Why Hike Naked?

"For people who have already experienced an entirely natural walk in the woods, the question, "Why hike without any clothes on?", is easily answered. . . Clothing is just a mask . . . By wearing clothing in the wilderness we're staying in the car and looking out the glass. We aren't experiencing our animal nature directly. Wearing a bathing suit in the middle of nowhere when nobody else is around is what I call the 'civilization reflex'. By wearing clothes, you deny that your body is part of the natural environment, and you can't hack pure nature. . . There are two ways that clothing conflicts with our experience of nature. The first way is the fact that an anchor of civilization (otherwise known as 'civilization infrastructure') has come with us into the wild. Clothing isn't always critical gear . . . It allows the wearer to separate himself from the natural state of wilderness. What makes wilderness natural is the fact that you are immersed in the natural world. Once you put clothing on in a deep woods spot, you aren't part of the wilderness anymore, you are in direct touch with civilization. You are wearing a mask that protects you not just physically, but also mentally from the wilderness. Hence, through your actions you have broken the idea of wilderness and cannot experience it directly. It's as though you're sitting in a car, eating a burger, and drinking a coke while parked at a scenic overlook and looking out the window at the scenery. . . second and more important . . . When you elect to wear clothing when unnecessary in the environment, you unwittingly tell the world (and yourself in a subliminal way) that a sense of nature is a problem for you that you need to overcome. The natural world as it exists isn't really what you like and you need to counter nature's reality by introducing something to shield and comfort - and this is the important part - not your body, but your mind. This is a kind of sabotage of the direct experience - like the bars on the cages at a zoo. . . Getting out for a walk and a little recreation is great, but shouldn't we be trying to get more out of our experience in nature? To go higher and entertain greater goals? I like my walks to be a more sophisticated venture where the type of recreation and its effect both mentally, spiritually, and environmentally are considered in order to produce an outcome. I like my walks to take me somewhere special, not just out and back again through some kind of tree museum. To have a full understanding of nature and your part in it, you have to understand that it is there for much more than just recreation. It is, in fact, your natural habitat. The habitat of the animal of man. . . NO, I don't expect you to go exposing yourself all over the countryside. . . Some discretion is warranted . . . You must use some sense in all of this and understand what you're reaching for." - Shane - http://www.theplacewithnoname.com/hiking/sections/naked/bodymind.htm

I couldn't agree more!

Ken

2011 Naked European Walking Tour

Video of day five of the 2011 Naked European Walking Tour: http://dai.ly/nKqSss

Wow, beautiful scenery. It looks like lots of fun with many smiling faces, at least until the authorities showed up. (They seemed to be understanding.) The hike seems to have grown a lot larger.

I hope PJ and I can attend next year. It will be held the first week in July: Sunday 1st July to Saturday 7th July 2012, in the Austrian Alps south of Munich. To register your interest (and to join the mailing list) simply send an email to Rich at: newt.2012@naktiv.net . PJ and I registered.

Anyone know if English only speakers get along okay?

Anyone else interested in going along with us? We’ll keep everyone informed.

Ken

PS – Why don’t we have a NAWK (Naked American Walking Tour)? It would have to be less open than the European version, but there's no reason it couldn't take place. We’d certainly attend.

PPS - A more detailed review of the planned NEWT hike can be found at http://www.naktiv.net/newt/plan-english.html

One Last Freehike - Photos

I came to understand that I was a naturist as I began freehiking. I suspect a person can't fully appreciate naturism until he or she tries freehiking - a nudist, maybe, but not a naturist. It's a type of conversion - the feel of the elements around your entire body is simply amazing.

The freehiking season is nearing the end (except for those of us crazy enough to freehike in winter - one winter I freehiked 18 times in January), but it's not too late to get in one more freehike before the snow flies.

Here are some photos of people freehiking that might inspire you to take that one more freehike(http://imageevent.com/kenandjane/freehiking), or perhaps even your first. If you do, I promise you'll love it.

Is anyone with me?

