The Nude Hiker is still out there ...

Been a long time since I last posted.  Much of it has to do with my health and a goodly portion concentrating what free time I do have in supporting Scenic Hot Springs.

Healthwise, I continue to remain in remission and in the chronic phase of the leukemia.  The Glevec works but monthly treatments take their toll. Otherwise, I feel good and I'm able to get out and do most things.

As I said, much of my time has been involved with Scenic and the attempts to get better control over illegal access up there.  So I'm up there very often.  We have a number of trail cams on the way up to the springs (no, none at the pools).  Since I am the Nude Hiker, I hike Scenic nude almost all the time . . . and so, I've seen myself on the trail cam images many times.  So I've put together an album of just a few of those images and vids.  Hope ya'all enjoy it.  Doing my best to make clothing-optional the de facto norm at Scenic.

Examining the new Honor Box on the upper trail late at night.

The photo album is here.

No Clothes, No Problem on Some BLM Tracts

The public lands offer something for everyone in Southern California, including those who prefer to recreate in their most natural state.

The Bureau of Land Management's California Desert District this week issued new regulations for public nudity, drawing a line in the sand, so to speak, for where nudists may hike, camp and fish on public lands.

The final supplementary rules came in response to concerns from the American Association for Nude Recreation that BLM's interim rules issued last summer, which banned nudity at "developed sites" and areas open to off-highway vehicles, were too vague and could allow nudists to inadvertently enter developed areas.

"There was a concern that they could be hiking in an area and there could be a well or a fence or something that would allow the area to be classified as developed," said Lynnette Elser, planning and environmental coordinator for the agency's Southern California district, which covers some 11 million acres east of Los Angeles. "They could stumble upon it by accident, not intending to go into a public site."

The new rules clarify that wilderness areas, which cover well over a million acres in the district, are open for nude recreation as long as there are not large groups of people.

But public nudity in developed areas can create controversy and conflicts among users and cause crowd-control concerns, BLM warned.

The new rules prohibit nudity near campsites with picnic tables, toilet facilities or visitors centers, in addition to off-highway vehicle trails, BLM said.

"There has been some concern in some of the areas of high concentration of use when people are not fully clothed when there are families there with young children," Elser said.

Last summer's interim rule grew out of concerns over riotous and potentially dangerous off-highway vehicle use, including vehicle crashes and people falling off of overloaded OHVs. Nudists who ride OHVs risk more serious injuries when they fall off of vehicles because they're wearing no clothes, said Dave Graber, government affairs chair for AANR, who lives on a nudist resort south of Battle Creek, Mich.

"Nude recreation is increasing," he said. "As time goes by, it's going to be more acceptable. It's tremendously more acceptable than it was 15 years ago."

Tom Mulhall, who owns the clothes-free resort Terra Cotta Inn in Palm Springs, said nude hiking and camping are on the rise in the area thanks in part to the desert's dry, bug-free climate.

"You've got people who might want to camp away from the hustle and bustle of most campgrounds in California, who want to be out in the stars," he said. "Lots of people obviously do it clothed, but there's also a lot of people who do it nude."

Nude hiking trails, beaches

Mulhall said there are three nudist resorts in Palm Springs and a handful of nudist campground areas, in addition to travel nudist clubs that meet at members' homes or beaches.

He pointed to a growing acceptance for nude hiking in Germany, where a nude hiking trail was recently opened in Dankerode, according to Time magazine.

Mulhall said nude hiking is a favorite among locals at nearby Joshua Tree National Park, which features cultural sites and "surreal" geologic features, according to the National Park Service.

NPS also manages a "clothing optional" beach at its Sandy Hook unit of the Gateway National Recreation Area in New Jersey across the bay from Brooklyn.

Muhall said he has lobbied BLM to set aside certain public lands in Southern California and elsewhere for nude recreation, but so far to no avail. He said more people would try nude recreation if it were legalized in more places.

"You'll find that most nudists want to live and let live," he said. "They want to get along, and that's why if they are going to be using public lands, they'll go away from where other people are."

Elser said BLM received more than 40 comments on last summer's interim nudity rules. Several commenters stated that nudity is not offensive, that the public supports nude recreation and that BLM should regulate sexual or lewd acts, not nudity.

