other-out-here-in-the-woods” frame of mind. I simply give them the peace sign with a friendly greeting and continue on my way. As a rule, I do not hurriedly cover up or in any way behave as though I am doing something wrong or indecent when I see clothed hikers coming my way. (Be aware, that nudity on federal land is not illegal.) It’s good to have a strong conviction that nude hiking is completely natural, and in no way “wrong”. 

In 40-plus years of nude hiking, only one person has told me to cover up (and I’ve even encountered Rangers on a couple of occasions.) Admittedly, I was on a heavily textile trafficked trail – my mistake. My normal experiences with clothed hikers have been, without exception, in the neutral to friendly range. Several times I’ve stopped and enjoyed a friendly chat with textiles about trail conditions, wildlife, or the light-hearted joke about my “all-over tan”! And who knows, perhaps along the way I’ve made a few converts just like that fellow I saw so many years ago did with me.

Remember friends, Be good to the trail, and the trail will be good to you!

(Thank you for this great article Billy!)

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Body Shame, like prejudice, is not natural, it is learned from others and benefits No One

One of my favorite sayings is "Body Shame, like prejudice, is not natural, it is learned from others and benefits No One".

It makes me sad sometimes how freaked out the US is about our amazing human bodies devoid of clothing as nature intended, while many other countries are much more comfortable with their bodies. It kind of makes me sad that I have to worry so much about whether or not the wrong person will see me without clothes. I just want to live without having to worry about putting on clothes to be around others as I'm just so much more comfortable and happy without clothes.

I feel sad at times that I can't invite family over, or certain friends without having to put clothes on.  Why can't they just accept me the way I'm comfortable and try to get over your unfounded fear of Carla and I naked.  I know it seems weird, but think about it, I've just got body parts like everyone else, it's not sexual, and I'm more comfortable naked.  I don't act any different naked than I do clothed.  It is Not sexual in any way.  I don't try to flash my parts at you and I respect your concerns, I really do.  But I would be SO happy if a family member would write me and say, 'Hey Guy, I've thought about it, and if you are comfortable being naked around me, then I'll get over my irrational fears and allow you to be comfortable, and will accept you just as you are'.  That would make my day, No, that would make my year. When I'm made to put clothes on at home just because someone is not comfortable, I can respect that, but it makes me feel like they are afraid of me, or they don't trust me.  Or maybe they are afraid of how they will react.  Sometimes I'm not sure.  If any family happens to read this, just consider it, please.  And thank you for even considering it.  But, I'm pretty sure none of my family will as they are mostly not interested in my nudist ramblings and such.

Another example is, Why do I have to go to the great lengths shown below to work on my vehicle in my driveway.  Here, I actually put up a blue cloth to gain the privacy I need to do simple cleaning or maintenance.  And I do this multiple times per week.  But Why do I need to do this?

Working naked in my driveway

Why is that so hard for the people here in the US to understand that about those of who choose not to wear clothes, which are man made adornments anyway, and why do naked bodies freak out so many people in the US?

I think it mostly has to do with very Antiquated religious ways of thinking.  But we have long since moved past those ways, except when it comes to the unclothed body.  Many years ago it was considered immoral for a Man to show his bare chest, or for women to show their ankles even.  But we evolved, and our intelligence led us to realize that being worried about those things is silly.

But I feel we are at the next stage in our intellectual development regarding the human body.  We now are ok with seeing all parts of the human body except the butt crack, genitals and women's breasts.  But my question is this: 'Does anyone over the age of 18 NOT know what those body parts look like'?  Of course the answer is NO.  We ALL know what they look like, and although they come in different shapes and sizes, they basically are all the same.  So WHY is it that people are so worried about seeing them?  It's because of social conditioning which mostly comes from over zealous religious extremists.  Are you really going to let this small segment of people tell you how to think, react and believe?  Think about that.