Ken

Austrian Skinnyhike Report

"I drove from Munich to Warth, Vorarlberg in Austria, on the Sunday afternoon with Polly . . . The day dawned blue and we set off from the Hochkrumbachpass at 10:00 towards the Widdersteinhuette. I quickly stripped off my t-shirt + shorts and we were heading steadily up the slope towards the hut above when two middle-aged women came trundling down and passed us with a minimal exchange of good cheer. Another walker, and more uphill, and after an hour or so, Polly and I reached the traversing trail from the hut which goes along the base of the soaring cliffs of the Widderstein above us. Here we had a stupendous view of the Salopaner ski region, a remote lake and mild forests tucked away on the other side of the valley.

We met our first "Gormley", a metal man built and installed by the British Artist Anthony Gormley who specialises in placing these "installations" in interesting positions around the globe. He has a naked man on Waterloo bridge, and several in the Vorarlberg region. We were going to "pick up" a few on our way around the high traversing trail which snuck under the steep cliffs above, and wended it's way to the end of the ridge, a Gormley half-way along the flat path below, and another on the shoulder of the ridge ahead of us.

Two more walkers, one descending from the Widderstein itself. We saw a number of mountain gophers, or Murmel-Tier to the locals, or heard their high pitched peep-peeping, as we approached their dry holes in the ground.

Polly went tear-arsing after them, and of course they nipped under ground just before she got too close. I managed to stop her a couple of times with a well-timed "Frisbee" distraction call. I managed to get quite close to one particular gopher for the camera.

We strode on, with Polly taking a dip in a snow lake and the opportunity for a refreshing drink. Another couple, and a small family, and an exchange of pleasantries, before I headed across the valley to the ridge on the opposite side.

One more Gormley, right on the shoulder again, where I broke my camera trying to get a clever shot of us, Polly, the Gormley and I, by precariously balancing my camera on top of my rucksack, on a loose and rocky slope... with predictable consequences.

Walking along the ridge was simply gorgeous, a view down to Schroecken on one side and across to the Braunarlspitze massife, the Widderstein behind us, and all around huge rocks pushing their way up through the mountainous turf, a gentle breeze to accompany the bright warm sunshine at 2000m.

We kept along the narrow ridge, passing two male walkers, another couple, and finally a man and two fairly mature ladies. The first lady exclaimed with a smile when she saw me: "my goodness, a naked man - what are we two 'jungfrauen', (young girls, implying maidens/virgins), to do - we have never seen such a thing!" I had to laugh, and they passed with otherwise good grace, but who knows what they made of the equally naked metal Gormley they were about to encounter on the cusp of the ridge we were all walking along.

I reached the top of the Hoeferspitze (2131m) at approx 13:00 and time for a short lunch break. At the actual summit was the customary cross and sign-in book, and an appallingly high number of what appeared to be bloated flying ants, so we tucked down on the windy side for a bite.

The views were glorious, the position serene, but when one's walking, one has to keep moving. Polly and I set off to retrace our steps along the ridge back to the last Gormley (which the maidens would have passed quite recently), and then followed the brow of the hill more or less back to where I'd parked the car, just off-road (to avoid paying the fees for the vast ski-car-park at the pass. Returning to the B&B for an early shower I stayed the night as I was a tad dehydrated from the high sunshine, and exertions of the day." - Rich

Bumping Into People While Hiking Naked

The following great freehiking advice is reposted from hikingnaked.com:

"It has been my practice over several years to continue naked as if it was as normal as hiking clothed. My theory is that the more often people see naked bodies and nothing bad happens, the less uptight they are about seeing naked bodies. When some majority of people have occasionally seen naked people and it becomes "ho hum" then being naked will not be shocking or illegal.

Over the years I must have encountered a couple hundred clothed people while hiking naked. Most of the time I just "howdy" them as I walk past naked. Reactions are mixed.

One woman who was sitting to rest as I came past said, "I wish I could do that." I stopped to chat and she explained that I looked so free she wished she was brave enough to take her clothes off.

Three women walking the other way through a large open field moved about 10 yards off the trail so as not to pass too close. They didn't say anything.

Two teenage men held their tongues until my wife and I had turned a corner and then made crude teenage comments to each other.

Most clothed hikers just respond with a "Good morning" or some such greeting much as they would for a clothed hiker.

If I look "guilty" and embarrassed and lurch into a cover then I'm guilty and embarrassed and ought to have been covered. If I'm confident and naked and project normalcy while naked then I'm usually accepted as a version of normal. Its important to PLAN to act naked and normal, or you will have to figure out what to do when suddenly confronted and it won't work out very well.