One commenter urged BLM to adopt a the ruling of a San Francisco court that women have the same right as men to be topless, but BLM said the ruling does not apply to federal lands.

Last year's interim rule followed complaints from some about mobile strip shows, naked motorcycling and women flashing their breasts, according to the Riverside, Calif., Press Enterprise.

Copyright 2011 E&E Publishing. All Rights Reserved

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David Govedare, “Runners,” Seattle's PI Building near Sculpture Park

Bare Buns Fun Run time yet?

These sculptures are seen at the south end of the PI Building on Elliot Avenue (just north of the Olympic Sculpture Park).  They've always reminded me of some of the essence of the Bare Buns Fun Runs.

Collins Beach on Sauvies Island: Inundation

Some aerial photos of Collins Beach on Sauvies Island.  Just ain't no sand exposed to enjoy at all with these abnormally high river water levels.  Credit goes to Lewis Clark for these images.

From the USGS Water Resources site here

A Little Bit of Nude Spring Cleaning

Cleaning up my Green House

Nude Rain Hike to the Sunset Mine Site

Emerging from Adit #2 of the Sunset Mine

Enough of waiting around for good weather.  I just had to get out for a reasonable length hike.  I've done a number of shorties (an hour or so) but always been held back because of a lack of endurance and bone pain.  Felt really good about this one so off I was on a jaunt to check out the route to the long abandoned Sunset Mine site within the Wild Sky Wilderness and up Trout Creek for a couple of miles.

The weather was marginal . . . rain forecast.  So a hike would be chancy.  Good thing about the weather though.  Everybody else felt the same way and by the time I reached the trailhead where I'd begin the hike there were no other cars around.  Perfect!  So what if it was a little on the overcast, cool side.  I'd have the hike to myself.

Sunset Mine is a couple of miles inbound to the east along Trout creek as it wends into the Wild Sky Wilderness from the trailhead on the Index-Galena Road . . . right where the main road is closed from the 2009 road washout.  The mine access road used to be in very bad condition . . . accessible only by high-clearance 4-wheel drive vehicles.  What I noticed as I hiked up the switchbacks of the road was that gravel had been brought in to make the road much more navigable.  For myself, I wondered 'why'.  The first, lower leg made sense . . . as a lead-in to a new route for the washed-out Index-Galena road.  But further up?  The road only got better the further in I hiked.

The answer came when I finally reached the mine site, itself.  Posted on a tree was a Notice of Intent to Hold; a formal process establishing a mineral claim to the area.  Someone had staked a claim to the old Sunset Mine.

The Sunset Copper Company was formed in 1897 to mine and extract copper, silver, and gold from the Sunset outcrop. Mining operations expanded to cover 960 acres and 12,000 feet of tunnels, almost all of which have collapsed or been submerged. Ownership of the area changed hands a number of times before operations ceased and the property was ceded to the US Forest Service in 1985. By that time, over 13 million tons of copper had been hauled out of the ground. Today, all that remains of the production site is the crumbling cement foundation of the mill.

The mill site is about all one sees nowadays . . . unless you go looking for the three mine shaft adits and the two stopes that define what remains.  The mill site is a large open area that mainly sees a lot of target practice on old computer monitors lined up on the pock-marked cement foundation of the mill site.  Trout Creek runs nearby and you can still find rusting remains of milling and ore washing equipment buried under the ground.

A vigorous stream run down the roadway beyond.  If you follow the stream you are lead right up to Adit #2 . . . the easiest mine shaft to find.  I don't normally go into mine shafts, being slightly claustrophobic.  However, today I put on the headlamp and squeezed myself slightly into the mine shaft opening.  Not far because there isn't much to see.  The shaft is caved in just inside the opening.  Further up on the overgrown slope are other entrances . . . one of which is not caved in, and two open stopes that, frankly, I wouldn't want to accidently come across and fall into.  Stope 2 drops a great distance into the ground.  Today I didn't bother with trying to find them . . . no machete to clear the overgrown blackberry bushes that are the nude hiker's bane.

In any case, I was much more interested in the very recent brush clearing that had made new trails throughout the area.  I spent some time exploring a few of them, figuring whomever made them knew something I didn't.  Came across some old relics like rusting spring-metal bed frames embedded in the overburden of the forest.

