AANR-NW GAT Solicits Volunteers for a Fun Day at Rooster Rock Nude Beach

From the AANR Weekly Report 8/21/2009

Save-the-Date: August 25th Tuesday at 10 a.m.

Submitted by Shirley Gauthier, Oregon State GA Coordinator

Volunteers will be joining the Rooster Rock park hosts for a fun day at the beach. This is a great opportunity to combine a fun day at the beach and support the Rooster Rock State Park staff in greeting visitors and handing out the new beach cards. The object of the beach day is to promote and raise awareness that public indecency will not be tolerated at Rooster Rock State Park. Your volunteer time can include a swim, hike, or walk around the island.

Volunteers simply greet visitors and pass out the new cards. The new cards include the Oregon Statute definition for public indecency and contact numbers for the Multnomah County Sheriff (503) 823-3333 and the Oregon State Police (800) 452-7888.

It’s easy! Just pack up your towel, sunscreen, lunch, and water and meet us at Rooster Rock State Park at the entrance to the clothing-optional beach at 10 a.m.

Remember that every person you come in contact with is a potential club, resort, and/or AANR member.

A huge thank you to the volunteers who have already contributed to the success of the beach card project!

For further information or to confirm you can volunteer, contact Shirley Gauthier at sherbog@msn.com

The Oregon State side of the card with contact information

The AANR side of the of the card, including

the definition of Indecent Exposure

Forest Service Sign on Three Forks Trail

"... nudity is not prohibited on Forest Service trails ..."

In conservative Utah? Encouraging.

This sign is posted at the base of the Three Forks trail which leads to Diamond Forks Hot Springs, a location where nudity has been traditionally tolerated . . . and, it seems, recognized by the Forest Service on one of their official trail signs.

The third paragraph reads, "While nudity is not prohibited on Forest Service trails, the Three Forks trail," [the wording by implication affirming that nudity is not prohibited on not just this trail but all trails] "is used by families and Scout troops, so please use discretion." I love that phrase . . . "please use discretion". Isn't that what responsible naturism and nudism is all about anyway?

Nude Mountain Biking

Finally broke down and got myself a mountain bike. Why?

Well, some of my favorite hiking spots are now inaccessible by vehicle because of storm damage of recent years or gated because of a few idiots who ruin things for everyone else:

• The upper loop of the Index-Galena Road . . . road washed out at 6.4, gated to private in-holdings at Jack Pass; thirteen miles of perfectly good paved road, no vehicles and few people (if any); six additional miles to the Silver Creek trailhead, nine miles to Troublesome and San Juan campgrounds . . . both unused now.
  
  
• The trailheads on FS 63 . . . blown out culverts; four miles additional to Quartz Creek, Cady Ridge, North Fork Skykomish and Pass Creek Trails.
  
  
• FS 62 through the Proctor Creek Drainage . . . gated to vehicles because of illegal shooting and fireworks; hundreds of miles of remote and unused logging roads.
  
  
• Mt Persis trailhead (accessed via FS 62) . . . gated as above; eight miles additional.
  
  
• The Middle Fork Snoqualmie River Road and Goldmyer Hot Springs . . . road washouts; eleven miles additional hiking.

At the beginning of the washout of the Index-Galena Road

What were once nice day hikes are now overnighters with the majority of the time spent simply reaching the trailhead. Of course, the added advantage to washed out roads is that few even bother to visit anymore leaving me with the trail to myself . . . which suits me fine . . . if I can find the time and energy to wander far down a forest service road with grand thoughts of continuing a hike once there.

The portage trail around the Index-Galena Road Washout.

The difficult part is getting the bike pulled, pushed

and carried up this steep and rough section.

Good mountain bikes ain't cheap . . . and I know next to nothing about buying one. I always wanted one . . . just wasn't willing to pay $500 to a thousand bucks. So I watched the offerings in pawn shops and last week spotted a Raleigh 21-speed Hardtail Mountain Bike (Hardtail referring to the shocks on the front only). The pawn shop was advertising 50% off that day . . . the sticker said $150. Hmmm . . . $75 was doable. Talk to the guy inside since he was knowledgeable about bikes the last time I was in that store.

