The Secret Naturist Handbook

[jbeegoode]

I had a long involved discussion on another forum with some Europeans about American influence in culture. I don't think that Hollywood and music and internet will change with Brexit. That is where the influence comes from.

There is a lot of political bullying going on, but the perpetrators may find that they need to cowtow to one of the few allies that they have left in the whole world, instead of push them around, too. Ultimately, the bully is a paper tiger in a big interactive world. Maybe right and the tendency of Englishmen to reason will prevail over the brash and rash authoritarian attitudes. Bottom line, it is corporate interests, elitist, banking and associated political power to those ends that is creating this mess. How this might affect naturist directives would most likely depend on profit and there is no profit to be had in suppressing naturism. Besides, the former Empire modeled for these neocons.

 There is too much national pride in the UK to slip to such micro management.
 
There are no Federal nudity laws, only states and some localities, so there is nothing to export to the UK.
Jbee

[jbeegoode]

"Naking" is popular in some circles. Maybe it's just me, Bluetrain, but I'm confused what you just wrote has much to do with this thread.

I'll post more tomorrow, when I'm home.
Jbee

[BlueTrain]

Oh, you'll figure it out. Please do not read the following.

On the subject of American influence in Europe, remember also that there used to be huge numbers of US troops stationed in Germany and sometimes in other countries. In fact, there were more there than ever in Vietnam. Anyway, there was a lot of cross-cultural influences and the best example is Elvis Presley. He was stationed in the same town my son was stationed. You may recall his song "Wooden Heart." It is sung to the tune of "Musi Denn. There is a least one YouTube video of him singing his song, then going on to sing Musi Denn in German to a bunch of kids.

[ric]

personally as a european i think some of our colonial friends have a rather exaggerated view of how important their laws and cultural influences are to the rest of the world.   you dont impose your ideals,  we pick and choose what we want to adopt.

from a free range naturist perspective , we tend to ignore cultural and even legal constraints we dont agree with ,  even if that turns us back into secret naturists.

[jbeegoode]

Yea, Ric, I think that you have something there about separating ideals from cultural manifestations.

On that other forum, I was taking a perspective similar to yours and the Europeans were concerned that American influence would drown out naturism in Europe. I had no idea really what American culture was doing to European culture. I haven't lived there for decades. They were concerned. They were thinking that American attitudes from porn on the net would shape the naturist values and attitudes toward nudity. The thing where the body is treated as something nasty, or other than wholesome.

One had produced a survey on porn showing that Americans consumed three times the porn as the next country...the Brits, who were around twice and more the consumption of the rest of the listed countries. There is a dominate influence, we are told of American stuff on the internet.

All I know is I see Europeans wearing American styles, now and there is a tagging thing going on and gangsta culture being copied. For inexplicable reasons, American fast faked food garbage is replacing the rich delicious food.

Then there was the political posturing that was going on in this last administration, defined as bullying.

I suggested that it was up to the European naturists to take the lead, as the attitudes about bodies were more liberated than certainly American attitudes. We need more European influence here.

I had to wonder, If people take on, crap food, rushed meals, poor taste in clothing,and some of the cultural dregs of society like gangsta, would they take on the sickness of prudishness and body sexualization that is still the dominate culture of Americans? Would they for example start covering breast again, or affect naturism in other ways?

POpular American culture infects American culture, too. I don't like much of it, but one day, I'll look around and it seems that everyone is doing it, or I find myself turning into an anachronism.

It seems that when you put two kids together the worst manners of the two come out in both, instead of the good kid making two good kids.
Jbee

[jbeegoode]

Code of Conduct

This code of conduct is designed to help prevent problems arising from encounters between secret naturists and members of the public. It is also designed to help keep all secret naturists following the Principles of secret naturism.

All secret naturists are advised to follow this code at all times.

You should, at all times, try to avoid contact with members of the public while you are naked. If possible, seek cover until they have passed or cover up if clothing is available to hand.

If you encounter a member of the public while naked and they appear to be alarmed, offended or embarrassed, you must cover up immediately. If this is not possible and circumstances permit, you should apologise for your actions and explain the principles of the secret naturist.

If you encounter a member of the public while naked, you must not run for cover as this presents the poor image of what secret naturism is about. Again, if possible, cover up, apologise for your actions and explain the principles of the secret naturist.

