The Craft of Being Safely Unseen: A Tool List

[jbeegoode]

There has been a tendency in discussion toward being seen to promote naturism and discussion of the unjust here for a recent while. We had a tendency to not be seen at The Secret Naturist Society. Since stealth is a practical tactic to avoid legal turmoil and we are coming into the warmer seasons and need to dust off the winter’s stagnations, I’m thinking a thread of tips and discussion might be a healthy reminder of the craft of this all.

A review of what’s in the tool box. A rehash of Lookee’s “Secret Naturist’s Handbook.”

It is apparent that in order to be a free range naturist, one must be practical. As one must adapt to the terrain and weather, one must adapt to places of greater risk, places that are populated with creepy textiles. There is fun to being stealth, to being nude in situations when and where naked is unusual. I for one will feel more liberated and safe depending, but I will always look to the opportunity to be naked whenever possible, whatever that takes. Naked is the desirable default state.

http://freerangenaturism.com/forum/index.php?topic=647.0

Shot down was a separate secret naturists section, but a thread isn’t adequate either. A thread becomes too broad and cannot be used to make sub-categories, just ramble on. Stealth can be subbed down into say: which days of the week, having a handy drape, angles of sight, etc.

Well, I won’t get very far with a section, so here’s a thread. May the chips fall as they may. I’m starting out with listing the tools. If anyone desires to sub-categorize then they would start an additional thread and to discuss each subcategory. There are already some threads addressing these things. So, WE ARE ONLY MAKING A LIST HERE>

To move among textiles nude without arousing any ire:

Covering up during encounters
Utilizing angles of sight
Weekdays when most work or go to school
Seasons, when weather, school, hunting bring ebb and flow to the poplation of an area
Where to disrobe, in car , down the trail
Stashing clothing, where, when
What quick coverings are handy
Body paint
Times of day
 How to read and learn the habits of other people, like neighbors
Signs
Building barriers around the house
Building barriers around the campsite
Finding a secret special spot
Making a secret special spot
 Getting to and from a secret special spot
Carnuding
Boating nude
Getting to and from
Listening,
Smelling
Using tracking methods
Footwear or not, or even more naked
Urban concerns

Off the top of my head, there is a start to the list. Perhaps this will develop into a table of contents so to speak, or at the least generate some useful discussion for us all, newbie and longer time craftspersons. Much is covered in “The Art of Free Range Naturism” thread. Perhaps a study of that would add to this list, but our collective knowledge is our wealth.
Jbee

[jbeegoode]

I just lifted these from Lookee's stash in his "Handbook."
Carrying clothing
Cover to cover
Estimating distance
Moving quietly
Night skills
Observation
Quick change
Reading clouds
Sixth sense
Sneaking
Stone throwing
Stop look listen
Wildlife disturbances
Dealing with livestock
Finding shelter
Plant hazards
Vehicle safety
Cover stories
Escape plan
Local knowledge
Operations point
Recon
Route marking
Sun
Weather forcast

[nuduke]

I would add:
Stopping and listening intently.  Not just for a moment but for minutes to be able to distinguish those subtle natural discontinuities in the background of a forest or open ground that differentiate animal activity from human.  One becomes aware of say, the disturbance of leaves by a squirrel as being very different from a walking dog or human.  Look and listen intently for possible danger of encounter is my watchword.
John

[Peter S]

If it’s a walk one is likely to do frequently, do it first textile and check out all those things like other users, lines of sight, overlooked from roads, properties etc.

[Greenbare Woods]

I would say that hiding implies doing something wrong.  I prefer to assert that naked is normal, one of a variety of normal choices that depend on daily weather and other factors.   All of these strategies for hiding are effective, but wrong. 

A far better "Craft" is that of being Safely SEEN.  Being seen and being normal demonstrates that being naked is normal, not some shame you have to hide.  It gives the other people an opportunity to experience a naked encounter as part of life.  It gives the other people permission to go naked if they choose.  That is the Craft of what I enjoy as Free Range Naturism.  All this hiding makes no sense to me. 