I think another answer to the question above is mostly in the fear that we have that if we see a person with their genitals or women's breasts showing that this will somehow cause mass sexual perversion, or rape, child molestation, etc.  But if people would educated themselves they would see that this is NOT the case.  People have been gathering for years in large groups with no clothes on and it has never caused any of these problems.  Go visit a nudist resort sometime, even if just for a free tour, and you'll see how relaxed the community is, and how there isn't even the slightest hint of perversion going on.  Rape is Not Triggered by the sight of a naked body nor does it cause people to do things that are perverted.

And, here's the real truth others not in the nudist lifestyle need to understand.  Yes, you may be shocked a little the first time you see a lot of naked people in a crowd.  But you Will get over it quickly.  We've all been there.  We've all had that first time and many of us were very apprehensive about trying it, but after disrobing and joining them, we discover that the shock of seeing all those naked bodies turns into the Joy of feeling totally free, and liberated in ways that are hard to describe.  It just feels natural and very relaxing.  Soon we forget that we are among dozens or hundreds of others without clothes.



I think the best way to describe that effect is by quoting the famous actress Mae West who once said: "Those who are easily shocked should be shocked more often".  If you take a moment to think about it, what this means is that you are easily shocked because you seldom see something like naked bodies.  But if you are 'shocked' more often, you get over it.  

This fear of naked bodies is irrational, but most people won't realize this and will justify their fear of naked bodies with morality, shame, religion, or the harm to their children.  But numerous studies have shown that children who grow up in a clothing optional environment have no issues resulting from it.  It's all in how you raise you kids. If you raise them to be ashamed of naked bodies, they will be, and they will be shocked if they see one in public.  But kids who grow up in that environment see it as normal, therefore they are not shocked or harmed by it in any way.   


For five years, Dennis Craig Smith and William Sparks studied the effects of social nudity on children. Their book, The Naked Child: Growing Up Without Shame, is written in part from their personal experience with naturism, and remains a solid piece of descriptive self-reporting on the effects of social nudity on children. They conclude that "the viewing of the unclothed body, far from being destructive to the psyche, seems to be either benign and totally harmless or to actually provide positive benefits to the individuals involved" (183). Scholars publishing in academic journals have come to the same conclusion.

You can read more about this at: http://montananaturist.org/Naturism%20and%20Children.html

Or read stories from those who grew up in a nudist family at places like this: http://www.experienceproject.com/stories/Grew-Up-In-A-Nudist-Family/1402643

So I just want to post this poster I made, of myself, and encourage others to pass it on as well.

Nudism motivational poster

 Feel free to contact me privately, or to post in the comments section below.

Thank you,
Guy

Nudists are Losing Their Rights, and How YOU can Help

We know that the majority of the readers of our blog are nudists, and that we are reaching very few new people.  But we will continue to try to reach the people who have thought about nudism, or are just curious about it anyway, to show that nudists are just normal people who have gotten over our body shame, learned body acceptance of others, and chose to live a more comfortable lifestyle without clothes.

BUT, for those of you who already enjoy nudism, we are calling on you to 'Come Out of The proverbial Nudist Closet'.  Why?  Because our rights as nudists are being eroded slowly by the ultra conservative minority who think it's their god given job to protect society from all us crazy, weird, sinful nude people.  I believe it really is a minority of people who think this way, but they are willing to work hard to take away our rights, and they carry a lot of weight, especially when the majority of us are hiding in our safety closets.

I know, I know, SOME of you can't come out, and I understand.  But I believe MOST of you can, but you are afraid to take the chance to stand up for something you believe in.  The fear of repercussions is Mostly in your head.  Seldom does any of those fears actually happen.  And if they do, you can almost always deal with them and they usually go away once you explain why you are a nudist.

Let me give you an example.  I used to live in fear that others would find out and ostracize me, look down on me or something similar.  I feared that everyone would just think I was a pervert, or total weirdo, so I never told anyone.  Then one day I got caught by my parents, and 2 nieces and it was no big deal.  They just made a joke of it.  So I then started telling everyone if they were coming by my place, just call first and I'd get dressed.  Didn't have any problems with anyone.  Most acted like it was nothing.  Then I married my current wife, who was also a nudist and we decided to host 'World Naked Gardening Day' in our backyard and announced it on Craigslist to try and attract new members for our local nudist group. 

