Messages

1

Free Range Naturism / Re: The Secret Naturist Handbook

« on: June 16, 2021, 11:08:52 PM »

JBG and I have been in touch by phone, and just before he and DF left home, they and Dan and I did a Zoom call. I actually suggested that public libraries are the best place to get wifi service when you're traveling. I just sent JBG an email with driving directions to the campsite where we'll all be staying, and right now it looks like 11 people; but he doesn't seem to be a GPS user, and I've become a complete believer! As of today the weather forecast for Sunday is 76, sun and clouds, a shower possible, and Monday 83, times of sun and clouds. On Tuesday we might go to the best-known nude beach in New England, the Ledges. But the forecast for Tuesday is only 74 and mostly cloudy, thunderstorms possible. We'll have to see.

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Free Range Naturism / Re: The Secret Naturist Handbook

« on: June 10, 2021, 02:49:20 AM »

JBG and DF are on the road from Arizona to the Northeast, initially to DF's home town in New York State, "33 hr (2,190.7 mi)" per Google Maps. After stopping there, they'll keep heading east, to join the Solstice Hike in Vermont on the 20th, which has been mentioned here in multiple threads. A group of us has a campsite reserved--it's gonna be fun! (Unless it rains. Then it'll be somewhat less fun.) After that, JBG has a list of nude venues in the area, and we'll confer about where they go next. Dan and I have talked about joining them for more adventures, but we'll discuss it more when we get together.

Travel's easing up, Nuduke--there's time for you to buy a plane ticket!

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Free Range Naturism / Re: Solstice hike in Vermont this June

« on: May 17, 2021, 05:30:08 AM »

Here is the public announcement. A small correction has been made since I first posted this--the starting time for the June 21 walk wasn't included, but has now been added.

The starting point for the Monday hike is the same as the meeting place in past years. On Sunday we'll start from a different location. Camping isn't part of the published schedule, but anyone who's walking both days can find opportunities. Groups of friends may have some plans.

-----------------------------------------------------------

Greetings naked hikers,

This year the summer solstice is at 11:31 pm EDT on Sunday, June 20, rather than on June 21 as it often is.  Sunday, June 20, is also Fathers’ Day, which may inhibit some participants.  So this year we are planning to hike on both Sunday June 20 and Monday June 21.  All are welcome for either or both days.

Because of the continuing risks associated with the pandemic, we will avoid carpooling this year, so we will do one day of out-and-backs and one day of a loop trail.

Note that Vermont has lifted restrictions on out-of-staters who are fully vaccinated more than two weeks before entering Vermont, but maintains travel restrictions on those who are not fully vaccinated.  If you have not been vaccinated, please wait for a future solstice hike, after the pandemic is fully controlled.

The June 20 hike will begin at 0930 from the AT/Long Trail parking area 2.7 miles east of Wallingford off of Route 140.  We will hike south on the AT/Long Trail two miles to the White Rocks Cliffs, and then return, passing the cairns area and the waterfall where there will be a skinny-dipping opportunity.  After we get back to the parking area, those who want a longer hike can continue north on the AT/Long Trail for as long as desired before returning.

The June 21 hike will begin at 0930 at the AT/Long Trail parking area 3.2 miles northeast of Danby VT.  From Route 7 in Danby, head east on Brooklyn Road (sometimes called Mt Tabor Rd, which eventually becomes Forest Road 10), through the village of Mt Tabor and past the Big Branch Picnic Area.  From the AT/Long Trail parking area, we will hike the 6.5 mile Green Mountain Loop Trail which begins running SW parallel to Forest Road 10.  The trail climbs to the top of Green Mountain, from which there are views of Little Rock Pond below.  It then descends to the pond for a skinning-dipping opportunity before returning south to the parking area.  Anyone wanting a longer hike can add mileage by heading north from Little Rock Pond on the AT/Long Trail or west on the Homer Stone Brook Trail.

We look forward to seeing all of you to celebrate Naked Hiking Day!

Milt

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Free Range Naturism / Re: Solstice hike in Vermont this June

« on: May 16, 2021, 05:46:58 PM »

Yes JBG, I got your message and I'll be in touch with the details, making it more personal than I will here.

