The Secret Naturist Handbook

[jbeegoode]

Self Protection: From "The Secret Naturist Handbook"

I'd like to start this page my stating that violence should always be a last resort. I say this mainly because I just don't have the skills to do well in a fight. Wearing spectacles puts me at a disadvantage and I firmly believe that running away as fast as your legs will carry you has a lot going for it. Anyway, self protection, what's that all about?

As secret naturists there is always the possibility that we may find ourselves having to manage a hostile encounter, for example, finding ourselves face-to-face with someone who regards nudity as perverse could turn dangerous for us and a wise secret naturist would have a strategy for dealing with this type of scenario. This is where self protection come to the fore.
When I refer to self protection I'm not talking about martial arts, as not everybody has the time or inclination to learn these skills but I refer to some simply ways and means of turning a hostile encounter to our advantage.

In the scene mentioned above, I would always suggest that getting the hell out of there is the best option available to you. Just run as fast as you can along your (hopefully) pre-planned escape and evasion route. It is better to avoid any physical contact if at all possible. If this is not so easy an option you need to change the odds to your favour, again without getting into physical contact.

As we are naked and without any means of defence we need to make use of what materials are available to hand. One of the best ways of doing this is to simply pick up a stone or stones and get ready to throw them. This can easily turn a potential attacker to looking for a means of their own escape. Picking up a large stick or tree branch will also have the same effect. Should this not have the required effect, i.e. your assailant backing down, you need to step things up a level and start throwing those stones. Even if you do not hit your target, they may still have the desired effect.

Should the above intimidation fail and you find yourself is close proximity I would suggest that you follow the "hard and fast" rule of combat. Essentially this means you hit your assailant as hard as you can in a vulnerable area and then get away as fast as your legs will carry you. Forget about anything you've seen in the movies, it's all mostly crap, just hit them hard where it hurts most and run away. Works every time.

The ability to throw stones accurately is an art in itself and only with plenty of practice will to become efficient at hitting your target. In the scene mentioned above, a single well aimed stone could easily take the wind out of your assailant, allowing you to make your escape. Next time you are down by the river or out in the woods get hold of some stones at start throwing them at a target. It does not take long to become proficient and you will have a useful skill, not only for self defence but for fun as well.

By way of a footnote, one of my earlier sites had a page on stone throwing and I received an email suggesting that a sling could also be used to good effect for self protection. However, you need to actually carry a sling with you and this could be classed as an offensive weapon. Much better not to carry anything with you and simply make use of what is to hand.

[jbeegoode]

I've never actually heard of such a situation happening. It is more in the realm of imagination born from fears. Only two or three percent of the small number of other hikers encountered are people who object to nude hikers. Of that small number how many would attack? They are alone and vulnerable, too. How many would go so far as to express their objection violently! A sneer or vocal abuse, maybe.

I used to consider males getting rude or dangerous with my female partner. When it is two people it would take two or more to rape and that would have to likely end up a double m homicide, due to witnesses. Theft comes when your back is turned. Lone women maybe. It is very unusual for a lone woman to be accosted and that is from someone that they are in contact  with, or know, not some guy waiting in the bushes, as she passes. Sound travels. People come to the rescue. It ain't "Deliverance" out there.

I have a nasty breaching tomahawk when we backpack. I know how to use a stick as a sword. I've spent years practicing medieval cut and thrust, but I haven't really considered it until just now. Car camped is a more public space and I might bring the pistol into the tent with us to sleep, not really expecting a need for it.

One advantage about being naked where people usually aren't is that others might think it a little crazy, or off and want to stay away, or pick up a stick to defend from the wild looking naked guy.

People are generally more tranquil in nature. It's safe out there.
Jbee

[Peter S]

I seem to recall Steve Gough being attacked once on his Lands End to John o’Groats hike. It was at the time he was accompanied by a documentary film crew and there was a sequence of the camera waving around wildly as the cameraman was caught up in the melee. This one-off reaction was far outweighed by the friendly reception he received in most places, people were more likely to have their pictures taken with him or buy him a drink.

[jbeegoode]

Surveillance: From "The Secret Naturist Handbook"

Let me start of by saying that I don't want anyone to be put off by the contents of this page. What I really trying to do, is to make fellow secret naturists aware of the ever-increasing number of surveillance cameras in today's society and how they may affect our activities. With such equipment now readily available over the counter and by mail order, everyone and anyone has access to cheap high quality video cameras. We must all be aware of this when planning our secret naturist activities.