Outdoor nudity can be sexually stimulating in some situations, particularly for beginners. If you find yourself becoming aroused, you must cover up immediately or seek cover until able to continue. Deliberate exposure of aroused genitalia has no place in secret naturism.

One of the Principles of secret naturism is "to seek out and explore all manner of new, interesting, challenging and unusual locations while totally naked". However, we must always consider our own safety and that of others when doing so and never exceed your abilities or the Principles that define secret naturism.

In our desire to seek greater and more rewarding challenges we need to be aware that there are limits to what secret naturism is about. There is a fine line between being naked outdoors while avoiding people and crossing this line into the realm of exhibitionism, flashing and the like.

An important Principle of secret naturism is "to respect the countryside and leave as little evidence of our presence as possible." This means that we must refrain from such activities as lighting fires except in an emergency, causing any form of damage, leaving litter, disturbing livestock or wildlife and so on.

[jbeegoode]

I don't believe that I would be so apologetic as this.
Jbee

[jbeegoode]

Golden Rules:

As a secret naturist you are usually operating in locations accessible to members of the public and there are a few very important rules and guidelines that should be followed during these times. These Golden Rules are not compulsory but are highly recommended, for you own safety.

1. Never leave all your clothing in one place, such as inside the car. Split into separate sets and hide each at different locations. Even if carrying your clothing, have a backup set hidden elsewhere.

2. If hiding clothing never leave house or car keys with your clothing. Hide them in a separate location so that if your clothing is lost or stolen, your keys should still be safe and secure.

3. Never visit the same location on a regular basis. If you go to the same place at 6.00pm every Tuesday evening and walk the same route, you are placing yourself in a potentially disastrous situation. Someone may be waiting for you!

4. When hiding clothing, make sure you will be able to find the spot when you return. Use a marker of some type to help identify the location.

5. Never reveal your secret naturist activities to anyone unless you are sure they can be trusted. Even then, consider the consequences of doing so.

6. Always look behind you. When you are concentrating on looking ahead, it can be easy to forget what might have appeared behind you.

[jbeegoode]

From here, there are 17 separate articles under the heading "Articles." I'll start with a fun one called SN History.
Jbee

[jbeegoode]

Articles: SN History

The history of secret naturist was something I thought about while writing the FAQ for this web site but rather than just a few lines I thought it might be useful to write a more detailed account of secret naturism.

I suppose secret naturism, the act of enjoying nudity away from official naturist venues, has always been with us, although the term "secret naturist" was only created when I started up my first web site on the subject. People from all walks of life have been "secret naturists" for years and it was not really until the availability of the Web that like minded individuals found other with the same interest.

With a distinct lack of published material on the subject of secret naturism, both on the web and elsewhere, writing a definitive history of the subject is difficult. So, it seems to me that a good way might be to relate my own experiences of how I came to become a dedicated follower of secret naturism.

One of my earliest recollections is being naked was around the age of 10 when I lived on the third floor of a block of flats in a small town near Stirling. I seem to recall that whenever I was alone at home, I would enjoy walking about the house naked, even on one occasion venturing out onto the common stairway.

About that time the family moved down to the Scottish Borders. Here, for the next 10 years or so, I restricted my nudity mostly to the house, shed and garage with a few nude periods in relatives houses. Other than that there were only a few occasions when I was naked anywhere else. There was one memorable occasion when I managed to get naked when alone inside a small church at night. I also recall being naked at night in some woodland down by the River Ettrick.

I think it was after we moved to another house in the area that I really started to spend more time naked. One way I found of doing this was when cycling. I would find a secluded spot in some woodland when stopping for lunch and would strip off for a short while. Other memories are working naked in my photographic darkroom, safe in the knowledge that the door way locked and I would not be disturbed. I had yet to start exploring the countryside to any great extent and would restrict my nudity to very small, secluded locations.

For me personally, secret naturism finally took off when I got married and set up house. At first I found myself still keep to local areas, not venturing more than a few metres while naked. Then one day I noticed that in many of the places I was walked (clothed) I rarely, if ever, met anyone. From that day on I gradually discovered that I could actually explore large areas of the countryside totally naked and without being seen.

