The first written mention of a European who climbed a mountain only for pleasure seems to be that of Petrarch in 1336. Why did it take so long to produce this mention? Historians tell us that from the Judeo-Christian tradition comes a vision of the mountains and wild nature as an embodiment of the evil that has to be conquered and subdued. The mountains were compared to the land of Canaan: full of dark savagery and ungodly immorality. Historians have clearly made mistakes at this point. People didn't climb the mountains for fun because very few thought about doing it naked!
There are not many things that can overcome the physical and psychological satisfaction of climbing naked up a long, warm and sunny mountain track, find a river of very cold waters, jump into the water quickly, and jump out even faster, then dry in the sun on a nearby granite rock, flat and hot. Such activities were designed to be enjoyed without clothes, and from here we encourage all men and women to experience them.
Of course, there are questions that everyone asks, such as: "Insects don't sting?", "Don't we scratch the undergrowth in the noble parts?", "the sun must produce horrible burns!", "What if anyone sees us?", "Could they arrest us?"
To encourage naturists to go out naked for hiking trails, we offer the following suggestions:
(1) Go on a tour on weekdays, if you can. Not everyone is so lucky to have free working days to go hiking, but there are fewer people those days and it's much easier to be completely alone. If you can only go out on weekends, then select the least-used paths.
(2) Avoid the paths on which there are often many children. Parents will be protective and cautious. People who would normally respond with a giggle when you walk past them with a "what is there?" can be shown to ride in anger if they think your nudity alters their children in some way. It is better to avoid confrontation if possible. Besides, there's not going to be many kids in the best ways anyway. If there are many kids on the road, then that path probably won't provide you with a great experience of contact with the wild nature.
(3) Choose paths that have only one header. Normally, roads that climb a peak have only one route to the top and end there. If there are no cars at first, you can be pretty sure that there is still no one on the way.
(4) Madruga. If you're first on the road in the morning, you'll probably be alone for at least the first part of the day. The ascent by a morning road is the best part of a bare excursion, since you get to see more animals in the first part of the day, the sweat of the climb will evaporate pleasantly and, as long as you keep a good step, you can rest easy knowing that no one will come down to meet you and no one will reach you. As you go down in the afternoon, logically, you may meet other people who go up. Keep in mind, however, that they will go uphill and will probably be tired. Surely they will have no strength to do anything except return your lively greeting as you descend on a good step along the way. You must have overtaken them before they realize what they just saw. However, listen to what you can hear; some people will sincerely envy your freedom and they won't mind having a brief conversation.
(5) Know the area you're hiking in. You must know where the roads lead. Find out if there are houses, fire watchtowers, or antennae or repeaters along the way. Familiarize yourself with the road system first, then you can choose the right place to walk naked.
(6) Know the annoying plants and animals in the area. Go to a bookstore and buy a guide to the field. Ask people who know the area you want to go hiking to really well. Sometimes there will be a plant or animal worth knowing.
Maybe there's some kind of ant, spiders, or particularly annoying wasps. If you know what they look like and where they're likely to be found, you can avoid them.
(7) Take only what you need. On any excursion you should make sure you bring enough supplies to be safe. Any decent field guide will advise you on this topic. Going on a nude excursion requires planning a little more. You'll need more sunscreen, and since you won't wear a shirt to take sweat off your forehead or clean your glasses, you may want to wear a handkerchief to use as a sweat rag. You can also wet the handkerchief in a stream of cold water and put it on your head to cool off if it's too hot.
We suggest you take a small tube of Vaseline if you're going for a long walk. Even if you are an experienced naturist, walking naked 8 kilometers or more can be a new experience for the delicate skin of the inside of your thighs. Once you've picked, the rest of the day is likely to bother you.
(8) Be smart. Avoid prolonged exposure to high altitudes. If you spend too much time naked at high altitude, you're risking a dangerous burn. The last days of spring are already very hot and an hour exposed to the reflection of the unprotected sun can ruin a great excursion.
Another temptation is to keep walking naked once you get to a difficult point along the way. If you have to walk on loose, steep ground, ask yourself this, "Can my naked ass survive a fall here?" Be sensible and put your pants on until you get to an easier roadside area. Everyone falls from time to time, and a descent crawling without clothes is simply no fun.
(9) Look for evidence of recent road use. If you want to decrease the likelihood of encountering people, be alert to clearer signs that someone has recently gone down the road. You don't have to be Daniel Boone to be clear that if you're breaking spider webs that cross the road (I know, just don't think about it), then no one has gone down that path in your direction for a while.
Look at the quiet puddles. Would they be scrambled if someone had stepped on them recently, on foot or with a vehicle? Are they scrambled now? Check it out by stepping on one. How long does it take for the water to return to its original state? Draw reasonable conclusions.
If the road has a record, check it out. He won't guarantee that no one else is in front of him, but he can make it clear to you that there is someone.
When you climb dressed down a road you can always ask people who come down if they've seen anyone higher up the mountain. Everyone understands the desire for loneliness and will let you know with pleasure if you are about to meet a large group or not. The information can make it clear to you if that's a good opportunity to stay naked.
(10) Whenever you can you see in a large group of people and if it is of both sexes, much better. It's sad but true: too many people think that a lonely should be looking for sex and that a lonely, naked man should be a pervert. As more people encounter naked walkers, confident and cheerful, this ridiculous belief will slowly fade away.
Part of the advantage of hiking in a group with people of both sexes is the security given by the numbers. But the boys have an added bonus. Nothing makes it easier to find a naked man with other people on a road than to have a woman with him – dressed or naked. Somehow people's response is radically different. Once you see that your companion is enjoying her walk with him cheerfully, her initial apprehension dissipates. They see a woman who thinks she should be nervous in the presence of a naked guy, but who is actually calm. Perhaps, they begin to wonder, their initial answer is not justified.
(11) Preserves a cheerful and relaxed attitude. Put yourself in the textile place. You're walking, not expecting to find anyone else, and a naked stranger appears in front of you. This is a strange situation. The best thing you can do as a naked hiker is to smile, look like walking naked is the most normal thing in the world, and be nice.
Attitude is everything. It's not easy to stay calm while recognizing the possibility of an awkward encounter, but having your pants in hand and something nice ready to say can help you stay calm so you can enjoy your walk. Again, if you're in a group of two or more people, all of this is much easier.
Do what you can to avoid looking threatening or facing everyone. For example, leave the political activist inside you at home. Do you want to have pleasant experiences with the few people you encounter, or do you want to increase the chances of turning against others? Your nudity will already be hard enough for people to accept; don't make life harder than necessary for them and for yourself.
To these basic rules for walking naked you must add or ignore those that you think are appropriate for you. They won't guarantee you an ideal naturist experience, but they can give you some guidelines to consider. If you don't know absolutely any place to go on a naked excursion, you can do several things. Contact a group of organized naturists and ask there. The best thing you can do is buy a good road guide and a topographic map of the area and start looking for the less-used roads that climb to the top of some mountain or that enter the wilderness.
And if you can't do anything else, walk dressed to a lake or river and take off your uncomfortable clothes there. Most people can accept a naked bather when the day is hot.
The more natural nudity the hikers see, the sooner we can all freely enjoy the satisfaction of going on a naked excursion and make it a normal and everyday thing.
(Mark Storey text adaptation)