Nude Hiking and Soaking in the Pacific Northwest

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

bangedupshins — Sun, 13 Mar 2011 06:18:00 +0000

“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

bangedupshins — Sun, 06 Mar 2011 01:09:00 +0000

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)

bangedupshins — Sat, 05 Mar 2011 10:07:00 +0000

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.”

>Boss Creek Nude Rain Hike

bangedupshins — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 16:09:00 +0000

> . . . well, actually more of a stroll as it was short, aimless and I was certainly not in a hurry to go anywhere.

Anyway, working on my hiking legs and stamina and a real desire just to get out there and feel good. Enjoy . . . I did.

The rest of the album is here.

>My First Nude Hike of 2011-The Backtrail by Scenic Creek Falls

bangedupshins — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 23:23:00 +0000

Entering the back trail on the way down to the lower Scenic Creek Falls

My fellow steward at Scenic Hot Springs has been keeping me up to date of the conditions up there (myself not able to visit because of cancer issues). The other day he called to give me news on a landslide at Scenic. The way he described the mess tempted me to attempt an impromptu visit to Scenic . . . so off I went . . . dressed against the cold.

I never did make it all the way up to the springs, dallying around the site of the slide. The damage to the BPA road surfaces was significant as can be seen in my Scenic Hot Springs blog post, Winter Storm Damage at Scenic Hot Springs.

Coming back down I like to take the back route via the lower Scenic Creek waterfalls. On a lark I decided to try the last mile or so nude. So off came the clothes . . . heavy parka, fleece outers, thermal underwear. It’s been a long time since I’ve been able to enjoy hiking the way I like to so this was very refreshing despite the air temperatures hovering just below freezing . . . and dropping as the sun set lower. What really surprised me was how easily my body took the cold weather. No shivering or feelings of cold whatsoever. I have no explanations . . . I haven’t gone through any cold weather aclimization. One note is, dressed as heavily as I was on the trek up, I did feel the chill. Nude . . . colder out and minus all that unnecessary clothing, I felt entirely comfortable. Makes one think . . . do we really need all those clothes, all the time to protect us from the elements. Nude is entirely natural!

Anyway, I am now hungry for getting back out there and hiking nude.

The JAlbum Photo Album of this hike is here.

The photo album of the Winter Damage to the Scenic Hot Springs area is here.

>Bagby Hot Springs (A Photo Treat): Construction of the Bagby bathhouses in 1983-86

bangedupshins — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 04:31:00 +0000

>From Mike Rysavy: A treat on the history of Bagby Hot Springs.

As some may know, Bagby has recently been threatened with being turned over to a private concessionaire as well as threats to enforce the No Nudity rules of the Forest Service. These two issues are still under consideration with both AANR and TNS involved. For the meantime, reports are that the Forest Service has no intention of citing bathers for mere, simple nudity at the hot springs . . . that these rules were meant for developed sites like the campgrounds.

Meanwhile, enjoy these photo albums that Mike has graciously put together and shared.

http://static.issuu.com/webembed/viewers/style1/v1/IssuuViewer.swf

Open publication – Free publishing – More oregon

http://static.issuu.com/webembed/viewers/style1/v1/IssuuViewer.swf

Open publication – Free publishing – More oregon

http://static.issuu.com/webembed/viewers/style1/v1/IssuuViewer.swf

Open publication – Free publishing – More oregon

http://static.issuu.com/webembed/viewers/style1/v1/IssuuViewer.swf

Open publication – Free publishing – More oregon

A similar treatment of the construction at Scenic Hot Springs can be found at here.

>Canada: Nudity laws to be subject of constitutional challenge

bangedupshins — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 10:44:00 +0000

Canadian laws prohibiting public nudity are an infringement of constitutional rights, an Ontario court north of Toronto will hear Tuesday.

Prominent defence lawyer Clayton Ruby was expected to argue current laws in Canada prohibiting nudity in public places, or on private property exposed to public view, are overly broad — thus they should be struck down and the laws under the Criminal Code updated.

According to the Federation of Canadian Nudists, these laws are archaic because they define nudity as generally “indecent” and intended to cause “harm” to those who witness it.

>Bagby Hot Springs, AANR-NW eNews Alert

bangedupshins — Sat, 15 Jan 2011 04:36:00 +0000

January 18 Open House Input requested concerning proposed management changes at Bagby Hot Springs

The U.S. Forest Service is hosting an open house on Tuesday, January 18 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the national forest headquarters in Sandy, Oregon (see directions in final paragraph). The purpose of the event is to host discussion on allowing private management of Bagby Hot Springs and a number of campgrounds in the Mount Hood National Forest. The Forest Service already put out the bid information and, although two management companies showed interested, no bids were received. The bid process, if completed, would add Bagby and 28 campgrounds and day-use areas to a concession permit that already covers three dozen recreation sites. Increasingly, as Forest Service personnel budgets have shrunken, private management has been looked at and contracts in other areas (including the Willamette National Forest) have been awarded.

