Collins C/O Beach, Sauvies Island – Conditions

Collins Beach is one of two officially-designated clothing-optional beach in the Portland area (the other being the clothing-optional section of Rooster Rock State Park near Troutdale).

The Columbia River is still running high with the spring snow melt, so portions of the beach remain under water. By high summer there will be lots of hot sandy wide beach to work on your tan lines. Entrance #2 leads to probably the best part where most people go . . . families and volleyball players. If you haven’t been to Collins Beach you are definitely missing out on a great place (and great people).

For the hardcore nudists (or just about anyone who doesn’t want to keep the clothes on and needs a place to stay), friendly, idyllic Mountaindale Sun Resort is nearby where you can enjoy their facilities and lodging nude for really reasonable rates . . . and get back to the beach the following day for some more sun.

Click the image for a larger view

Conditions – From a post in a naturist forum today:

2, 3 and 4 are under water, 5 has quite a bit of high ground and you have to wade for beach at 6.

There were probably about 50 people there today soaking up the wonderful sun!

The entrances are numbered 1-6 from the start of the gravel road after pavement. Entrance 1 leads to a clothing required section of the beach . . . the rest go onto the clothing-optional parts. Do not undress in the parking lot or on the short trails. Wait until you are on the beach.

Be sure to pick up a parking pass at the grocery store as you cross over the bridge to the island. I believe they are still $3.50 for the day. Good place to stock up on ice, beverages and food for your stay on the beach.

How to get to Collins Beach:

(Showing routes to/from both Collins Beach as well as Rooster Rock State Park C/O Beach and Mountaindale Sun Resort. From Seattle, Collins is best approached via Kelso/Longview over the Lewis & Clark Bridge and OR-30. Rooster Rock is via the I-205 Bypass and 84. The map also shows the shortcut route to Mountaindale over the Cornelius Pass . . . a great timesaver.)

View Larger Map

Scenic Conditions, aTrashed Pool and some Nude Time

In a nutshell, the snow is fast melting, the springs have gone cold and SOMEONE has taken it upon themselves to modify the good ole’ Monster tub into a smaller pool and a total, ugly mess. Scenic Hot Springs is UNSOAKABLE for the near-term future until the owner decides on a new course of action.

Water flows are triple (if not more) from the Lobster sources . . . but at a frigid 50F.
Bear Den is tepid body temperature at 95F, but is a mere trickle compared to the flow from Lobster.

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The snow berm across FS859 is almost gone
and in the lower reaches barren

On the upper, shaded stretch of the forest service road
one to a foot and a half of snow still remains, compacted hard.

Approaching the clearcut and exposed areas, there is little snow

Hey, what good is a nudist blog if something doesn’t
pertain to nudity. Scenic is one of my favorite places to hike nude.

In the shade of the Upper BPA there are patches of snow

The historic camping area down below
(this view from the upper BPA)

Boulders laying on the BPA road (the large one is 3×3x3 ft)

Most culverts are flowing but filled with
large rocks that need to be removed

The trail entrance, still snow covered

Honeymoon Creek across the trail

Rock Alley above the main springs creek; snow
free except near the top, and flowing with snowmelt

Snow lingers above the headwall of Rock Alley . . . 1-2 feet deep

Looking Forward to a Soak but WTF!!!!!!!!!

Someone has cut up the liner and folded it over to make one small pool. The wood to shore up the inner wall seems to have come from several sources nearby . . . including a walkway above the pool.

Both springs feeding the jury-rigged pool . . . too cold

The wooden platform/walkway beneath
the large boulder is gone . . . for wood …

Erosion/slide? Certainly some of the wood helping to
shore up the area has been ripped out!

Like the upper trail, the path to the old latrine has suffered

Took me several hours to siphon muck and cold water out of the remaining pool. Started a refill using the slow (but warm) Bear Den Springs but that will take several more hours and I need to get home . . . minus a soak.

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Scenic Creek Waterfalls (the creek and falls having nothing to do with the hot springs except their proximity near the original Scenic Hot Springs Hotel). These waterfalls rival anything the Deception Creek Falls have to add . . . and they are relatively unknown.

Carkeet Park, Richmond Beach & Point Wells: Nude Beach Stroll Potential

Aerial of the Puget Sound shoreline from Carkeet Park north
(to the right in the image), to Richmond Beach; and showing
the Point Wells area to the far right. The ‘yellow’ path indicates
potential for hiking nude.