Bob

[eyesup]

For those of us that live where “being seen” is still a crime, to borrow from the Bard, “the better part of valor is not being seen.” The legal hassles are too burdensome. I live in of those cookie cutter housing projects. Not much in the way of opportunity.

Duane

[ric]

i think most of us start out as secret naturists,   whether through lack of self confidence or awareness of possible consequences.

i count myself lucky that over the years my confidence has grown,  my personal circumstances and environment are now such that i dont have to worry about consequences of being known to be a naturist.

[BlueTrain]

Smelling? Stone throwing? Not sure how they fit in but it sure looks like the list is complete.

I passed up a lot of opportunities for nude hiking because I was much more timid than I later became. When I first started doing nude hiking (nothing more than walking in the woods, actually), I was still in high school and was close enough to patches of woods with enough privacy to be nude. While still in high school, we moved out to the country where there was even more woods and they were all our property. So I felt pretty secure that I wouldn't get into any trouble. And I never did.

Later, when I was in college, I lived in a town that was close enough to lots of woods where I could have done more nude hiking. I did some but not as much as I might have. Never thought of driving nude, too, but I don't remember summers as being that long and hot there. Besides, I had other activities, too. The thing is, to do one thing, you have to not do other things instead, if you follow me.

It is true that being seen in public (which you don't get to define) is generally seen as not only a serious offense but a sex crime as well. You wind up on a registry and so on. When 99.99% of people wear clothes all the time everywhere, then being nude in public cannot be though of as normal. It's only the public part that matters.

It isn't what people know that you do that always matters. Most people probably don't care and, moreover, don't want to know. Most people mind their own business and don't appreciate knowing every little thing you want to tell them. It's tricky. You want to give the other person (presumably someone you know) just enough information so that if they found out everything you do in your spare time, they wouldn't be surprised. They just don't want to hear you telling them how being naked is normal and prevents wars. The funny thing is, people will tolerate someone carrying a gun in public where it's legal but not the sight of a naked man. Again, we're probably just talking about men.

Since we're all well along in life and in fact, I'm retired now, one of the things I suspect we all miss is the spontaneity of our youth. We did whatever we could whenever we had the chance. Not like that now. We have to be deliberate and plan our outings. We wish that we could throw off our clothes and be naked whenever we felt like it. But that's a fantasy. The real fantasy is to be young again.

Oh, to be 70 again.

Remember when you were little and your mother was always reminding you to play fair? Well, life isn't fair after all.

[jbeegoode]

I would say that hiding implies doing something wrong.  I prefer to assert that naked is normal, one of a variety of normal choices that depend on daily weather and other factors.   All of these strategies for hiding are effective, but wrong. 

A far better "Craft" is that of being Safely SEEN.  Being seen and being normal demonstrates that being naked is normal, not some shame you have to hide.  It gives the other people an opportunity to experience a naked encounter as part of life.  It gives the other people permission to go naked if they choose.  That is the Craft of what I enjoy as Free Range Naturism.  All this hiding makes no sense to me. 

Bob

A time and place for everything under the sun. It is often risky to be nude around trailheads, downtown, or in a neighborhood, because of law. DF and I want to be nude, casual, and comfortable anyway. So, we assess the situation and then act. We get to be naked most of the time without very serious hassles.

To continue freely in spite of law is a revolutionary act. It is a personal liberation. We choose our battles and do our thing to enlighten people, but then we also enjoy nudity/naturism personally. Sometimes it is a defiant act, empowerment, a refusal, a statement and we are in the mood. Other times I like to just be myself. Sometimes, we seek out situations where we are accepted as our human selves, and sometimes bond with others to practice our human right to be our own God given nature and not to constrict that.

 It is risky in urban situations. DF and I don't feel that it is such a big thing to be seen nude, but others may. In order to be nude most of the time, these tools and craft are necessary. It isn’t “wrong” to practice a stealth nudity, it is choice as to how much hassle, or risk, that I’m in the mood for.