An environmental assessment evidently will be completed before Bagby and the campgrounds will be included in a concession permit. A public letter was issued by the Forest Service saying they are doing an Environmental Analysis (EA) regarding the possibility of a concessionaire at Bagby, and there will be a 30-day comment period soon for written public input. Here is a part of that 1 1/4-page

letter:

“The Developed Recreation Site Concessionaire Permit Environmental Assessment (EA) is still in the process of being completed and no decision has been made yet. The Forest is requesting your comments on this project to help guide the final decision. Upon completion of the EA, there will be no further public comment period. As such, this 30-day comment period represents the final pre-decisional opportunity for public review of the project. Comments must be received or postmarked within 30 days of the date that notice for this comment period is published in The Oregonian.”

The Forest Service is also apparently seeking some public input on Bagby at this open house. If you choose to attend, and are allowed to speak, please identify yourself as a nudist, be civil, keep your speech short and on-target. Our position is that simple nudity in and around the hot tubs, absent any other type of illegal conduct, is a long-time tradition at Bagby Hot Springs and should be allowed. We also intend to request and submit written comment during the 30-day period.

During a recent meeting of an AANR Government Affairs representative with Mount Hood Forest Supervisor Andrei Rykoff concerning Bagby, Rykoff stated that the existing anti-nudity order could only be changed by doing an EA. Perhaps the new Assessment could revisit the prior anti-nudity Order. At the very least, this will be an opportunity to make a strong statement that the 1992 anti-nudity Order is unnecessary and needs to be changed. Also, it should be emphasized that a major reason the Forest Service is not getting comments to change the Order is that most of the public still don’t know about it.

Here is the Forest Service site with some information on what is proposed to happen concerning concessionaires at Bagby and other locations:

http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/mthood/projects/nepa_project.shtml?project=32471

Update on Bagby Hot Springs physical site: Ranger Rykoff stated in the recent meeting that the old log tubs had been degrading for quite a while and the Forest Service had decided to replace them. The Forest Service installed a new round tub and one ofuro 2- or 3-person oval tub on the lower deck before winter weather set in. They will be installing two more ofuro tubs on the lower deck this year, to replace the three old log tubs.

Please consider coming to this open house if you care about allowing nudity at the Bagby Hot Springs area.

The Forest Service headquarters is located at16400 Champion Way in Sandy, Oregon. The headquarters is the first building on the right (coming from the west), about 300 yards before you reach the first stoplight west of Sandy. If you miss the turn off, you can turn right at the light and loop around on back roads to get there.

>Bagby Hot Springs, NAC Action Alert

bangedupshins — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 20:48:00 +0000

**********************************************************************
                     NATURIST ACTION COMMITTEE
                           ACTION ALERT
**********************************************************************
                   http://www.naturistaction.org
**********************************************************************
Copyright 2011 by the Naturist Action Committee, which is responsible
for its content. Permission is granted for the posting, forwarding or
redistribution of this message, provided that it is reproduced in its
entirety and without alteration.

DATE : January 13, 2011
SUBJECT: Oregon – Bagby Hot Springs
TO : Naturists and other concerned citizens

Dear Naturist,

The Naturist Action Committee is asking for your immediate involvement and action on behalf of Bagby Hot Springs in Oregon. Bagby is a popular and traditional clothing-optional site on public land in Mount Hood National Forest.

U.S. FOREST SERVICE IS PROPOSING PRIVATIZATION OF BAGBY HOT SPRINGS

The Forest Service managers at Mount Hood National Forest have already taken significant steps that have changed the traditional character of Bagby Hot Springs. Without advance public notice, Forest Service personnel have removed the historic wooden tubs from the bath house at Bagby and have destroyed the tub materials by chopping them up and burning them. New tubs have been installed. The new tubs lack the leaks of the old ones, but they also lack the character and history.

The Forest Service management at Mount Hood has also prohibited nudity in the large common area of the Bagby bath house. Nudity is allowed now only behind the closed doors of rooms with smaller tubs.

The action is part of the Forest Service’s preparation for finding a private concessionaire to operate Bagby.

NAC ASKS FOR YOU TO TAKE ACTION

The Naturist Action Committee is requesting that you
1) attend an open house that’s being presented by the Forest Service
AND
2) write to the Forest Service to express your concern

ACTION 1: ATTEND THE FOREST SERVICE ‘OPEN HOUSE’ ON JANUARY 18

If you’re anywhere in the area of Mount Hood National Forest, NAC asks you to attend a public open house at Forest Service headquarters on January 18, 2011.

DATE: Tuesday, January 18, 2011
TIME: 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m
LOCATION:
Mount Hood Nat’l Forest Headquarters
16400 Champion Way
Sandy, OR 97055

If you’re planning to attend the meeting, please contact:
NAC board member Don Zirbel
orcoba@live.com
(503) 970-6674

or NAC executive director Bob Morton
execdir@naturistaction.org
(512) 282-6621

ACTION 2: WRITE TO THE FOREST SERVICE

Whether or not you’re able to attend the meeting, you can still help. NAC asks that you write to the Forest Supervisor at Mount Hood National Forest. Send your comments by e-mail, fax or surface mail. Those who will be at the open house on January 18 are also encouraged to write.