The Vermont hike used to be led by a guy named Ed from Albany NY, but it was clear 2 years ago that his health has declined, and we can't count on him to organize the hike again. Nothing was ever "official", but my friends Dan and Milt and I got together in a Zoom call a few days ago, trying to decide what we could do that would suit the situation--June 20 being Fathers' Day, and the virus crisis still being a concern. In the past we've done a linear hike from Wallingford to Mt Tabor on the Long Trail, but that requires people riding together in cars, and for those not vaccinated (probably because they haven't reached typical naturist age) that's a problem. And of course, we expect to meet friends from far away, who won't be coming straight from home.

We came up with a plan, and as usual, it was Milt who had the best ideas. What we'll do is go for 2 days, Sunday the 20th and Monday the 21st. The two hikes will be first on Sunday, an out-and-back walk at the Wallingford end of the usual trip, down to "White Cliffs" and return, featuring a waterfall along the way, and a "goblin village" of piled rocks. Then on Monday, we'll turn the southern part of the usual route into a loop, and go over Green Mountain and down to Little Rock Pond and back to the parking area. For anyone who really doesn't want to walk much, it would be possible just to walk to Little Rock Pond and wait there for the rest of the group.

After our Zoom call, Milt said he would send an email with the text of an announcement that we "can post on various lists and forums", but that hasn't come yet, so I can't give details of where and when to meet. That information will be coming soon.

See the report on the 2019 hike for a view of how this might look. Of course, since this is "all natural" and not a factory-made product, there's no way to predict how it'll actually turn out!

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Trip reports / Re: First canoe trip of the year!

« on: April 21, 2021, 03:25:57 PM »

JBG, I'm not sure that Jacques' boat is the one you should want. That's a sea kayak, made to keep a straight course on large water bodies. It's not the best choice where you have to maneuver among rocks, or paddle up narrow twisting streams. Also, although there are two cargo compartments, the luggage capacity is limited--you're not likely to fit all your glamping gear! Plus for a naturist, that kind of boat is somewhat confining.

See three different choices of boat in this thread from 2017:
http://freerangenaturism.com/forum/index.php?topic=931

An open canoe leaves you vulnerable to the wind and waves. But if you want to take enough camping gear to get out of backpacker mode, it's the way to travel.

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Trip reports / Re: First canoe trip of the year!

« on: April 16, 2021, 04:50:23 AM »

Oh yes, Jerry, I know Tully Lake. It's a favorite place with my wife, especially in the fall. In fact last year, because the state park campgrounds were all closed, we stayed a couple nights in late September at the campground on the lake.

Here's a map:
https://www.nae.usace.army.mil/Portals/74/docs/Recreation/TUL/TULParkMap2013.pdf

	I've been going to Tully Lake for a long time. This picture is from the year 2000, taken by my girlfriend at the time. It's on the stream up north of Long Pond, which we followed until it got so shallow we had to walk the boat along. She wouldn't dress appropriately for the job, though, even though I showed her how.
	The next two pictures are both scenes on the lake and river at the end of September,  when the leaves are starting to change color.
	Yes, we did go skinny-dippin'. No picture though.
	Lunch beside Long Pond. It was just warm enough for this to be comfortable! The boat and I are the same, but 21 years older than in the first picture. The hat is a few generations younger (in hat years).

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Trip reports / First canoe trip of the year!

« on: April 15, 2021, 02:24:00 AM »

Boat trips are not as easy these days, because the canoes are out in the country and I'm here in suburbia. But last Saturday was warm, and I had to go out to where the boats are, so a voyage became a possibility. I took the boat out to a place called Hubbard Pond, in southern New Hampshire, which I've posted about here before. It's actually rather difficult to get a picture during a nude canoe trip, as I can't get the camera far enough away in the boat, and it's quite a production to set the camera up in a tree and then hop in the boat and do some amusing antics while the camera clicks away.  So the only picture I have of myself is actually taken on land, and you'll have to take my word for it that the picture showing Mt Monadnock over the bow of the boat was actually made while I was naked!

The water was still pretty cold. I didn't have the fortitude to make myself swim.