It is often easier to practice stealth to get to a fully liberated situation, like at a trailhead a couple of weeks ago:
We pulled up nude to a trailhead parking lot, choosing to avoid the more risky populated vista stop to begin. I park the car so the doors provide some cover. No one was there, but now there are two teenage girls. I assess their attention and look for clues as to what their reaction might be.

I stand naked on the opposite side of the car getting rigged up. I have to walk a hundred feet to the trail across the parking lot, but I want to check the information on the kiosk. A second car pulls up walking their dog. So, I decide rather than show these two our free butts, our backs to them not our genitals, we will wrap cloth around us until out of sight.

You see there is a deliberation and choice all through this, piece by piece. It is stealth, it is risk assessment, our current attitudes, moment by moment, but the choice is stealth, or not to stealth. I’ll prefer my options when naked in public. Does it boil down to my personal liberation, or the incremental process of the change that society needs as the choice of the moment?
Ultimately, I want to live free, not fight a war all of the time. It makes sense to me to hide sometimes. It also makes sense that I need to live being an unencumbered naturist, as much as others need to see me doing it. So, when it makes sense, we’re seen. We also, advocate naturism to others, when in clothed situations. Others sometimes listen to other clothed people, people that they identify with better.

When we returned after the backpack trip, my calves were shot. I struggled painfully, to put on pants to go into a restaurant, standing behind the car again. The guy parked behind me, politely waited to return to his car, so as to not blow my cover. He thought that I was changing, not dressing. My priority was to sit down and satisfy my hunger, not be seen when natural.
Jbee

[eyesup]

Well said, Jbee.

The folks in the house that overlooks my yard moved out a few weeks ago. It’s a rental house. It is now already occupied. They have kids. We can hear them playing in the pool. I will have to be careful of .

I would like nothing more than to do my chores or simply to hang out naked in my back yard. The law here is just vague enough to make me hesitant. Maybe I will try to get to know them and as Jbee says, “Assess the situation”. We’ll see.

Duane

[jbeegoode]

Smelling? Stone throwing? Not sure how they fit in but it sure looks like the list is complete.

Smelling is used when someone is a higher state of awareness using all senses. One might smell a parked car, a campfire, cigarette, dope (pot), tossed beer cans, the humidity of a streambed at night, smell mud and see tracks in it. Stuff pops up a nose when you least expect it, that can be useful. If you are using a sense of smell, your other senses are probably alert.

Anybody have any other anecdotal uses for smell during stealth? Barbecue...this would be a more useful detection devise in urban/suburban areas, I should think. If you are free range you will find yourself in more populated areas at times, where smell and stealth is necessary, risks are higher.

Stone throwing: You are pinned down, hiding and you throw a stone into the distance to redirect the attention of someone who is about to bust you like it is actually someones business other than you that your clothing is missing. You make noise away from your position. This works well on dogs that would flush you out. Or you might pop a dog with the rock and scare it away.
Jbee

[eyesup]

I’ve noticed that out in the desert smells become more noticeable. Once I’ve adjusted to the site I will notice a change.
Luckily I seldom run into anyone so I seldom sense changes. It happens, but not very often which is good for me.

Never had the need of throwing rocks. Not a whole lot of dangerous wildlife in my area.

Duane

[BlueTrain]

None of you would probably enjoy the places where I go but there are certainly smells most of the year. There are rewards to the places I push into and through and wade but the smells are usually not one of them.

[rw]

Slightly off topic, but what about "The Craft of Being Safely *Seen*. Any advice on handling the situation if, despite all preparations, you happen to be seen and that person is deeply antagonistic to seeing someone rambling in the nude (despite the law allowing the activity - at least here in the UK)?  Diffusing the situation when that person is threatening to call the police, for example? 

[Greenbare Woods]

Slightly off topic, but what about "The Craft of Being Safely *Seen*. Any advice on handling the situation if, despite all preparations, you happen to be seen and that person is deeply antagonistic to seeing someone rambling in the nude (despite the law allowing the activity - at least here in the UK)?  Diffusing the situation when that person is threatening to call the police, for example?