Much of the Puget Sound region north of Seattle is steep bluffs with a narrow shoreline occupied mainly by the BNSF railway tracks. The nature of the terrain limits home building so much of this area is pristine and secluded . . . perfect for a nude stroll along the shoreline.

The beach, itself, is a narrow strip of gravel, rocks and in many places little gems of sandy bars . . . best exposed at low tide. The rocks can be slippery so wear good shoes.

Two potentials exist just north of Seattle:

• A nice long stroll from the north end of Carkeek Park to Richmond Beach (about 3 1/2 miles one way). As noted,much of this shoreline is hidden from view by the rugged bluffs. Much of this shoreline is passable during times of low tide; and is not frequented much.
• A nude beach stroll on Point Wells tidal flats (beach). North of Richmond Beach is the Point Wells oil tank area, and north of that, south from the Edmonds marina is an informal nude beach; the very south end by Point Wells is gay. People on the trains look out to see if there are any nudists on the beach. The area is patrolled at times by the railroad police.
  Information from Dick M of Washington Freehikers
  
  Point Wells is accessed north of Richmond Beach Park in Shoreline, and south of Edmonds Beach in Edmonds. Illegal to access by land. To get to the beach, people trespass on property owned by either the railroad or the petroleum company. Accessible by boat/kayaking.

Much of these shorelines are only usable during times of low tide so check tide charts. A good source for tides is the iWindsurf website . . . and example below.

Tides for Edmonds, WA for May 27th. Note the low tide at 4:30 in the afternoon.

Above all, be careful. Plan your hike to get back long before the tide changes. Be careful above walking the tracks. Trains are frequent and fast moving. Though you will have solitude most of the time, be aware of your surroundings, new construction on the bluffs overhead, and the occasional beach comber.

Sun Island Resort In El Cajon, CA is closed

From their website:

SUN ISLAND RESORT
1631 Harbison Canyon Road
El Cajon, Ca. 92019
Ph: (619) 445 3754

May 23, 2008

We are saddened to inform you that Sun Island Resort is closed effective this date. After over fifty years of being a nudist resort formally known as Swallows Sun Island Club it has become necessary to take this drastic step as a result of recent events beyond our control.

For those of you reading this message that are still active members we will be prorating your membership fees and refunding the remaining fees to you. This should occur sometime in the month of June 2008.

The management of Jim and Ruth Shafer wish to thank all of you have been so faithful to Sue Latimer, the former owner and matriarch of Swallows, the Swallows Club and to us during our fourteen plus years as owners.

Little Beach, Maui, Hawaii Video

In an earlier post on Rooster Rock water levels at the clothing-optional portion of the beach a commenter attempted to bring up that age-old argument linking a causal effect between nude beaches and sexual activity that is often cited as a reason nudity is not okay. What most of us nudists (and certainly law enforcement and park employees) know is that, by and large, clothing-optional beaches are amongst some of the safest places to be. You can expect a friendly atmosphere and a place where people of all ages, shapes and body types are welcome and accepted.

I came across this amateur video that gives an idea of this accepting and care-free environment on . . . Little Beach on the island of Maui, Hawaii. Watching the video look at how relaxed everyone is . . . how everyone seems to be enjoying themselves, from children to adults. There is no leering . . . no public sex or inappropriate activity taking place. Just normal people enjoying the beach, water, sun and friends.

Collins Beach is much like Little Beach on Maui in this respect. Rooster Rock is being taken back by responsible nudists and inappropriate activity being taken care of and prosecuted. A nude beach is only as good as those stewards who take an active interest and advocate to keep it safe and friendly. That’s why I support the efforts of AANR-NW GAT beach cleanups and ORCOBA beach advocacy. These organizations work tirelessly to keep these beach open for use and safe for everyone.

San Onofre State Beach

The Friends of San Onofre State Beach Need YOU to Take Action!