Perhaps the most obvious type of installations are the public CCTV cameras you see dotted around urban areas and along roads and motorways. These can generally be avoided quite easily but what is important to realise is that the range at which modern cameras can resolve clear images is quite astounding. A person some miles away can still be identified easily with modern equipment. Take heed of this when venturing into or near such locations, particularly in urban areas, near motorways and greenbelts around cities.

Less of a problem but still to be noted are domestic installations. When you can pop down to the local DIY store and purchase a wireless self-powered colour video camera no larger than a matchbox, everyone has the means to set up their own surveillance system around their property. Again, generally these will not be targeted at secret naturists specifically but does give us some cause for concern that a secret naturist operating in the same area too often might be targeted if seen by someone who takes offence. Again, not very likely but possible.

Commercial premises also make use of surveillance cameras. Most will install cameras inside their premises but may also include coverage of yards and compounds, particularly where vehicles or plant are stored overnight. Obviously we are unlikely to be venturing into such properties but we may find ourselves in adjacent areas and possibly within camera range.

Another type of installation are those that have been set up temporarily in an attempt to catch individuals intent on criminal activities. As these installations will be "covert" or hidden and possibly done by professionals, we will have little chance of spotting them. However, we may be able to spot likely locations such as where fly tipping is taking place and where people congregate at night.

Similar to the previous example, surveillance cameras may be installed in the countryside, perhaps by farmers who have been subject to thefts and also by naturalists undertaking wildlife studies. By way of example, the Bass Rock in the Firth of Forth has remote controlled cameras, operated by the public from the Scottish Seabird Centre in North Berwick. Perhaps not the best place to strip off. It might also be worth considering areas where rare birds are nesting and ospreys are a good example with many nests under constant surveillance during the breeding season.

The key to managing this problem is awareness. Make sure this topic is considered during the planning phase of any outing. Most cameras are visible if you take the care to actually look for them and can easily be avoided. Local knowledge is also useful and the local media can often suggest areas to stay away from. For example, some idiot has been exposing himself along an old railway line on the outskirts of Edinburgh and the Police are in the press stating they are activity taking steps to apprehend the individual. The area is actually a good secret naturist location but best avoided bearing in mind this knowledge.

Please don't go away with the impression that surveillance cameras are everywhere, this is not the case. We are unlikely to find ourselves featured on the evening news or the latest episode of candid camera! Simply take the possibility into account when planning your outings.

[jbeegoode]

The intersection traffic ticket revenue source cameras are gone, which would be triggered by a mistake.

We have spotted game cameras in the wilds, but because we could care less about being seen and we can't be charged we are not so vigilant. I still, feel resentful of the intrusion of my privacy. They are apparently not manned 24/7 in real time.

There was a fake camera and camera sign on a hill in Tortolita. When I saw it, my girlfriend and I made a point to moon it. We didn't like the guy for what he was doing to the area and thought that it was real. A later trip up there showed that it was all faked.

The are much more common in neighborhoods these days, scanning the sidewalks in front of peoples homes.
Jbee

[ric]

In the uk privatly owned cameras are not allowed to film over the boundary onto public rights of way....you can film your front garden but it's illegal to film the footpath (sidewalk) infront. Or a neighbours property..

In general businesses recordings are only actually viewed if there's been an incident reported by other means. Most camera footage is never viewed.

If I'm caught in the woods on a wildlife camera it's unlikely that I'd be doing anything illegal and extremely unlikely that the viewer would be able to identify me from the recording......face recognition software isn't that common..   

[jbeegoode]

The driveway/car-park and front door images are often impossible to make without getting the sidewalk added to them. People have a right to protect themselves, but also have a right to privacy. Seems like a gray area in practical use. Who's to monitor? Who's to know?

ric, where you live, it sounds like it would be no problem to walk down a sidewalk, nude or clothed. Taking pictures in public places with people in the background is legal isn't it? The line is drawn with the publishing of the images and that's pretty open? I'm surprised that they don't draw a line between spying and home security, a line besides the property line?