Well the media got wind of it and wanted to interview us, so we decided, what the heck, we'll put out a press release.  Sure enough, we ended up on the front cover of the local paper (http://www.gjsentinel.com/news/articles/pair_to_host_event_for_celebra) and on TV 4 times, nude every time.  All articles were well written and positive overall.  My wife worked for a large

Photo that appeared on Front page of our local newspaper

corporation and the next day there were some jokes made about it, but nothing else.  She didn't get fired over it, or disciplined, or anything.  The only issues have been that the next day the HOA called us concerned about their kids seeing us naked, but after a 15 minute phone call their concerns were laid to rest, with a caveat of 'ok, as long as you keep it private I guess we can't say anything'.  Soon that blew over and we never heard anything else about it.  And my brother asked me to no longer contact my niece via Facebook because he feels I'm only out to show my genitals to everyone.  But he doesn't talk to most of my family, so it's not just me.  My wife also had one sister upset about it, but she still talks to her sister and just never mentions nudism at all.  So overall, very little has happened since we came out of the closet.

If most of us remain in the closet, society will see us as a closet society, hiding something.  And if we are hiding something, it must be because there's something wrong with it, so it's probably sinful or immoral.  And if most remain hidden, it appears our numbers are MUCH lower than they really are so we are seen as this little group of people who like to run around naked together and have orgies.

How can we change this?  I have several ideas.  Here's a few of them-

1. We come out on places like Facebook.  The way to do that is to start gradually by doing things like sharing nudist articles about nude beaches, or nudist resorts, etc.  Others will start to understand what you are trying to say.  Then just answer their questions, and start posting now and then about how you've come to learn sunbathing nude in private, skinnydipping, etc.  
2. Become a member of groups like TNS, The Naturist Society, or AANR.  This shows solidarity and gives us a larger voice.  By having a large support group like this, it shows there's more than a few of us that enjoy this lifestyle.
3. Talk about it with your family and friends.  Again, you can bring it up slowly.  Here's an example.  Tell your friends who are coming over one day not to come over until after 3pm (for example) because you're going to be sunbathing in the backyard and don't want tan lines so won't be wearing anything.  Or if you have a hot tub, say you prefer not swimsuits in the hot tub because the soaps and chemicals in your suits messes up the tub chemistry, (true).  Or maybe you have always wanted to check out the nude beach in your area.  Ideas like this.
4. 'Accidentally' leave some literature laying out on your coffee table regarding a nudist resort, a nudist publication or your book about the worlds best nude beaches.
5. Mention it to your hair stylist.  We do it all the time.  We just talk about how nice the weather is and say we can't wait to lay out in the back yard and get rid of all these tan lines, or something like that.  If they bite, we explain, if not, we don't push it.
6. Wear a T-shirt, hat, etc from a nudist resort, TNS, etc.  Even a bumper sticker will tell people you support the nudist lifestyle.  We have the "Life is short play naked" sign on vehicle back windows.
7. Invite friends or family to go to a nude hot springs, nudist resort, etc.  Many people have done this with great success.
8. Put a sign up by your hot tub or pool saying something about clothing optional, or no swimsuits required.  You can buy these on Amazon.com
9. Run an ad in Craigslist telling others what nudism is all about and mention you are looking for other nudist friends.  Also put a link to a site such as AANR telling them they can learn more about nudism there.
10. Put a sign by your doorbell like we have saying "nudist zone".  The sign on the right is what everyone sees when they enter our house.  Most laugh, or think it's cool.  Quite a few actually ring the doorbell twice meaning we can answer nude if we choose. We got this sign from Amazon.com I believe.  We did add the stickers saying to ring the doorbell twice, quickly, if you're ok with nudism.