San Onofre State Beach in California More Info Our Rights are Seriously Being Threatened! California has taken another blow towards restricting nude recreation on public lands! Some threats we can live with but today we are faced with a situation that could impact every nudist who skinnydip in California and beyond. Ruth Coleman, Director of California Department of Parks and Recreation has issued an order revoking the longstanding “Cahill Policy” as it applies to the San Onofre trail 6 area, effective June 1, 2008. The situation is evolving rapidly while The Friends of San Onofre Beach (FOSOB) and the Naturist Action Committee (NAC) are working closely together. The American Association for Nude Recreation (AANR) supports the NAC Action Alert posted on May 21, 2008 and have offered our assistance to save San Onofre Beach. AANR encourages every one of you to step up and participate in the fight to save this beach, and ultimately nude recreation on public lands. Please read the alert and participate in the letter/email writing campaign per the NAC Action Alert. Thank you! CLICK HERE to access the San Onofre NAC Action Alert.

New Approach: Make Nudity Mandatory

Alex de Vos

23rd May 2008 09:59:40 AM

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A lobby group has demanded authorities make nudism mandatory at Torquay’s Point Impossible beach.

Australian Nudist Association spokesman Werner Jacob said forcing all beachgoers to strip was the best way of weeding out perverts at Point Impossible.

Replacement of Point Impossible’s clothing-optional status with mandatory nudism would stop “a lot of the hassle” over addressing concerns about deviant behaviour at the beach, he said.

“It would be better if it was nude bathing-only,” Mr Jacob said.

“At the moment it (clothing-optional status) says you don’t have to take your clothes off and you can sit there and perv but if you had to take your clothes off then people would see you.

“I think it would stop a lot of the hassle – at the moment the law is very difficult to define.”

Mr Jacob said a mandatory nude bathing policy would also help boost tourism from nudists.

“Victoria’s losing out on nudist tourism, Torquay’s missing out,” he said.

Mr Jacob suggested a nude bus could ferry passengers to Point Impossible from Torquay accommodation centres to enhance the town’s nudism experience.

The association’s call for mandatory nudism followed the Independent revealing earlier this month plans to install hidden cameras at Point Impossible before October to flush out perverts.

The plan drew harsh criticism from one of Australia’s leading civil rights activists in the following week’s Independent. Liberty Victoria president Julian Burnside QC attacked the spy cameras as “unjustifiable and intrusive”.

Point Impossible came under fire in 2006 after residents complained about men using the dunes to meet for sex.

Residents believed that the men were using the beach’s clothing-optional status as a cover for sexual activity.

Personal Observation: I would love to see the few clothing-optional beaches in the Northwest (Collins Beach on Sauvie Island and Rooster Rock) designated ‘nude’ instead of clothing-optional. Probably unworkable at Rooster Rock where the problem of lurkers is not a big problem . . . but at Collins Beach making the throngs of lurkers who show up there every sunny weekend, strip and be nude themselves might go a long way to stopping this undesirable activity . . . and probably convert a bunch to the freedom of nudism instead of sitting there fully clothed to get a cheap thrill.

Sex in the dunes of back areas? That is an on-going problem not just at our clothing-optional beaches, but at all the beaches where someone could seek out a secluded area and behave irresponsibly, threatening the beaches for all users.

Goldmyer Hot Springs Conditions

From: Beth

Wow, snow is melting real fast now with the record breaking heat wave we’ve been in for the last 3 days. We only recommend using the old-roadbed-turned-trail hiking route to Goldmyer currently, as the Middle Fork Trail has a number of un-bridged stream crossings that are probably running real high.

Even along the old-roadbed-turned-trail hiking (or biking) route there is run-off flowing across the trail, especially one spot about halfway from the trailhead where an overflow channel causes river water to flow across the trail before it is channeled back out into the main river channel. You’d either have to wade, or bush-wack around the area on the non-river side of the trail. The Dingford Creek waterfall along this route is roaring!

The Forest Service is waiting until the chance of any further run-off damage is past before they take their machinery up to smooth out the rough places in the road that occured over winter. For now use vehicles that have at least the ground clearance of a Subura Outback. Regular clearance vehicles would probably scrape bottom in a few places. One can forego snowshoes, and instead have good hiking boots with gators (leave the tennis shoes at home still). One could ride a mountain bike most of the way. The trails and campsites at the Goldmyer property are quickly melting out.

Chuck reports:

The river is really high, around 10,000 cubic feet per second which is extremely high. See http://waterdata.usgs.gov/wa/nwis/uv/?station=12141300. There is a Flood Watch in effect for the Snoqualmie River over the weekend.
http://weather.msn.com/bulletin.aspx?wealocations=wc:USWA0395 It should be no problem in crossing, thanks to the bridge but there may be places along the way where the river is over the road by over two feet. Use care in going in.