Certainly feels less creepy, knowing that I'm not being filmed in public.
Jbee

[rrfalcon]

In the US, at least, it's legal to record on public property, so having a front door camera that also records the street/sidewalk is not a problem. I think (and here we get into the "I'm not a lawyer" bit) that it's also legal to record private property that's visible from public areas, so if your front door recording overlaps into your neighbor's yard it's also not a problem (legally). Actually publishing the recording may get into all sorts of legal quibbling, so don't do that without checking the appropriate laws and such.

[Bob Knows]

If you are afraid of being seen or imaged naked then you really ought not be going naked in public places.   Almost 40 years ago I was naked at a hot spring in a National Forest when I noticed some dude across the way with a very big lens camera.  I smiled and waved at him.  I'm sure he got a good photo.  It didn't hurt.  It doesn't matter.  So what if people see me naked in person or in pictures? 

Some years ago I was walking down the sidewalk in Albuquerque, NM, USA, late one night when someone's driveway lights came on.  There I was square in the lights, and perhaps the security camera.  After my initial shock, and with nobody yelling, I decided it was another automatic "security" light.  Not a problem.  Since then I ignore the automatic lights and cameras.

My belief is that going outside naked is an INTENTION of being seen naked.  If not today, then tomorrow or next month.  Going out naked you WILL BE seen and photographed.  And none of that matters.  It doesn't ruin your life if you own and claim yourself and your behavior.  Hiding all the time keeps textile people from encountering nude people.  In order to make nudity acceptable in pubic it has to be a common experience. That won't happen while we nudists keep hiding. 

[jbeegoode]

For me, the intent of being nude in any form is just about me, my comfort, my nature, my senses, my place in the universe, practicality, or inherent right, being me. It isn't about anybody else, generally. Nude or clothed some way, what I do seems to be nobody's business but my own.

I don't like people staring and I don't have to be anyone's entertainment. Who comes to my house, what I say, that Is my business and nobody has right to interfere with my actions. 

I don't want recordings being interpreted by anyone else, mis-imterpreted, or to be of concern to others without my intention to do so. How I present myself to the world, as I am, is my choice, but now, with the recordings, someone else takes that decision away. That is something new in human history.
Jbee

[Bob Knows]

I don't want recordings being interpreted by anyone else, mis-imterpreted, or to be of concern to others without my intention to do so. How I present myself to the world, as I am, is my choice, but now, with the recordings, someone else takes that decision away. That is something new in human history.
Jbee

That's all well and good, but since you write and post an ongoing blog with pictures and stories it appears that your dislike of being seen or recorded sounds suspect.  Sure, you control which picture is posted, but what happens to Internet pictures later is out of our control. 

[jbeegoode]

Bob, What I post is under my control. Outtakes, "bad" pics are omitted. The context is in my control, the viewers interpretation is not. As for it "later being out of our control" So far, so good. There is copyright on each post.

We do it for a good cause. For ourselves, we do it to explore photography and developing writing skills is interesting, also, the process does make our hiking experience more fun and I do enjoy sharing what I find in nature and naturism with people all over the world. Many people enjoy the blog, it's a gift for us to give.We hope to encourage people and liberate bodies.

We don't really give a crap about "being seen." I'd just as soon it be someone else in the photos, but usually, we're who is there to model naturism. There is also a richness brought to it all because I am a first hand source, not someone elses imagination as to what is going on and imagining what it is like to be a naturist.

There has been a great deal of inner liberation in the process of being seen, as we have become less concerned and self conscious, hung up, and are more comfortable being seen as ourselves. We have been seen naked and there is now nothing to lose. I'd recommend that liberation to anyone.

Now, when someone spies, stares, presents us as something other than what we are, I dislike that. It can be judgmental and completely someone else, doing something else, a misrepresentation. Whether I'm walking down the street clothed or nude, it ain't nobody's business but my own. It would be kind of like me just posting nude pictures of ourselves with no context.

There is a certain element that people will get sexual fantasy from our posts, but that is not in our control and not the intent of the blog and so discouraged. DF said that she wouldn't participate in what she called, "That kind of website" and occasionally will object to a picture that fits that context to her mind. The object is to show authenticity and "see this is good for you, get out there." We try really hard to not pose like art models, not that that is a wrong thing, but more to invite people along with our experience.