In all my years of rambling naked and being seen by hundreds of people I have never encountered anyone who was belligerent.   I have maybe 1% of my encounters were negative.  Most were neutral.  About 20% were positive.   Thinking back, perhaps the negative encounters were handled well or maybe most people don't want a real confrontation. 

• Sometime in the early 1990s a small group, 4 or 5, from my AANR Nudist Club were doing a hike in the back country of Bandelier National Monument, in NM, USA.  We were mixed men and women.  There was a 5 mile loop of signs on trees for cross country skiing we had followed.  It didn't have a trail on the ground since it was covered in snow during ski season.  We had completed most of the loop when we encountered a similar size group of textile folks going the other way.   We gave them a cheery "hello" and received a couple of negative comments back.   I don't recall just what was said any more.  They passed by and continued on their way.  So did we.
• Twice there were females who stepped off the trail while I passed.  One time in about 1995,  on the trail coming back from a CO hot spring in NM, there were 3 women who moved about 10 yards to the side and didn't answer my greeting.   Another time, 2015, in Albuquerque, NM, there was a single woman who moved about 3 or 4 yards to the side of the trail as I passed.  She looked nervous but didn't say anything.  I passed several other people that day in Albuquerque who seemed friendly and returned my greeting.  Someone may have phoned police.  After I completed my 2 hour hike, returned to my car, and was driving away from the trailhead parking, a police car passed me going toward the trailhead.  It may have simply been their routine patrol. 
• Once I was hiking away from another CO hot spring with my wife, both naked.  We passed two late teen boys going toward the springs.   One of them made a negative comment after they passed and broke out in loud laughter.   

Since moving to Washington State I haven't done as much naked rambling on public access since I have my own woods.  The public trails near me are very empty of other people.  One time I rode a bicycle on a paved path close to town and passed several people without incident.  Negative comments and encounters are few.

• One time I was near the public road on the back side of my property.  I walk close enough to be seen but far enough to not be "flashing" cars at the side of the road.  One car stopped.  A man about my age rolled down his window and yelled, "Hey! You're naked."   I replied, "So are the bears."   Over 10 years there have been hundreds of cars who just drove past.
• Last  fall a neighbor man came to my door to complain that his teen daughter had seem me getting my mail naked while she walked on the (other) road.  The last 200 feet or so of my driveway are visible and of course crossing the road to my mailbox is very visible.  I remember seeing two women walking down the road as I rounded the corner coming down my hill to the visible section of driveway.  The women were walking past my property.  I waited 300 feet away for them to pass my driveway and then after they had passed and were walking away I slowly moved along toward the mailbox.  They had been probably 400-500 feet away and waking away when I crossed the road to get my mail.  The women probably thought seeing a naked man was worth talking about, although they had not stared or even stopped to watch.  The father came to my door a few days later.  He was polite but irritated that the daughter had seen a naked man on the road.  He ended up asking me to be more careful or get mail after dark or otherwise not give his daughter a free look. The law here is a little less clear than the UK, but it does have the condition about intent to cause someone else to be alarmed.   

That is all the negative encounters I can remember after about 30 years of being outside naked as often as I could, and meeting hundreds of people.  My advice would be 1. Don't act threatening.  Offer a cheery "howdy" or "Nice day."  2. Don't ever apologize for being naked, and don't try to quickly cover up.  Doing either of those gives a signal that you know you are doing something "wrong."  Project the assumption that naked is a perfectly acceptable choice of non-clothing for your afternoon stroll.  When you project normal, they almost always accept your choice.  3. Don't engage in a negative conversation.  If someone acts negative, keep moving and disappear down the trail or road.   

Especially in the UK where being nude in public is not going to result in a police confrontation, just smile and go on.   The exceptions for police include deliberately offending someone, so move on, don't engage.  Happy trails to you.

Bob