WHO SHOULD WRITE?

NAC is asking ALL NATURISTS and other concerned individuals to contact the Forest Service, regardless of your place of residence. National Forests belong to all citizens.

Send a letter, a fax or an e-mail. Phone calls will likely be ineffective in this specific context.

   Acting Forest Supervisor Kathryn Silverman
   Mount Hood Nat’l Forest
   16400 Champion Way
   Sandy, OR 97055
   E-MAIL: ksilverman@fs.fed.us
   FAX: (503) 668-1794

NAC encourages you to send copies of your faxes and paper mail to:

NAC, P.O. Box 132, Oshkosh, WI 54903.

Send copies of your e-mails to:

bagby@naturistaction.org

WHAT SHOULD YOU SAY?

When you write:

a) Be polite.

b) Be known. Give your name and address. If you are a frequent visitor to National Forests, be sure to point that out. Anonymous letters have very little impact.

c) Be focused. Keep your correspondence brief and on target.

d) Be productive. You may certainly express your indignation over the poor decisions made by the Forest Service concerning Bagby Hot Springs and the abrupt and destructive change to the tradition of benign nude use there. Who could blame you for being upset? However, you must do more than simply scold and complain. You must point out that the Forest Service has the opportunity and responsibility to manage FOR the historic and traditional clothing-optional use of Bagby Hot Springs.

e) Be part of the solution. Volunteers and activist groups, including the Naturist Action Committee, have expressed a strong interest in working WITH the Forest Service for the benefit of the public and the preservation of treasures like Bagby Hot Springs. When the Forest Service ignores help from volunteer groups and fails to keep them informed, it squanders a valuable resource. Emphasize the value of involving the public in the care of public land.

f) Be clear. Say that you OPPOSE the notion of privatizing Bagby.

Additional writing points:

a) The destruction of the historic tubs at Bagby Hot Springs is just the most visible indicator of the intent to change the traditional nature of Bagby without seeking public input. Despite specific requests to be included in considerations at Bagby, individual volunteers and interested parties like the Northwest Forest Conservancy and the Naturist Action Committee were ignored. That’s simply NOT a proper way to manage a public resource.

b) The changes to the traditional configuration of the bath house and the nudity restrictions there are a slap in the face to naturists and others who understand that nude soaking is the historically authentic way of enjoying Bagby and many other natural hot springs.

c) Like most individuals and other government agencies, officials of the Forest Service are presently faced with funding shortfalls. Shedding areas and features and assigning them to private operators may seem like an attractive solution, but it creates a long term policy that shortchanges the public and is not likely to be undone when economic hard times abate.

d) Visitors to Bagby already pay for parking, and the reality is that the Forest Service is not likely to give up that revenue. A private operator will have to charge an additional fee to justify its own effort. A concessionaire will likely choose not to keep Bagby open during less profitable night time hours. Suddenly, a public treasure like Bagby becomes less affordable and less accessible.

e) The Forest Service has already sought private bidders to operate Bagby. One of those that was expected to bid has said that it’s not interested AT THIS TIME. That changes very little about the concern over the lack of public notice and diminished opportunities for public involvement.

MORE INFORMATION AND RESOURCES

Additional information and links are available, along with this NAC Action Alert on the web site of the Naturist Action Committee.

http:// www.naturistaction.org

Select “Alerts” and find this NAC Action Alert under Current Alerts.

PLEASE HELP NAC TO CONTINUE HELPING NATURISTS!

The Naturist Action Committee is the volunteer nonprofit political adjunct to The Naturist Society. NAC exists to advance and protect the rights and interests of naturists throughout North America. Fighting for the clothing-optional recreational use of public land is expensive. To do its job, NAC relies entirely on the voluntary generosity of supporters like you.

After you’ve contacted the officials on the list, please take a moment to send a donation to:

   NAC
   PO Box 132
   Oshkosh, WI 54903

Or call toll free (800) 886-7230 to donate by phone using your MasterCard, Visa or Discover Card. Or use your credit card to make a convenient online donation: http://www.naturistaction.org/donate/

Thank you for choosing to make a difference!

Naturally,

Don Zirbel
Board Member
Naturist Action Committee

—————————————————————
Naturist Action Committee (NAC) – PO Box 132, Oshkosh, WI 54903
Executive Dir. Bob Morton – execdir@naturistaction.org
Board Member Don Zirbel – orcoba@live.com
Online Rep. Dennis Kirkpatrick – naturist@sunclad.com
—————————————————————

Note: See Also http://nudehiker.blogspot.com/2009/10/bagby-hot-springs-letter-to-acting.html Rick

bangedupshins — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 21:15:00 +0000

The Richmond Retreat is a clothing optional spa and retreat center located just north of Seattle in the Richmond Beach area of Shoreline Washington. It features an in-door pool, hot tub, sauna, separate quiet/social room, and private sunning lawn & patio. All areas have a spectacular view of the Puget Sound and the shipping lanes.

Outside the glassed-in pool area during an earlier swim.
Panoramic views of Puget Sound from this grassy area.