Rooster Rock Water Levels

The river is high as you might expect. The water was about eight feet from the bottom of the stairs and you’d have to wade just to get to the changing bench near the bottom of the ramp.

USGS Water Levels below the Bonneville Dam

The water gets lower that by the beginning of August there should be an appreciable beach at the end of Buffalo Trail and you should be able to wade out to Sand Island if you are careful . . . the the water will still be bellybutton to chest high and deeper many places. At the moment the gage water levels are measuring between 19.5 and 22ft (measured below Bonneville).

Water levels will steadily drop as we go into August with the mean around 15 ft and dropping to around 10 ft by the beginning of September. The water levels stay steady throughout the months of September and October before beginning the rise slowly again during November.

In general, when the water level (as measured at the Bonneville gage site) is:

>15 ft (until the beginning of August) – most of the clothing optional area and the un-vegetated areas of Sand Island are covered by water,

12-15 ft (into the middle of August)and it is possible to wade/swim out to Sand Island though little beach will be evident,

10-12 ft (last week of August) and much of the beach is becoming exposed and the trails/vegetation are drying-up. As the water level approaches 10 ft you will be able to walk to Sand Island in no more than ankle-deep water.

Annotated Google Earth images of Rooster Rock Clothing Optional Beach to give an idea of where the trails are. Note that these images were produced for a project back in 2005 but they do accurately reflect the trail names and alignments and the boundary of the designated clothing optional area. Since these images were made the location of the volleyball court has reportedly been changed.

The first image shows the clothing optional area (less Sand Island) in vertical; showing the east parking lot at lower left. The clothing optional area signage is at the top of the ramp just beyond the restroom. At the bottom of the ramp is a screen bench were most people feel comfortable getting nude.

The second image shows the clothing optional area in oblique (looking east up the gorge). This image again shows the trails and Sand Island near the top center of the image.

Rooster Rock 360 Panoramic of Sand Beach (taken late Sept in 2005 during the lowest water level I’ve ever seen):
http://nudehiker.blogspot.com/2005/09/rooster-rock-360-panoramic-of-sand.html

Caution All Hikers

Article brought to my attention by Bill P. I’ve seen these devices while hiking BLM lands in Southern California . . . yet never knew what they were. They look somewhat like survey stakes but get close and set one off . . .

Predator Poison Under Review

Man’s Poisoning Prompts Debate on Predator Poison Ban

By MATTHEW DALY

The Associated Press

Dennis Slaugh and his brother were riding all-terrain vehicles when they noticed what looked like a survey stake, marking federal land in Utah’s rugged Cowboy Canyon.

Curious, Slaugh touched the stake, and it exploded, spewing a cloud of sodium cyanide in his face and chest. Slaugh, 65, said he suffers long-term health effects from the 2003 incident. He has difficulty breathing, vomits almost daily and can no longer work driving heavy equipment because he is too weak.

This undated handout photograph provided by Predator Defense
shows a sodium cyanide-based device, known as M-44. Congress
is considering a ban on the poisons used to protect livestock
from wild animals. (AP Photo/Predators Defense, Brooks Fahy)

The cyanide device, called an M-44, is one of two poisons used by the federal government to kill coyotes and other wild animals that threaten sheep and other livestock. M-44 and sodium fluoroacetate, more commonly known as Compound 1080, are distributed by the Wildlife Services agency, an arm of the Agriculture Department. The poisons killed more than 14,000 wild animals in 2006, including coyotes, foxes and wolves, the agency reported.

The Agriculture Department says the devices are a relatively humane way to kill predatory animals, adding that because the poison is contained in specific delivery devices, the risk to non-target animals is reduced.

Compound 1080 is used in “livestock protection collars” strapped onto sheep or goats, while sodium cyanide is used in an ejector that has bait designed to attract predators but not livestock. It releases poison into the wild animal’s mouth.

After years of complaints by environmental groups, the Environmental Protection Agency said last week it is investigating Slaugh’s poisoning, which critics say is only one of a host of mishaps in which hundreds of dogs and other pets have been killed, and dozens of people have been poisoned or injured.