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Free Range Naturism / Re: Short film about hiker, canoeist, travel writer, and naturist Brian Johnson

« on: April 10, 2021, 03:23:02 AM »

Ha ha! I almost spilled wine down my shirt. (Sorry, still cool here in the evenings.)

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Free Range Naturism / Re: Short film about hiker, canoeist, travel writer, and naturist Brian Johnson

« on: April 10, 2021, 01:51:58 AM »

C'mon JBG--this is one place where we ought to know that they are "Munros"!

http://freerangenaturism.com/munros.htm

Brian Johnson is certainly alive and kicking--he's got postings on Facebook as recent as yesterday. In fact he and I seem to have 2 mutual friends. If you're willing to waste a couple of minutes on "Fesse-Buc" you can look him up as ancientbritbrian. He appears to disapprove of the current Prime Minister.

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Free Range Naturism / Short film about hiker, canoeist, travel writer, and naturist Brian Johnson

« on: April 09, 2021, 05:36:58 PM »

Brian Johnson made this himself on old-fashioned movie film, but perhaps it was done in the post-film era using antiquated equipment. Anyway, he's a hiking and paddling naturist. Although he's British, he's hiked the Pacific Crest Trail 3 times, and wrote a guide book about it.

https://vimeo.com/12429102

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Suggestions and announcements / Re: Are we private or public?

« on: April 01, 2021, 05:09:09 AM »

I'm pretty sure that http://freerangenaturism.com is public, in the sense that anyone with the URL can read anything that's posted here. But if you want to post anything, as opposed to just reading stuff, you have to be registered and logged in.

Notice that down at the bottom of the screen it'll say something like "7 Guests, 2 Users". Most likely the guests are bots rather than humans, but most of the time I could be one of them, because I usually don't actually log in unless I want to post something (like now).

Stuart and Karla's, by the way.

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Free Range Naturism / Re: Naked on the lave fields

« on: April 01, 2021, 01:02:25 AM »

No more nudity, but it's like this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nyUCey3qc8Y

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Trip reports / An early beach trip

« on: March 31, 2021, 04:50:17 AM »

This beach north of Boston is a fine place to enjoy a walk if there's a warm day in late winter or autumn. You can't go in summer, because it's part of a wildlife refuge, and they close the beach for seabird nesting. There are no staff patrolling or observing, so if you're willing to walk farther than most people go, you have a good chance of being able to get your clothes off!

You approach the beach over the dunes, via a boardwalk. You might get the whole place to yourself, except for a guy taking pictures. I was the only person there without shoes! Maybe everyone else thought their toes would become too numb to step.     I ended up very pleased with myself. (Pictures taken with the camera strapped to a piece of driftwood which I shoved into the sand.) But you don’t have to walk. You could just sit. Yes, I did spend some of the time in freedom and comfort! I stayed dressed that way walking back, until I started seeing clothed people near the boardwalk.

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Free Range Naturism / Re: The Secret Naturist Handbook

« on: March 29, 2021, 01:12:49 AM »

I have to admit that I am of the chicken persuasion. If I'm naked in public when someone comes in sight, I'll cover up, and if someone catches me before I can get behind cloth, I'm embarrassed. Getting a wrap skirt has been a great comfort for me--I can get that around me very quickly. But as JBG just said, being in a group takes the worry away, in fact being with just one other person helps a lot. Remember Arlo Guthrie's advice near the end of Alice's Restaurant.

If I were in a group where nudity was tolerated but most people weren't naked, I'm not sure how I'd act. It would depend on how well I knew the people, what I felt the atmosphere was like, was everyone the same age (I might not mind being "that naked guy", but I wouldn't like "that old naked guy" as much) and, uh, maybe how much alcohol had been poured. Oh, and would there maybe be a hard-core subgroup of naked people among the textiles, so we could say we had the club uniform on? There's group support again!

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Free Range Naturism / Naked on the lava fields

« on: March 26, 2021, 05:07:46 AM »

Stripping off a few layers when things heat up can often be the most natural thing in the world.

Few of us, however, would attempt it in front of a crowd of hundreds while stood in front of a volcano spewing lava.

https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/iceland-volcano-naked/index.html