The next stage in the history of secret naturism was when I decided to create a web site where I could share my knowledge and experiences on the Web. My first site was going to be called The Naked Man, but I decided against this when I found other sites of that name, many concerned with the gay community. Finally, after much deliberation, I setting for The Secret Naturist which soon became The Secret Naturist Handbook. In fact, there have been quite a few sites over the past 10 years or so with the latest being this one.

Probably the most profound moment came when I started to advertise that the site existed. I posted on some of the mainstream naturist forums and was quite amazed to receive a considerable amount of correspondence from others who did the same thing. Many were also amazed that they were not alone in what they did and were most pleased to find others like themselves. If nothing else is gained from secret naturism, the fact that people have found that they are not alone, everything I have done will been worth it.

Creating a forum for secret naturists was the next thing that moved secret naturism forward. Ideas abounded and secret naturism, at least for myself, soon reached the stage it has today. My secret naturist activities are no longer restricted to short periods of nudity in secluded patches of woodland. No I feel comfortable to explore all manner of places from underground caves to exposed mountain tops.

In fact, I feel that secret naturism has actually reached the stage where there is a need to be careful that it does not more into the "dark side" where being seen by members of the public does not matter. There is a fine line between accidentally being seen while naked and deliberately being seen while naked.

Today, for myself and many others, secret naturism is all about enjoying the countryside and other areas while naked. It is about exploring a wide variety of locations from ruined castles to vast tracks of woodland, from the highest peaks to sandy beaches. It is about the thrill of being naked in places where nudity is not the norm and not a little about taking risks.

[jbeegoode]

“In fact, I feel that secret naturism has actually reached the stage where there is a need to be careful that it does not more into the "dark side" where being seen by members of the public does not matter. There is a fine line between accidentally being seen while naked and deliberately being seen while naked.”

DF and I have gone beyond this. We let it be known that we have been naked, subtly, or overtly, even though we may see a need to cover-up in some areas, for example trailheads. We believe that we are doing nothing wrong and the problem is with the other party, if there is a problem. A problem for someone to see a member of their same species is likely very small odds. People need to know that nice people are out and about in nude activities.

When covering isn’t necessary, like where it is legal, we no longer cover –up, we enjoy our freedom and the quality as things should rightfully be. We act as if there is no harm, and rarely will mention our state of dress. Two or three out of one hundred will object a few more may be confused as to where to look, but those are an extreme minority with no justification for objections, or offense. It’s a body, they see it, it is nothing and perhaps they will give some thought to their preconceived notions, learning that we are wholesome.
Jbee

[John P]

JBG, that is indeed the spirit that we should all be filled with. I'm not basically as bold as you are, but if I don't expect to get into trouble then I wouldn't hurry to hide behind fabric. Once you get a little used to it, meeting people when you're naked just isn't a big deal any more. But being with friends certainly adds a lot to one's level of courage!

[nudewalker]

Overall I have become braver in my pursuit of being Free Range but still lean to the side of caution.  You can get a feel for the area by talking to park rangers for example areas of little use or places where you would likely encounter families. Also, as in the case earlier this spring, a ranger friend of mine told me about the increased presence of sheriff deputies to combat vandalism. Translated things he might overlook like discrete nudity at the campsite, the deputies might not.

Also, as John P pointed out, being with friends not only increases your courage but a group is not seen as much as a threat as a single male.  Same with Jbee and DF, not seen as a threat, just a couple of old eccentric hippies!

[jbeegoode]

Overall I have become braver in my pursuit of being Free Range but still lean to the side of caution.  You can get a feel for the area by talking to park rangers for example areas of little use or places where you would likely encounter families. Also, as in the case earlier this spring, a ranger friend of mine told me about the increased presence of sheriff deputies to combat vandalism. Translated things he might overlook like discrete nudity at the campsite, the deputies might not.

Also, as John P pointed out, being with friends not only increases your courage but a group is not seen as much as a threat as a single male.  Same with Jbee and DF, not seen as a threat, just a couple of old eccentric hippies!

"just a couple of old eccentric hippies!" OLD! Hope DF doesn't read this, or you in dangerous circumstance!
Now then, if I'm butt naked except some high tech equipment, where's the hippie? The extra hair doesn't connote hippie projections anymore. Around here, it more often can be construed as redneck, or country western. Okay, my individuality has me eating weird, and we indulge in an assortment woo woo pastimes, but I don't reek of it when I'm naked....Hippies indeed!