I went up the road just a little bit further . . . to where there is a decaying log bridge spanning Trout Creek to other claims much further in on Gunn and Merchant Peaks.  But then it was drizzling enough for the skin to wetten, so I started on the way back, determined not to redress or seek out the flimsy emergency rain poncho I carry in the backpack.

Hey, and guess what?  I made it all the way back and just ignored the rain as it got heavier.  By the time I reached my car I was soaked thoroughly . . . and I figured, what the heck.  Right up to the car nude.  No one was going to be coming down the road in this weather.  A great tonic for the soul.  I enjoyed my hike.

The photo album of this hike can be viewed here

Shirley's Oregon Coast Nude Hike

Nude hiking in Oregon is at best challenging. Not because you can’t find a great location but because the weather discourages it. I am a warm weather hiker and it had been awhile since experiencing the joy and freedom of a nude hike. Rick's postings about nude hikes motivate and encourage me. Good gosh Rick hikes in the snow.

The coast is only about an 80-minute drive from my house. The old RV was cooperating in that it started without hesitation. The RV Park with cheap rates that I love is a 12-minute walk to the beach. On a previous trip I accidently found a very large BLM land park. Previously the park was enjoyed by ATV’ers and recently it appears any motorized vehicles are not allowed. I don’t own one nor do I want one but if I did this would be a perfect place to ride one. Now that the area is off limits to ATV’s it appears to get little use. The only sign at this park is one that says “no motorized vehicles allowed.” It would be a perfect place to set aside for nude use.

So around 10 am I entered the park and kept my eyes open for footprints in the sand. The only ones I spotted were a set of human and dog prints going in and returning out. So I felt fairly secure that I had the park to myself. I have only been able to find one entrance. No one was using the small space available for parking.. I believe that only the locals use this park as most people prefer to be on the beach.

I was able to spend almost two hours nude hiking. It was if the sun decided to give me a gift. The sand dunes blocked the coast wind and it was wonderful. Every once in awhile I would be at the top of a dune and the wind was strong and chilly. The silence of being there was a gift in itself. The blue sky and sunshine were like an added gift that I did not take for granted. I wish I had the skill Rick has at take pictues.

I own (lifetime lease) a RV site at the http://www.Willamettans.com and use it a lot in the winter. But come this time of the year I long for nude camping in the mountains, hiking the trails, and ending the day soaking in some hot springs. This hike will be added to the top of my favorite list. Such a visual joy and gift.

Incredible that there is a place in Oregon where one can be nude, hike and be alone. One of Oregon's treasures for sure. I hike a lot in the national forest but this hike is one of my favorites.. no people, no dogs, no noise and no litter.

Shirley

What a beautiful area . . . you make me jealous, Shirley.  We are going to have to hike it together . . . prior to those promised hot springs trips we've been planning all these years.    Shirley has permitted me to publish the pictures of her adventure.  You can experience her hike here in a Photo Album I've set aside just for Shirley.

Rick

Going for a nude hike? Take that camera with you.

"There are times when the beauty that surrounds a nude soul goes unnoticed until the photos are reviewed."   

Ken Freehiker, recounting on his blog about several nude hikes (or freehikes) taken recently in the El Paso, Texas area. 

I could not agree more with Ken.  The experience of nude hiking (or as Ken and many others prefer to call it . . . freehiking) is sublime and not easily explained after the fact.  The experience is both physical and spiritual . . . lasting some time after a hike.  You just feel so good about everything, having immersed and involved yourself so intimately with nature.

Like Ken, simply going over images of the hike afterward immerses you into the experience all over again.  I'm often at a loss of words to convey to friends and readers the full extent of the experience.  Photos are like a time machine taking me right back into the moment.  I share them to share the same experience with my readers.

Ken's excellent blog on everything nudism can be read here.

February Nude Hikes

On the viewpoint atop the Upper Wall above Index, WA.
 It is a sheer 1,200ft drop from the edge.

So . . . the snows are back . . . la Nina doing her thing.  But we did get at brief warming spell at the beginning of the month and a few opportunities to get out and hike nude.

The highlight was the exploration of the Index Town Walls, a promenade of sheer granite cliffs and crags that is relatively unknown outside of the rock climbing community.  I came across them by accident while driving the Index-Reiter road route looking for possibilities to get in a hike . . . came across this small gravel parking lot full of cars and . . . wondered.  Was this the trailhead assemblage for the rumored-about cliffs?