“It’s only a matter of time before someone is killed,” said Brooks Fahy, executive director of Predator Defense, an Oregon-based group that works to protect coyotes and other wildlife.

“These devices cannot differentiate between a coyote, a wolf, a dog or a person,” Fahy said. “When pulled on, even lightly, the device spews enough sodium cyanide to kill a person.”

The EPA investigation comes as the agency considers a proposal to prohibit use of the poisons on federal land. A bill by Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., would go further, banning the poisons altogether.

“Compound 1080 and M-44 sodium cyanide capsules are lethal, dangerous, and unnecessary poisons. They pose a very serious threat to our nation’s citizens, wildlife and domesticated animals,” DeFazio said.

He called the two toxins “super poisons” that could be used by terrorists to harm Americans. Compound 1080 is so lethal that a single teaspoonful could kill dozens of people. There is no known antidote.

Rep. John Salazar, D-Colo., called DeFazio’s fears overstated.

A farmer and cattle rancher, Salazar said both pesticides are safe, “environmentally sound tools registered by the Environmental Protection Agency and used only by trained and certified applicators.”

Use of the pesticides “is highly target-specific, in limited applications, and in compliance with the regulations of the EPA and local jurisdictions,” Salazar wrote in a letter urging colleagues to defeat DeFazio’s bill.

Without effective tools to protect them from predators, livestock losses from coyotes and other wildlife could be two to three times higher than current levels estimated at $16.3 million per year in the sheep industry and $51 million in cattle losses, according to the Colorado Wool Growers Association, which represents the state’s 1,600 sheep farms and ranches.

“Regardless of the size of operation, each sheep farm or ranch needs protection against predators, and many operations rely on the assistance and expertise” provided by the Wildlife Services agency, the group said in a letter opposing the ban.

Salazar encouraged colleagues to “stand up for the thousands of livestock producers in our country who provide the world’s most abundant food supply and oppose this legislation.”

DeFazio said it’s unfortunate that the bill’s leading opponent is a fellow Democrat and westerner, but said he would push forward with the measure, the latest in a yearslong effort to ban the two poisons.

The bill comes as the EPA has taken a long-delayed step toward banning use of the poisons on federal lands. The agency has set a March 5 deadline for public comments on a proposal drafted in response to a petition from a coalition of environmental groups.

EPA has not reached a decision on the petition and is conducting its own analysis to determine if the pesticides “pose unreasonable adverse effects on the environment,” said Dale Kemery, an agency spokesman.

Compound 1080 is made primarily by Alabama-based Tull Chemical Co., while M-44 capsules are produced by the Agriculture Department’s Pocatello Supply Depot in Idaho. Warning signs in English and Spanish are required near locations where the poisons are used.

On the Net:

Agriculture Department Wildlife Services Program: http://www.aphis.usda.gov/wildlife damage/

Predator Defense: http://www.predatordefense.org

Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. Used under Fair Use guidelines as important enough to warrant posting with attribution

Addendum: Sodium Cyanide (NaCN): M-44 Cyanide Capsules, 88.62%. Found in a 1 inch tall by 0.44 inch diameter (M-44) ejector mechanism. When in contact with moisture, as when the M-44 ejects the sodium cyanide into the oral cavity, the compound reacts to form a gas, hydrogen cyanide. Hydrogen cyanide is the actual toxicant that causes asphyxiation when inhaled. Specifically developed for the control of coyote depredation on livestock. The devices are to be checked weekly at the very least. The compound is highly mobile in soil. Primary toxicity is a serious potential for non target species. Secondary toxicity is thought to be unlikely due to the nature of the compound and its limited ability to assimilate into tissue.

Further Reading:

• Compound 1080 and M-44 Elimination Act, a House bill introduced by Congressman Peter DeFazio on December 18, 2007
• Men’s Journal article – “America’s Secret War on Wildlife: A federal agency keeps the West safe for cows by killing coyotes, wolves, bears–and pet dogs”
  – by Christopher Ketcham, January 2008
• The Salt Lake Tribune article – “EPA investigates Utahn’s poisoning–4 years after device shot cyanide in his face”
  – by Patty Henetz, January 18, 2008
• The Salt Lake Tribune editorial – “Sayonara cyanide: Poison land mines should be banned”
  - by Tribune editorial staff, January 22, 2008