Having fun naked" - Bob Knows

The Question - To Cover Up or Not

Here are interesting thoughts from two freehikers about covering up when encountering textiles on the trail. Does anyone else have advice about covering up?

Ken

Thoughts by Milt: Except when hiking in very remote and little-used areas, I usually carry a pair of shorts in my hand as I walk. When I get wind of textiles approaching, I turn around (since buttocks are seen as somehow less offensive than genitals) and quickly slip on my shorts. This is easy enough for me since I hike in sport sandals rather than heavy boots, but loose-fitting shorts should even work with boots. Most times when I'm hiking alone, I am fast enough that the approaching textiles don't realize that I was nude, but even if they do realize it, they don't react strongly and respond appropriately when I turn back around and give them a cheery hello. Whatever may have been "wrong" in their minds has been quickly "righted" and they are not terribly offended.

Recently, however, I went walking in the woods with no shorts or anything else, and unfortunately got lost and ended up out on a road where I encountered a woman walking her dog. I explained, as I asked for directions, that I was terribly lost and had intended to stay on private property, and apologized for any offense, but it seems not to have worked because she later called the police (according to a newspaper account of the police log). How I wish I had had my shorts in my hand that time.

Some naturists argue that one shouldn't rush to cover up when surprised by textiles because it implies that we were doing something wrong. In fact, according to the laws in most jurisdictions, and in the opinion of the vast majority of textiles, hiking nude is in fact "doing something wrong." Dressing quickly minimizes the sense on the part of the textiles that something is wrong or even sinister.

Sometimes the encounter happens so quickly that you can't put on shorts. Whether to scramble to cover up minimally at that point depends, for me, on whether there are children, older women, etc etc. It is a judgment call.

Lately I've been hiking with groups of naturists, several of whom are not prepared to dress quickly if approached by textiles. That changes the dynamic -- unless all get dressed, there seems no point in anyone getting dressed, and perhaps then it is best for all to brazen it out as though part of some unusual hiking club.

Lee's Thoughts: I have managed to avoid nearly all encounters entirely in recent years, and very much by design, but remarkably I did have one a couple of weeks ago. It was on a trail that I've considered "safe", sufficiently safe that I've taken groups there. . . I was walking along carrying my wrap . . . and was rounding a corner in a very shaded/dark canyon bend in the trail. As I looked forward I thought I saw something that seemed out of place, but I couldn't see it well enough to identify it. Once I got probably within about 10 feet that "something" said "hi". Since I couldn't see much, or gauge reaction, I decided to stop and put my wrap on (presumably right in front of whoever it was). As I walked toward them and into the shadow, I realized it was an older guy (Dad, I'd guess) and two young boys (sons I'd guess). I followed my philosophy of making the best of it and greeted them warmly after putting on my wrap and walking right by them, and to which Dad (presumably) responded quite warmly. One of the sons (presumably) was laughing. Still, I just went with it. I worry about the legal ramifications, but I'm surely not embarrassed by it. I think stopping like that and putting on the wrap sends the message that I'm both not there to shock them and I'm also not scared of my own naked shadow. Hopefully that gets realized. There usually isn't a lot of time to try to make a positive out of the encounters. I carried on my way and hoped they wouldn't get my license plate (which given everything, they might could have, but I have no idea what direction they were even going on the trail, since they were just laying down in the shade on the side of it). Nothing came of it, so I guess it ended okay. In fact, I'd say considering, that "Dad" seemed surprisingly unbothered.

A Good Way To Spread Freehiking

Isn't the power of example interesting. Perhaps if more of us were less concerned about being seen freehikng, others would join in as shown by the following example. Has anyone else been able to share freehiking by being seen?