There is at least a touch of exhibitionist and voyeur in most everyone, so say the text books. This will vary wildly. It is to be human. We find those traits to be less so because of the blog making a norm of what would ideally be normal, but those traits are augmented by the clothing obsessed and addicted society that we live in. If we take people away from the more prevalent hidden social mindset for just awhile, we are combating the tendency to be conditioned into being uncomfortable, voyeur, or exhibitionist, which is augmented by mandatory coverings. As you say. The more people that are seen nude, the more normative it becomes.

There is a lie, a selling point causes a compromise and that sell is that what we do being healthy and good for anyone. I tend to choose pictures that show that, so for example DF has looked anywhere from twenty-something to her actual age in the blog. A body's position to a lens can make people look unlike themselves, too. So, that purpose and some remaining vanity happen. I'd prefer to have control of the presentation, which can be changed by a shadow, or a slight twist in a picture. I tend to choose photos of her that look more like how I see her, but I'm in love. We aren't doing movies, which are more realistic, not just a frozen moment representing our complete lives and appearances. I like it that we are not idealistic bodies, for the purpose of the blog, but we like to be healthy and not so idealistic, actual humanity. I comb my hair, trim my beard and smile at the camera. DF sometimes says "shoulders back, suck it in, turn a bit." People do that. They want to present themselves, which is a social behavioral skill, going on since doing something and making the other smile when a babe with daddy.

So, I hope this explains that there is a vague line about how one is being seen. When I identify an uncomfortable sense, and then a sense of violation, my privacy, to me, is being messed with.

There are outtakes in life.
Jbee

[jbeegoode]

The Midge: From "The Secret Naturist Handbook"

Culicoides impunctatus is one of the 37 different species found throughout the British Isles, ranging from the summit of Ben Nevis to urban parks and gardens. The name Culicoides impunctatus may mean little to all but the most enthusiastic hill walker or dedicated research scientist. Only by its common name does this tiny little creature, with a wing span of less than 2mm, bring fear and dread to entire populations of the countryside. This is the Highland Midge.

Of the 37 species identified so far, only four are generally considered a nuisance and the Highland Midge is reckoned to be responsible for 90% of all attacks. Here in the Scottish Borders, I've suffered many an attack from biting midges but rarely on secret naturist outings, i.e. when naked. Only when birdwatching and clothed, have I been bitten to distraction, despite being in the same location, under similar conditions. Why I was not bitten when naked, may be down to the fact that midges are attracted to dark colours and light skin tones may attract them less.

There are numerous ways of combating the Highland Midge with, perhaps, repellents containing DEET being the most effective. Quite a variety of makes can be found on the market and my favourite is Jungle Formulae, which seems to work well, although I prefer not to use toxic chemicals on my skin that can dissolve some plastics and strip paint! Natural repellents based on citronella also seem to be regarded as effective and more environmentally, and also people, friendly.

Another ways to avoid being bitten by midges is to have an understanding of their habitats and biting habits. First of all the biting season ranges from late May and early June well into August. By September biting is rarely a problem. You should generally be safe during the day but when the light intensity falls below 260 watts/m2, attacks may begin. For reference, a bright sunny day on open ground can have a light intensity of around 800 watts/m2 but in coniferous woodland or under thick rain-cloud cover, the critical level may be reached and biting can occur. Obviously evenings, at night and early morning will also be biting periods. Temperature has little effect and biting will occur between 6 to 180 C. however, wind speeds above 5.5 mph will force midges to seek shelter.

For the secret naturist avoidance of conditions most desirable for the midge is probably the best means of protection. Avoid sheltered and damp areas, seeking higher, well drained ground exposed to the wind. Bright sunny days will keep them at bay but when the most useful "secret naturist hours" are often early morning, late evenings and on into the night, we tend to find ourselves outside just when midges are most active.

You should also avoid floral-scented soaps, hair sprays, and deodorants which can attract not only midges but other biting insects as well, which will home in on such smells, as well as sweat, body heat, and carbon dioxide. try to pace yourself to avoid breathing too hard, and not wearing clothing will help keep perspiration to a minimum.

Further Reading
Midges in Scotland, George Hendry. The Mercat Press. ISBN 1873644 612

[jbeegoode]

Is this where the term "Little buggers" came from?
Jbee

[jbeegoode]

Between Covid plaguing the country and the extreme weather, you all across the pond probably wish it was only midges?
So, if there is a wet spring period and then a quick cold snap, are the midges killed off, like the mosquito summer season in Michigan?
Jbee