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What are your views on naturists/nudists? Has anyone come upon a naked hiker/camper and what was the outcome ?

Seeing as how they're the two most popular threads over the long term, it seems inevitable that the nude hikers will unexpectedly bump into the scary militia types. I presume that in general those groups are fairly distinct.

Perhaps the State should institute an UNconcealed permit for nudists.... Unconcealed permit--well, then the acronym would be U C P....


Sorry.... ;)

azbackpackr wrote:Perhaps the State should institute an UNconcealed permit for nudists.... Unconcealed permit--well, then the acronym would be U C P....


Sorry.... ;)

Oh, these jokes are just writing themselves...

I've been following this forum on and off for a while and the same question keeps coming to mind...

Can anyone tell me why hiking nude is fun? ...because you aren't entirely nude.
I'm assuming that you're wearing hiking boots to accessorize your nudity (which is always a smart look) and most probably you've got some sort of pack strapped to your bare back (OUCH!).

I can think of so many different ways to enjoy nudity, but hiking is far from being one of them.
No one can convince me that it feels better to hike nude, so I truly believe that those who do it are not merely "comfortable with their bodies", rather, they are exhibitionists who get off on the shock value of it or have any number of other mental issues needing attention.
These people are not to be confused with the Europeans who stroll the beach casually nude. And, here I stress "beach"... a far likelier place for the mentally fit to choose nudity. Now, THAT I understand! I prefer to swim nude, but I can't imagine why anyone would prefer to hike nude. A 20lb pack would rub your skin raw and that rock you sit on for a break takes on a whole new meaning. I don't even mention cactus, catclaw, holly, etc.

I guess my point is that sane people are unlikely to be found hiking nude for the reasons I state and that's what creeps me out about the ones who are... they're not quite right, and that's a little scary.
**The group of nude cliff divers - different story (again that involves water rather than a wilderness parade, so understandable).

I am not sure you are correct. I don't have personal experience, mind you--I just have nude beach experience, as I've mentioned before. However, I know that the author, Colin Fletcher, backpacked nude a lot, wrote about it, and never complained about the pack rubbing him raw. If you look at a lot of AZ women hikers, they are just wearing sports bras and shorts with their packs, and none of them are complaining about pack discomfort. (They might be complaining about skin cancer in a few years, but that's another topic!) And I have seen a lot of guys going shirtless out there, as well. So the pack rubbing you raw just must not be an issue.

There are probably quite a few weirdos out there who are hiking nude, no question about it--exhibitionists, sex offenders, etc. Especially if they are where you and others are frequently hiking along an established busy trail near a big city! I don't have a general problem with nudity on moral grounds, and I think if kids are exposed to nudity at home they will be more comfortable with it in general, but I also understand that if people are doing it for the wrong reasons it would be very creepy indeed.

The cool thing about us humans is that we're all different. But because of that, we sometimes have a difficult time trying to figure out what somebody else is thinking or why they do something that we wouldn't do. I still haven't heard anybody explain to me what about a nude body is actually offensive to them. It's tough for me to understand because I personally don't find the body to be offensive.

I've read a few posts in this thread that refer to the reasons why somebody would hike nude, and it often results in assumptions of mental illness, sexual perversion/predators, self-esteem issues, etc.

Its a dangerous slope to project your own assumptions and judge somebody you don't know anything about simply because they're different from you.

My objection is, and always has been, to the underlying factors driving the behavior when it is undertaken in a public area. I simply refuse to believe that anyone wakes up in the morning and decides to go hike completely nude in the scorching sun through a busy trail without an agenda. There is no way that this person simply believes that he or she is seeking high enlightenment or whatever; the behavior is provocative...and he/she knows it. That person finds the behavior personally gratifying in some way, sexual or otherwise, at the expense of those who are just out to enjoy the trail.

I think there's a big distinction to be made between places where you know there will be nudity, such as designated beaches, and places where you wouldn't normally expect it, like on the trail. Anyone can simply avoid nude beaches as they wish, but it's different on the trail.

The one and only time I saw a nude hiker did not cause any problems for me, although at the same time I do think it's a bit presumptuous to assume that people won't be offended. But I don't think the issue is necessarily why any given person finds this or that body part offensive. Nor is it an issue of "my morals" vs "your morals". This is simply the society we live in, and that society has decided, collectively, that nakedness is not generally allowed in public.

I have been on a nude beach where there were hundreds of naked people, including families and children, and while I was uncomfortable at first, it soon became apparent that no one was paying any attention to me and there was no reason to be upset. But it was my choice to be there, and I obviously knew ahead of time what I was going to see.

A hiking trail is different. Seems to me the hiker that I saw was taking quite a chance. Even in a wilderness area, our society's rules are what they are. I guess personally I am more offended by people trashing camping areas, or making so much noise you can hear them a half-a-mile up the trail, than I am by the sight of a bare bum. But again, that's not really the issue. The issue is respecting other people and respecting the society in which we live.

Hayley

there seems to be a "i said it before, and i'll say it again" redundancy going on here. :bdh:

;)

Just didn't want you to have to read the entire thread again

I agree with previous posts that if someone were hiking on a very "busy" trail where kids and families are most likely to be present, and they encountered a naked hiker who did not bother to cover up, they would have every right to let that person know that they were not respecting their rights with the laws and rules of society being what they are. Again ,the key word is RESPECT.

azbackpackr wrote:Perhaps the State should institute an UNconcealed permit for nudists....

Working for the State is beginning to take a fresh turn....
Who would judge which persons would be allowed nudity on the trails?
What would their criteria be? etc, etc....

Chortle...

Is there any way we can merge the threads about nudity and guns into one? That would be cool on so many levels

Jeff MacE wrote:My objection is, and always has been, to the underlying factors driving the behavior when it is undertaken in a public area. I simply refuse to believe that anyone wakes up in the morning and decides to go hike completely nude in the scorching sun through a busy trail without an agenda. There is no way that this person simply believes that he or she is seeking high enlightenment or whatever; the behavior is provocative...and he/she knows it. That person finds the behavior personally gratifying in some way, sexual or otherwise, at the expense of those who are just out to enjoy the trail.

JamesLyding wrote:Is there any way we can merge the threads about nudity and guns into one? That would be cool on so many levels

See, then the problem would be I would have no way to react when someone posts saying that they hike naked with a gun

Jeff MacE wrote:they hike naked with a gun

Nooooo ... we don't want to go there ...

JamesLyding wrote:Is there any way we can merge the threads about nudity and guns into one? That would be cool on so many levels

I'm pretty sure I've seen that website :GB:

chumley wrote:

JamesLyding wrote:Is there any way we can merge the threads about nudity and guns into one? That would be cool on so many levels

I'm pretty sure I've seen that website :GB:

Was Sarah Palin one of the cover girls? ...Oh, I couldn't help myself!! :bigth:

Jeff MacE wrote:Was Sarah Palin one of the cover girls? ...Oh, I couldn't help myself!! :bigth:

No such luck. But to really bring the two threads together ... when I bought my CZ a few years back, the CZ website was really borderline soft-core pørn. It had dozens of "photo galleries" of their guns, which featured mostly just scantily clad (but classy) women, nice cars, fighter jets, etc. If you looked really close, you might even see the gun! (unfortunately, their website no longer features these "marketing" photos.)