Ken

“I saw a guy hiking nude a couple weeks ago on a popular trail here in Altadena, California which I regularly frequent. I was hiking back down close to evening on a weekday and saw a nude hiker and said "Hey buddy I've been thinking of trying that myself" but kept walking because for some reason I was a little shy. But it was the truth I had been reading about it and wanting to try it for months now. So the very next day I hiked about halfway up the trail and disrobed. Just my luck less than probably a minute after I started walking again two young couples are coming down the trail at me. I was thinking uh oh but kept my cool and one of the girls giggled a little but the guys didn't look really thrilled about it. I said hello and moved on and came across another couple with much the same reaction. So I have gone naked hiking on the same trail like three times since last week all during the week mid-afternoon to evening. . . the only way to change people's opinions of doing this is for textile hikers to see it more often and I agree. I will go out of my way to avoid families and weekend hikers though.” - NaturalHikingDude

Montana Freehiking Encounter & Lesson

I've also learned this same lesson about not over-reacting when encountering others while freehiking. How about you?

Ken

“We strapped on our water-packs and headlamps for a night hike. The moon was rising bright as we walked down the road chatting. We hadn’t gotten too far when we realized there was a silver truck behind us about 200 feet on the sharp turn of the road. We scattered like naked chickens looking for cover with no good hiding place. The woman passed with her hand to the side of her face to block the view this naked man who inadvertently was moving in her direction. After the disruption of our peaceful walk, the conversation turned to the appearance of the truck. We decide that we should have just moved the road a bit and waited for them to pass. The run and hide act was a clear statement of being in the wrong. . . By the time we reached the valley meadow it was night. . . We lost the trail so we turned back hiking up the somewhat steep mountain slope. Never once turning our lamps on to see the trail, because of the bright clear moon light. It was a glorious clear starry night. Once back at camp we sat for a while and talked while looking at the stars until it got too cold. . . My flight response is quite strong and I don't like encountering automobiles when I'm nude because I can't communicate with the passengers, nor can I discern anything about the age and gender of the occupants. So, when we were surprised by a pickup stealthily rounding the bend in the road behind us, we both took off into the woods like frightened deer. It was, we quickly discovered, a quite stupid move as there were no trees or underbrush to hide our naked bodies - at least nothing nearby. We must of looked comical to the driver as we scrambled for cover, but judging from the hand she held to the side of her face, she didn't find much humor in the situation. Oh, well....there was a valuable lesson in the encounter for us hikers. Next time, we decided, we'd step to the side of the road, continue walking, and give a polite nod and brief wave as the auto passes - just as if walking along the road in the nude is the most natural thing in the world - because, really, it is.” - Beltcreek

Freehiking Photos

Here are a number of photos I've collected over the past few years that help show just how wonderful freehiking can be - alone or with a group: http://imageevent.com/kenandjane/freehiking?n=0

Naked Hiking Day Report - Appalachian Trail

On the spur of the moment, I decided on Monday evening to head up to Vermont to join the Naked Hiking Day (i.e. summer solstice, June 21) hike on the Appalachian Trail. It was announced on HikingNaked.com. Arriving at the trailhead at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, I found the organizer named Ed and a congenial group of 5 other nude hikers. We hiked from near Wallingford, VT, down the Appalachian Trail to near Danby, VT. Along the way there was a waterfall and later a great overlook atop a sheer granite wall affording expansive views of the valley to the west. After about 8 miles we arrived at Little Rock Pond, and took advantage of the opportunity for a skinny-dip in the warm waters. After 2 more miles we reached the end, where we had prepositioned some of the vehicles. We met a few through-hikers, who did not seem offended by our nudity, and (at the pond) one grumpy family who clearly was offended. They went around to the other side of the pond, keeping their distance, clearly afraid that we would traumatize or corrupt their 5-year-old daughter.

One of the hikers, FreewalkerMA, said he had planned to stay an extra day to do more freehiking, so I altered my plans and decided to join him. The next day it was raining, but the temperature stayed around 60 degrees and we were warm enough as long as we kept moving. We did a 5.5 mile hike over Bromley Mountain, and then a four mile hike to Griffith Lake. We topped off the day with the short hike from the parking area to the nude area on Harriman Reservoir (AKA The Ledges, Vermont's "nude beach"). Once again we finished off the day with a skinny-dip, washing off the trail dirt and ignoring the continuing soft rain.

All in all, two fantastic days to celebrate the summer solstice. And, as at the ENG the week before, I was lucky enough to find a kindred spirit in FreewalkerMA who has the time and the interest to do some serious freehiking here in New England. Life is good!