Confidence alone or in a group:
It does increase the comfort level to have someone with during encounters, but it shouldn't. It is one of those, "what might people think" insecurities. Being the lone guy, we worry about getting the "pervert" projection. Being the lone girl, we might get the "I'll be raped or harassed" worries. But, here we are again in that defensive mode, like that false idea that the masses of people will freakout and call the police and then there could be an arrest. That just doesn't happen away from trailheads and the reality is only two to four out of one hundred will actually freakout unreasonably and then only just say an ignorant judgemental objection.

More people doing something unconventional is a stronger argument than alone, like any agreement a majority seems to keep the odd one in check. Bigger groups, I have found, do make a difference. But, it is mostly in the mindset. That is part of what we want to do, for people to see that nudes are out there and not a big deal. The more that they see nude the more normal nude seems.

I do feel different when out without DF. It isn't quite the fun to not have someone to share with, the photography looses the perspective of two. The pervert projection thing can be there, and I'm there to protect my best friend from anything, but we just meander on and none of these things happen because they most likely won't happen. When away from social groups, particularly alcohol, and lots of equipment, trailheads and weekend rowdies people are reasonable, friendly, or just busy doing what they are busy with.

A few weeks ago, I had a lone naked walk up on Mt. Lemmon on a trail that in parts runs along a road like one long trailhead. I encountered more people than I anticipated. Because my policy is to cover genitals around trailheads, I took a sarong and placed it in front of me, or even wrapped it at times instead of carrying it, if I heard people coming, which was all but one. People pretty much just acted as nothing, if contact happened. They knew that I was hardly dressed and nude there, but I was legally covered. I got caught once with my wrap down, as I was about to sit and write. A woman with her two golden retrievers smiled in acceptance and asked if I was going to get into a water hole nearby. She just wanted to hang out with me.

I felt less confident alone, but I felt a greater awareness of my feelings, my situation, and had some fun with my stealth. It was different, but my fears were overcome with some rational reasonable thought. I got tired of covering and sneaking after a while and enjoyed getting back to my stealth campsite and secret spot, where there were no concerns to bother with. I think that it is much better to just smile and walk through in freedom, without having to cover, but that was a bit risky there.

I would suppose that it would be the same in clothing in a strange place. If you dress unusual,say in a full blown medieval outfit in a convenience store, people might might look on in interest, some might find it fun, some think it so very uncool, and you might project feeling out of place, uncool, or fear of harassment. You wear that out on the trail and it is about the same as nudity. The odds that someone will be a bother, is greater where there are more people. If there are a few of you in medieval garb, then you own the place. Likewise, others might feel more emboldened to harass in larger numbers.

Also, one might feel more comfortable with friends around them, when they come across perceived threatening situations. I feel more confident, safe, and relaxed backpacking with, rather than alone, clothed or not. Life needs to be lived with people but one must learn to act and be alone as well. Fears and shadows need to be faced. Hiking naked can be like that.

On the other hand:
The story isn't due out for a couple of months, but that Mt. Lemmon trip was as close to SN as Lookee describes, as I have been for a while. At one point, there were a group of mountain-bikers coming through, mostly in pairs with a couple of minutes in-between. I heard them, and simply walked over and leaned on a big tree and watched them as they passed, jumping a rock in turn. I pulled out my camera to catch the jumps. I was in plain sight if they stopped or looked, but they couldn't not watch what they were doing. I felt like Robinhood standing watching the Sheriff's men and smiling in some Earl Flinn movie. It was fun. SN can be fun and exciting, even more than just walking minding one's own business naked, at times.
Jbee

[jbeegoode]

I notice confidence in groups and much more conversation, of course. Alone, I can calm the monkey mind and be here and now. That is something that DF and I have when walking together.  Alone, there is the alert heightened awareness, a tool to place oneself in the moment and be more in touch with feelings, of discomfort and other states. These SN games are more attune with being more aware, yet they are filled with projections and illusions that make it more exciting.

I started out with a rush, fears and excitement in the new game. Eventually, I walked with pride at how well I played the game. I saw myself as the master. Then, through relaxing, the process of normalization and self discovery, I found a greater spiritual quality. It is all good.