You think hiking nude is exhilarating? Now imagine the rush

of invigorating air spoiling all over your body

as you coast without a care in the world

They say you never forget how to ride a bike. That isn't true. It has been years (never mind how many) since my rear-end has been on a bicycle seat. The knobby tires of a mountain bike are not optimized for roads so they tend to be quirky at really slow speeds. I spent a better part of an hour just re-learning to steer and turn without getting myself in trouble.

And I had to learn the gearing (21-speeds? My last bike had three!), when and how to use them . . . and which lever was the dreaded front brake that could send me flying over the handlebars. Eventually I felt confident that I wasn't going to prematurely kill myself. I did buy a helmet . . . I didn't bring my helmet. Does a floppy blue hat count?

Five miles in what . . . minutes? No cars, no people,

two deer transfixed by my approach.

Now we're getting somewhere ...

Riding naked down a well-paved county road is somewhat weird because you keep expecting a car to come roaring down the road at any time . . . or a county sheriff to pull you over and . . . um . . . ask a few questions like, "Where's your helmet?" But there is no one.

I have a cover-up (out of consideration and decorum) but that is serving as additional padding for my sore butt. Who designs these bicycle seats anyway? The road is deserted (except for two startled deer) . . . all but abandoned until the county can figure out a repair and find the money. I don't expect anyone and I ride with that expectation in mind . . . carefree.

Howard Creek Campgrounds just before the

South Bridge by Galena (Silver Creek)

My goal for the first ride was the campground below the South Bridge over the North Fork . . . five miles in from the road breech and washout. I reached it in no time at at . . . a major time slice if I'd had to hike it on foot. One delicious discovery . . . horse flies are not interested in trying to keep up with me on my bike . . . unlike the torturous fiasco of trying to run the gauntlet of murderous gnats and horse flies on foot and naked the previous week. They simply cannot fly as fast as I can pedal.

The return trip goes even faster as it's all a downhill coast . . . until I have to huff and puff and carry the bike up and over the narrow portage trail on foot. More 'bangedup shins'. Why can't they make removable pedals for situations like a bike falling back upon you on a steep, soft dirt slope? Next purchase . . . a seat that is . . . well, comfortable. And . . . maybe a shin-guard ...

Tidbits

It has been some time since I last posted to this blog . . . seems I missed quite a bit of the spring and summer this year regaining weight, strength and attitude. A lot has happened in the nudism world . . . much of it too dated to consider rehashing here.

Relegated to basically relaxing at home I haven't had too much interest in following those events (having other things on my mind). Nor have I had much interest in socializing for socializing's effect. I simply did not want to interact. I know a lot of it was because I did not want anyone to see me in the condition I was in during the chemo, or have me slow down a hike because I was too weak to keep up. Believe it or not, even nudists have vanity problems. At my worst I was pale skinned and down to 120 pounds . . . barely able to walk a block without resting. I have always prided myself in keeping physically fit. It is difficult to show yourself otherwise.

The current phase of treatment is over; the myelo stable. I will certainly face future bouts but for now I feel much better. Physical therapy and an appetite have brought me back into the 170s and a mad rush of snuck-in hikes (despite advice otherwise) have given me my hiking legs back and a reasonable 'whole' body tan.

During my 'down' time my Slugs, AANR and TNS memberships lapsed. I'm still unsure with what I really want to do about membership in these organizations, but I suppose I will eventually get around to renewing. For the moment though, feeling good is completely served on my own by finding a trail and enjoying it to myself. A little bit of selfishness, I suppose.

I have many projects that sit unfinished and that are important to me. One is to get my nude photo album back online and prove to the Flickr's of the world that nude is not lewd.

Secondly, and dear to my heart, is to build a database of nude opportunities in the Pacific Northwest. I started with my Clothing Optional Map . . . and that seems to be slowly gaining visitor input and comment. All the time I hear new naturists lament that they don't know where to go . . . and all the time I reply, just find a trail and do it. I'd like to compile a detailed listing of those trails and locations where one can feel somewhat confident about hiking it nude. That is the challenge I am going to present soon in this forum . . . and I hope my readers will contribute.

The follow-on posting will be about hiking within the Proctor Creek Drainage which gave me the easier routes to recover the legs. It will also be a harsh commentary on how a few people can ruin a great resource for everyone. Stay tuned.