Stay nude and enjoy the summer,

Milt

Utah Skinnytrip Reports

"Have had some wonderful weather for freehiking the last few days in southern Utah. Got out on a two hour freehike on the east slope above Pleasant Creek. Surging creek, beautiful meadows with lot of wildflowers, and, for most of it, not a soul in sight. . . I've been working on exploring all of the potential freehiking trails and have several lined up. I'll be gone starting Sat. for a hot springs tour across Nevada on my way to a conference at South Lake Tahoe. Secret Beach is on tap for Sunday afternoon! Back in late June so come on down!" - GroverGuy

"Got back last week from a three day canoe trip on the Green River in Utah - We floated from Green River State Park down to Mineral Bottom near Moab. Was able to be nude the entire time after leaving the put-in, except for evenings when it was still too cool and buggy. The river was high, so you could float with very little paddling. Campsites were somewhat difficult to find due to the high water covering gravel and sand bars. There are plenty of great hikes that can be made up side canyons-all suitable for nude recreation. I particularly enjoyed poking around the old Hey Joe Mine - nude of course.

From there we traveled to Valley View Hot Springs for a few days of camping and swimming. . . while almost everyone is nude in the pools, most people put on robes or wrap themselves in towels when out of the water. This, in spite of the fact that VVHS is clothes optional everywhere. Even the restroom/shower facilities are unisex. Anyway, it is my favorite resort that is reasonably close-by . If you haven't been there, you are missing out!" - Mike

South Dakota Freehike

Can one find a place to freehike in the mid-west? I did today!

Over the last few weeks, PJ and I have traveled from Southern California, through Nevada, Utah, Wyoming, and Nebraska – driving nude most of the way - and have reached Arlington, South Dakota, where we have been visiting a daughter and grandchildren. It’s been fun visiting those we love, and yesterday I helped put in their garden – clothed – oh well.

Today I had some free time since PJ and driven into Sioux Falls to help another daughter, so I decided to walk along the roads to pick asparagus. I didn’t find any, but several miles out of town I came upon a nice wooded section of land bordering a large corn field, cut down to just brown stubs from last season. It looked just too inviting, so I decided it was time for a freehike.

I stepped through the woods, stripped, and wandered naked along the edge of the cornfield for about 15 minutes until the wooded area neared the road and petered out. Hiking nude outdoors always feels so wonderfully freeing – I guess that’s way it’s called freehiking. I walked back to where I’d started, and dressed, prepared to return to town.

On the way back I noticed a dirt road that passed through extensive, stubbled cornfields. Walking down this detour I realized that the land rolled, leaving shallow valleys in the fields through which one could walk without being seen. It was time for another, longer freehike.

I walked far enough down the dirt road so I couldn’t be seen from the main road, except perhaps from afar. At a shallow valley in a field I stepped off the dirt road, again stripped to my brown, naked and natural self, and hiked out into the open field. The day was clear, the sun warmed my skin, the temperature was just right for freehiking, and a nice breeze constantly brushed against my entire bare body. No bothersome bugs. It was soooo natural and wonderful to be freehiking once again.

Along the way I jumped up rabbits, ducks, pheasants, and even a white-tailed deer. Experiencing and observing nature is such an integral aspect of freehiking.

Occasionally, I’d reach a rise in the land and see a truck pass by on the distant road, so far away that it would be impossible for the driver to see that I was as naked as God made me, hiking through the corn fields.

As I neared town, just when I had about decided to get dressed, I came upon a marshy area that diverted me away from town a little way. That turned out to be fortunate. I stayed naked.

Eventually, I reached a row of trees, four wide, that been planted by a business on the edge of town, so I just continued walking naked through the trees until I was only 25 yards from the first road in town. It was finally time to get dressed again.

As I returned to our daughter’s house, it felt so very good knowing that I had enjoyed an hour freehiking through the flat cornfields of South Dakota, and to realize that with just a little care, one can enjoy the love of freehiking nearly anywhere.

Ken

Meeting Others & Freehiking in Colorado

Here's a great report about meeting people and how accepting they can be of freehiking.

Ken

"I went into an area to hike on a Tuesday. It was up in Colorado, the trail head was about 1 hour from a city so I knew I could hike naked the whole day.