Back in the days when gays were thought of as being defective, freaks, and all that other crap, it took one man to create an uprising.  That man was Harvey Milk.  He stood up publicly for gay rights and created a movement that encouraged all the gay people out there to come out of the closet and announce that "hey, I'm a normal person who happens to be gay, and I have rights".  If you haven't seen the movie 'Milk', rent it and see what an impact that can make.  We as nudists need to form a grassroots uprising.

Maybe it doesn't have to be one person, maybe it can be a lot of us coming out together, en mass, and announcing on Facebook, to our friends, with our window stickers, etc that "Yes, we happen to live the nudist lifestyle, and we are just normal, everyday people who live a lifestyle you don't understand, but we are not a bunch of weirdos.  We're cooks, policemen, clergy, CPAs and all the other walks of life and we have rights".

And it seems that many of us are realizing this and trying to do something about it.  For example, a Great Blogger, Felicity Jones, has a blog post about this titled

Are You a Secret Nudist as Well?

People Don’t Know I’m A Naturist Underneath These Clothes Are You Out Of The Nudist closet?

  at: http://youngnaturistsamerica.com/secret-nudist/

These are just a few ideas I have.  If you have more, feel free to post them in the comments section.

In the meantime, remember, the nudist community will continue to be seen as a fringe society and often seen as a bunch of freaks, or weirdos, perverts or sexual nuts if we don't stand up and tell others we are NOT ASHAMED TO BE A NUDIST.

The pic below, by the way, is my current Facebook profile picture.  Feel free to copy the image below and use it ANYWHERE you want, including facebook.

 Until next time, stay nude and comfortable.

July 14 was National Nude Day, so I have to post this. WHO WILL READ THIS?

July 14 was National Nude Day, so I have to post this. WHO WILL READ THIS?

Why is America so hung up on Naked Bodies as being ugly or shameful? Why do we consider our god given bodies to be something we should hide or if seen be ashamed of? Makes no sense to me. 

I just spent 4 days at a nudist resort here in Colorado around probably a hundred or so naked people of ALL ages from little babies to senior citizens with ALL body types, and no one was ugly to me, or

anyone else there. Nudists have realized that we can't change the body we were given and even if we could, why? Why do we have to have this 'Perfect' body? Does the way our bodies look actually change who we are? NO! Who we are comes from within, and how we treat others.

The people at Mountain Air Ranch are absolutely the nicest and friendliest people I have met ANYWHERE, and they all run around nude. Hmmm, guess what, it's not our naked bodies that make us nice people. And we have simply gotten over being ashamed of our body parts, especially our genitals and breasts. 

 
It's SO SILLY to be ashamed of those parts of our bodies, or even our bellies, etc. Learn to love people for who they are and not how they dress or what they look like naked. And seeing someone's genitals is NOT a turn on people. Can you really get turned on by just the sight of someones genitals? If so, you need to re-evaluate your sex life, lol. But if you are attracted to the person as a whole, or in love with that person, then seeing their entire naked body can be sexual, yes. But to say that seeing another woman's genitals alone is enough to turn you on is ridiculous too.

We spent 4 days here this time, and have done this before and we saw less staring and ogling here than we do at beaches and pools where people are clothed. And we saw NOT ONE INSTANCE of sexual lewdness anyone at any time because being naked does NOT mean you are looking for sex. GET OVER IT PEOPLE.

My dream is to be able to do anything in my life without clothes if I choose, whether it's at a beach or

Swimming naked only makes sense, think about it

washing my car in my driveway naked, without freaking people out and getting arrested. Some have said I do it just to expose my genitals to others as if I get some erotic turn on from doing it, lol. That is the farthest from the truth. I have spent a whole week naked on a jobsite once without ever being seen by ONE PERSON that whole time, and loved it.

There's a lot of families that come to Mountain air ranch and believe it or not, the kids are not traumatized. I heard MORE THAN ONCE kids complaining about having to leave. They LOVE IT here, and the families seem very close. The kids get over the stigma of seeing their parents naked because their parents do raise them to be ashamed of seeing anyone naked in proper circumstances, which for kids in today's environment means when parents are around, etc.