It was but it took several trips and some exploring to figure out the layout . . . and an eventual hike nude to the top and a marvelous lookout over the town of Index and the mountains surrounding.  Unlike the brave folk who endangered their lives by climbing the sheer granite faces, I stumbled upon the trail to the top in a less technical fashion.  And I had it all to myself.

I did a few other hikes off the Index-Galena road plus a visit to Scenic Hot Springs and a logging road near Grotto.  Cold weather hiking but nonetheless, challenged and invigorating.

The jAblum of these hikes is here.

Article: Dare to be Bare (Western Washington State eZine from Bellingham, WA)

WRITTEN BY TESSA JOHNSTON

FRIDAY, 04 MARCH 2011 00:04

The thought of walking around nude leaves many feeling vulnerable.  But for some, nakedness is normal. Western senior Zac Robertson said living in the buff is something he has grown up with. “I grew up in a culture where people have sweat lodges, sing songs to the earth while naked in the dark to feel connectedness,” Robertson said.  “To me, it feels totally alright and normal.” Megan Santos puts the finishing touches on a set of wings for Western junior Chasse Gunter. She said she liked the club’s relaxed atmosphere and positive attitude toward body image. “It’s really pro love-your-body, and it makes you feel comfortable in your own skin. And that’s really important,” Santos said. Photo by Mark Stayton // THE WESTERN FRONT Robertson said he grew up in Eastern Washington and came to Western expecting to find an extremely liberal school. He said he was surprised there wasn’t already a nudist group established.  This did not stop Robertson from finding his niche. For a while he showed up naked more often than not to friend’s parties. “Some people started to join in at these naked parties,” Robertson said.  “I thought, ‘wow. when people do this they feel a lot more free so why not make a club?'” That's how the Students for Optional Clothing club was born. Where skin meets paint Living in the nude is empowering, Robertson said. Club president Gavin Gladsjo said their mission is to promote positive body image and to build faith with each other in a non-sexual way. The club meets once a week and the meetings typically include cooking dinner, hanging out and talking about body image and nudity, he said. Most recently, the club held a body painting party Wednesday, March 2, at the Alternative Library, at 717 N. Forest St. To start the club, Robertson went through the Associated Students board, which includes a process of consultation before creating a new club.  AS Club Coordinator Mikaela Trott said she liked Robertson's idea. “I like them because they provide a great outlet for that kind of lifestyle,” she said. One belief the club has is supporting the National Organization for Women who are trying to legalize women’s rights to being topless in public, Gladsjo said. The club members feel that women have the same rights as men to be topless. “We like to normalize nudity,” Gladsjo said. “I feel like in our society we have created a stigma with it. It’s a natural state, so it should be more of an expected thing.” The club meets at the Alternative Library every Wednesday night. About eight people consistently show up to the gatherings, and most people will start out partially clothed. The way Gladsjo sees it, it’s all about personal choice and how the individual feels.  He always leaves his socks on in case his feet get cold, he said. Connecting with nature Club members go hiking in the nude.  Non-members are welcome to join as well, he said. Hiking hits Robertson on a more personal note. “When I go hiking, I feel like my eyes are closed and my nose is clogged,” Robertson said (about being clothed). “I can’t see anything if my skin is clothed. I need to feel the earth and what we are doing to her.” Riding free Robertson co-created the annual Bellingham chapter of the “World Naked Bike Ride,” which is a separate entity from the club. The bike ride typically takes place during the spring.  For the past two years, about 30 to 50 participants showed up, Robertson said. Last year the bike ride was on graduation day, which led to two people being arrested on campus. Zoie Gaidos, Western graduate and co-creator of the bike ride, said her and Robertson had a permit set for their route.  However, once the bike ride was over, Gaidos said she headed to campus for her commencement ceremony. By the time she and a few others got to campus, the police were there and arrested two people, one of them being a Western student. Gaidos said the student involved was wearing underwear, but was still arrested on suspicion of indecent exposure. Robertson and Gaidos have written a formal letter to Bruce Shepard expressing the need for university police to have a better response to student activism. Robertson said normally when the club has outings like this, people are all smiles. "Really this is for people to have some fun," Gladsjo said.  “It’s not like we have dirty orgies.  There needs to be open-mindedness.”