I got to the trail head and there was an older couple a woman and two dogs. I got out and was getting ready and the man came up and saw my plates from another state and started talking. They hike the trail a lot and the woman was their daughter, they were getting ready and they invited me to go with them. I declined and all three of them said I should come with them. I asked them how they felt about nudity, they kind of looked at me funny. I then explained free hiking and that was what I was planning on doing. The man said no problem. I said the women need to decide. So off they walked to their car and talked and came back and said it wouldn't bother them.

So I stripped down and off we went. The older man said he would like to try it and also stripped down as we were hiking; his wife kind of giggled a little.

Their daughter said she was going to stop for a minute and would catch up. She showed back up with her top off. We kept hiking and a little later she again said she would catch up, this time she caught up naked.

Her and her father were talking about how great it felt and couldn't believe how it felt. Mom kept all of her clothes on. They said they would do it again and Mom said she was to embarrassed to do it in front of strangers but she wanted to strip also." - jamaccl

White Sands Naked

The end of March, we (Ken and PJ) enjoyed a road trip from El Paso where we were working, to southern New Mexico. We visited a number of interesting areas around Alamagorsa, NM, but the most enjoyable place by far was White Sands National Monument (http://www.nps.gov/whsa/index.htm). White Sands sits at the base of desert mountains. The sand is made from Gypsum, the stuff from which sheet rock is made. Over the millennia gypsum crystals that were created in a lake at the southern end of this area had broken down to form a soft white sand, that was then blown into over 250 miles of vast, sandy-white dunes. Very little vegetation grows in this sand. And unlike beach sand, it doesn’t stick to the body at all.

So, it was March, the time of the year when there were few visitors, and the weather was warm – what were two naturists to do but park, take off into the dunes, and get naked. Freehiking has always been Ken’s passion, and PJ loves the experience of being nude in nature as well - it was a joyous time sharing some naked time together in the white sand.

Ken got naked immediately after cresting the first sand dune twenty-five yards from the car. We dropped into a valley and followed it between the dunes where a little grass (dry this time of the year) and an occasional yucca cactus had survived. After perhaps a quarter mile we reached the base of a steep, colossal dune. Here PJ decided she had to get nude as well – creating nude sand angels and posing for a few memorable photos, including her signature pose – legs spread, arms extended to the sky, shot from behind. We have many photos of her signature pose, taken at locations across the country. (See photos at http://imageevent.com/kenandjane/whitesands?n=0&z=2&c=4&x=0&m=24&w=0&p=0 ).

From there, we freehiked the dunes together for some time, looking back on occasion to be sure we didn’t get lost (something that would be so easy to do in the vast dunes of sand). Looking back at one point we noticed a couple standing on the crest of a distant dune. They looked as small as ants, so there was no way they could tell we were enjoying a freehike - no concern. It wouldn’t really have mattered to us anyway. We don’t like to shock others with our nudity; we’re not exhibitionists, but we are unashamed naturists and are not really embarrassed by being naked around textiles. One sure sign of true, experienced naturists is that they proudly and openly share with friends, family, and people they meet that they prefer living nude as God intended.

Woman Freehikes in Oregon

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. . . I accidently found a very large BLM land park. . . 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 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. . . 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. . . 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

Saddle Mountain Freehike

On our way back from Texas, PJ and I stopped and stayed overnight at Casablanca’s place in Tonopah, AZ. We had the chance to meet Bill and Camilla briefly, talked for some time with a young man new to naturism who lived there, and enjoyed the guest house. A few other naturists lived there, but we met only Ajo, a 70 year old naturist who agreed to guide me on a freehike of Saddle Mountain, and that hike made the entire visit worthwhile.

Saddle Mountain rises steeply from the barren desert only a few miles south from the Tonopah freeway exit. The dramatic mountain is easily seen from the road. The dirt road to the mountain can certainly be accessed by car. The area offers hours and hours of scenic freehiking territory.

Ajo and I got nude where we parked the truck, and took some shorts along in case we ran into other people (something I’ve nearly got out of the habit of doing since living at Olive Dell Ranch).

First, we freehiked up a small hill to visit a memorial site. Along the way we observed a natural arch – Indian Eye – and checked a geocache. The wind and sun on our naked bodies felt sooo nice, and views of the surrounding desert from the top were breathtaking.