And would I freak out about seeing any of my family naked? No, they all have naked bodies and so what? I might find it a little weird for a few minutes, but if we all acted normal then I would get over it real quick. It's just a naked body. I wish my family could come visit us and not require me to get dressed either. I wish they could understand what I'm writing but I know it's highly unlikely to ever happen so I'll respect their choice and put clothes on when around them. But it also makes me a little sad that most of my family would think it to 'weird' to see me naked. Seeing my genitals or naked butt is really not going to change anything about our family relationship, but it's sad that family often feels that way about other family.

It's a lifestyle choice, not a sexual one. Oh I could go on an on, but few will probably read this anyone, and it will probably only be the ones who already get it so I'm probably preaching to the choir. But if you got something from this post, let us know would you please?

Celebrating our 3 Year Nude Wedding Anniversary today

Guy & Carlas Nude Wedding photo

 3 Years ago today, the love of my life and I got married in a Nudist Wedding in our backyard.  We had a traditional clothed wedding the day before for our guests who would not attend our nudist wedding, but I still cherish our nudist wedding as much or more than the first day.

Saying our vows

We had around 20 guests show up for the nudist wedding, including my wifes daughter, and the friend who officiated our ceremony.  And what better way to wed?  We didn't have to worry about what to wear, we were much cooler, we purposely smeared cake on each other, and then we went and jumped in the pool to clean off, lol.

After the brief ceremony and cake cutting, the whole wedding party joined us in the pool and we all relaxed and enjoyed ourselves.  What an amazing day that was.

Then about a little more than a year later, we got invited to be interviewed for a magazine article about people who got married naked.  Of course we said, Sure!  The magazine was called Real People based out of the UK, and although we are in the US, they couldn't find anyone in their country so decided to use us.  We have no problem with others knowing we are nudists so we gladly accepted the offer.  It took numerous phone call interviews but after a few months we finally saw the results and we were pretty happy.  They did take a lot of liberty with the story, but nothing that offended us or really hurt anything, so hey, it was fun.  Here's the photos from the magazine, and note that we made the front cover of the magazine too!

If you've ever considered a nudist wedding, try it, it is an amazing feeling to stand in front of others and say your vows totally naked, totally vulnerable, just as we were created, and no one cares because they're all naked too!

Munich Legalizes Public Nudity, Wake up and take notice America

I love this article about Munich Germany.  Munich has officially legalized public nudity by creating six designated "nudist zones" throughout the city.  Oh my gosh, I can hear the uptight Americans saying things like, 'What about the kids, don't they care that it will screw them up'?  Or, 'I don't want to see a bunch of ugly naked people running around, thank god we don't do that'.  And I'm an American, but I obviously am not one of the uptight puritans that think seeing a naked body is somehow harmful.

Image From www.telegraph.co.uk

Why can't Americans wake up and realize that public nudity is not harmful to anyone.  

Many European countries get it and are way less prudish than we are, and they aren't screwed up over it.  We need to get over this unreasonable fear of naked bodies.  It's Unhealthy to have this fear, causes so many to have body issues, and only hurts kids by making them more curious about naked bodies forcing them to sneak around and get their information from places like the internet, porn videos, etc, instead of getting to see that nudity is not shameful, or some mysterious thing they aren't supposed to know anything about.  

In fact, hiding our naked bodies only creates problems.  We are all raised to believe their is something so embarrassing and shameful about being seen nude.  And the only ones we see showing off their bodies are the often Photoshopped models in magazines which leads so many of us to grow up with an unrealistic view of what our bodies should look like.   

I don't have time for a long post, so I'm just going to leave it at this for right now.  I applaud Germany for creating a place where people can safely go to enjoy the city, and the great outdoors without clothes.  I applaud them for sending a message that nudity is not harmful, sinful or shameful.  I dream of the day the US wakes up and does the same, but alas, I doubt I'll ever see it in my lifetime.

If you want to read more on this story, click the link below.

Munich Creates safe areas for Nudists to enjoy the city

Until next time, stay bare and happy.

Guy Purcella