Then we descended into the valley below and freehiked along the base of the higher mountains. Along the way we crossed several washes, and saw flowers, cactus, a ancient Indian grinding rock with a wonderful petroglyph on the side – probably a ceremonial site – and even a rattlesnake.

Although we could have spent many additional hours hiking nude in these mountains, by lunchtime it was time to return to meet up with PJ so we could get back home. As always, it was difficult to get dressed, but that didn’t last long. Soon PJ and I were driving nude down the freeway, two comfortable naturists driving to our home in California.

If you ever find yourself driving between Phoenix and Southern California, I highly recommend a stop to hike Saddle Mountain. (Photos of this freehike can be seen at http://imageevent.com/kenandjane/saddlemountainhike .)

Group Freehiking/Skinnydipping

Freehiking and skinnydipping with a group is one of life’s most wonderful, unique experiences. I’ve loved it in the past, and recommend that everyone take the chance to experience it from time to time.

With this in mind, here is a great group freehiking and skinny dipping video by Alex Nackt called Via Bavarica Nudensis Per Pedes - die Nacktwanderung '10 - http://www.vimeo.com/20977904

Ken

El Paso Center Hill Freehike

My favorite freehike east of El Paso is the Center Hill Hike (my name). I hiked it alone once, and just before leaving El Paso, PJ hiked it with me. It starts just south of the Pole Line Road, and heads west towards a lonely hill surrounded by flat desert land.

The vegetation along the way is typically El Paso, with lots of greasewood and a few yucca cactus. The dirt road ends at the south end of the hill, and it’s an easy, sloping hike to the summit from that point.

There are many different cactus plants to enjoy on the way to the top, where a wonderful 360 degree view greets you. You can see El Paso in the distance. The breezes feel wonderful as they cool the sweat from your naked body. It’s a great place to thank God for the surrounding beauty. This is why I love freehiking.

I took several photos of the hike, the view, and of PJ’s signature pose. (See photos of this hike at: http://imageevent.com/kenandjane/elpasocenterhill .)

We’ve now returned to our place at Olive Dell Ranch. Every day since, I’ve been busy working nude cleaning up Dellymaze Park, getting ready for the April 17th Bare Burro 5k. We won’t miss the work or town of El Paso, but we will always remember the freehiking there, especially the Center Hill Hike. (Let me know if you’d like more detailed directions for the Center Hill Hike.)

Cedar Trails Nudist Retreat Trails

I can certainly imagine how great it feels hiking these trails at Cedar Trails Nudist Retreat nude. How about you?

http://cedartrailsnudistretreat.blogspot.com/2011/04/walk-through-cedar-trails-nudist.html?zx=f62bb8a0e1e3d422

Ken

More About Night Freehiking

Here are a few additional thoughts about freehiking at night:

Has anyone else experienced night freehiking?

"Often. I like a couple things about it. The world is quiet, peaceful, deserted. Places seem bigger and more magical in the dark compared to daylight when you can see all the mundane things surrounding you. Since most everyone is in bed, you feel like you have the world to yourself. And you can be nude in places you could never get away with during the day." - Marty

"I have done a few night and early morning hikes. These tend to be very peaceful times as the sun has set but there is still a little evening glow or the sun is on the rise. The best for me is in the southern California desert on a nice spring or early summer evening when it is nice out. There also tends to be more options for night hikes (fewer hikers on the trail, and those that are usually have headlamps to let you know they are coming)." - hikeeerf

“Haven't done any significant night nude hiking myself, but did observe some a few years ago. Three of us had done the Half Dome hike in Yosemite National Park in August. Coming down one of our party had physical problems. I stayed with him, and we moved slowly along as he was able while the third person when ahead for help. The result of all that was that we didn't get out to the road until 2:00 a.m. We were about half a mile from the road, dog tired and moving even slower, when we heard hikers coming up behind us at a brisk pace. As they passed us we saw it was two couples, all of them nude except for boots and backpacks. After they moved ahead I said, "I wasn't expecting to see that." My sick friend responded, "You never know when you'll see bares in Yosemite." It was a warm night, and hiking nude must have felt great.” - Luvnaturism