The Secret Naturist Handbook

[jbeegoode]

Loss of water through perspiration is something to pay attention to. In a dry heat without clothing perspiration is less easy to detect. It evaporate off quickly. Dehydration can be closer that you realize. Salty dry skin is there as evidence, but tasting yourself constantly isn't helpful.

Hot days generally mean more direct sunshine and risk of sunburn. I have to be concerned with the bridge of my nose and may shoulders, even when I have a good base-coat brown tan going.

The humidity in enclosed wet forests can be very intense. dipping in streams, or a piece of wet cloth to cool, or being conscious of shade can increase comfort, or even be life saving.

Wet, or dry, I feel more comfortable naked. I note the shade and cooling breeze, the little micro climates, like cool air in a creek bed falling down a hill and it is so much more sensual an experience to breathe and see with the entire body. Wrapped up in wet, even soggy clothing, to me is misery, keeping the excrement from my pores around my body, instead of disregarding it all naturally. It clings and feels restrictive, unnecessary and uncomfortable.
Jbee

[Greenbare Woods]

Hot days generally mean more direct sunshine and risk of sunburn.
Jbee

I would gladly trade 20 acres of snow and ice for a few hot days. 

[nuduke]

I second that, Bob.  It's cold, wet and shivery in our corner of the UK at present.
John

[jbeegoode]

I would rather die than suffer the imprisonment of the cold misery that I used to live in months and months out of the year. I am now spoiled, to disliking a mild winter two to three months a year. I even intend to break that up with with a trip to the tropical nude beaches.

I like my dry heat. The choice between too hot and too cold, would always be hot.

I remember hanging out in Gulfport, Mississippi, taking a shower, fresh clothing and being soaked by the time I made it out to my car in the parking lot. I remember sitting idly, trapped in Barranquilla, Colombia, waiting for the sun to go down, so I could go outside and move. The original natives in places like that were always naked. Today, they wear light clothing and go to the coastal beaches to cool off in bikinis.

Naked makes heat better, or pretty darn nice.
Jbee

[jbeegoode]

Micro-climate: From "The Secret Naturist Handbook"

A micro-climate is the distinctive climate of a small-scale area, such as a garden, park, woodland, valley or urban area. The weather variables in a microclimate, such as temperature, rainfall or wind, may be subtly different to the conditions prevailing over the area as a whole and it is these subtle differences and exceptions to the rule that make microclimates so important to secret naturists wishing to continue their activities throughout the year.

When the weather conditions are generally too cold, or conversely too hot, for comfortable outdoor nudity, we need to seek locations where these factors are more conducive to nudity. Woodland areas are good example of micros-climates as these can be cooler and less windy than surrounding grassland areas, with the trees acting as a windbreak and the incoming solar radiation being 'filtered' by the leaves and branches. However, these differences vary depending on the season, i.e. whether the trees are in leaf, and the type of vegetation, i.e. deciduous or evergreen.

For secret naturists, the most overlooked type of habitat where micro-climates occur, are urban areas. Here, weather conditions can be quite different from the surrounding countryside. For example:

•   Sunshine duration - 5 to 15% less.
•   Annual mean temperature - 1 to 2 degrees warmer.
•   Temperatures on sunny days - 2 to 6 degrees higher.
•   Occurrence of frosts - 2 to 3 weeks less.
•   Relative humidity in winter - 2% less.
•   Relative humidity in summer - 8 to 10% less.
•   Total precipitation - 5 to 30% more.
•   Number of rain days - 10% more.
•   Number of days with snow - 14% less.
•   Cloud cover - 5 to 10% more.
•   Occurrence of fog in winter - 100% more.

Generally, urban micro-climates are wetter but milder than the surrounding countryside and this can be put to good use by the secret naturist during the cooler months.

Finding locations where micro-climates occur that are of benefit to the secret naturist is really a matter considering how any given area will effect the different elements that make up the weather. For example:

•   Shelter from a cooling wind.
•   Protection from precipitation.
•   Degree of shade - for keeping cool.
•   Lack of shade from sun - for heat gain.
•   Drainage - dry ground is warmer than wet areas.
•   Terrain - e.g. rock absorbs heat.
•   Elevation above sea level.
•   Aspect - i.e. of south facing or not.

A typical example of a location that offers a regular micro-climate of benefit to the secret naturist are quarries. In and around my local patch there are numerous disused quarries with a good example being Middleton Quarry near Edinburgh. Here, the south are of the quarry is below the level of the surrounding land and is well sheltered from the wind. being south-facing it also traps the suns rays and can be warm enough for extended nudity, even although the surrounding farmland has frost on the ground.

When naked, secret naturist are much more able to detect the subtle differences in micro-climate locations. Our skin, itself an organ of the body, is very good at detecting the slightest difference in temperature and we can put this to good effect on our outings. When out and about and you encounter an area that seems warmer than the surrounding area, have a look about and see if it might also provide those conditions during the cooler months. If so, keep a note, and you may be able to use this location for nudity during these cooler times.

[jbeegoode]

There's a lot t say about micro-climates. The statistics that Lookee presents about urban areas is very curious to me.The heat is greater because of hot motors, asphalt and lack of vegetation.

There used to be a time temp screen at a bank at one of th busy intersections in town. I always thought that the temp was broken. My business had an account on that corner. On the hottest day in history, my partner found the temp at the back door of the Good Earth Restaurant (where the air-conditioner had given up the ghost from overwork) was 135F! That sign had been correct. I just had the air on my car on, all of those years.

DF has a place near a river corridor which drains from the nearby Catalina Mountains (9200Feet). It'll often freeze there, when nearly every other placed doesn't.

My winters will be more mild than my old home in Tortolita by approx 4F or 5F. There will be less wind, less vegetation, more asphalt, and 500 feet less elevation. There was also a cross breeze through a narrow pass that created cooling. I've now got a huge eucalyptus tree and I'm adding more trees, with the consideration of shady leaves in the summer and less in the winter. I'll make a little climate of my own. It will be hotter in the summer, but naked it will be fine, other than cooling the home's insides. Besides, we can run up the mountains and travel to cooler places in the heat.

The moister is about the same from town to country around here, dry, mostly. The closer to the mountains that you are the wetter.

There's a lot to be said about this. More later.

[jbeegoode]

Cool air falls down hills and mountains in stream-beds It is so evident when walking through them and feeling pockets of chill floating downstream. This is where the trees are, the shade, the water. All contribute.

A micro climate is as important as daily moment to moment weather. A cliff will quickly cut the sunlight earlier, chilling the air and visibility diminishes in degrees.

 The recent trip that I published shows some of the elevation changes going up Mt. Lemmon. We can go from summer through colorful fall and into winter in less than an hour. Saguaro cactus changes into grasslands, to scrub oak to alpine forests. This makes more comfortable hiking throughout the year. It is winter and we are in the desert lowlands for warmth. The temps are sitting in the 60F's and 70F's during the afternoon. When it gets too hot to hike, we simply head up the mountains to the appropriate elevation and enjoy our selves where the weather suits us.

A narrow canyon creates wind as it squeezes the through. The wider areas may be more calm and less chilly, or hotter without the refreshing breeze.

More rocks, more stored heat. More stored heat longer days with warmth. More rocks, greater heat. Darker rocks, more heat.

There are so many variables to finding the perfect hideaway, or walk.
Jbee

[jbeegoode]

The mountain ranges, around here in Baja Arizona, are called "sky islands. Ranging from 2000 ft. to more than 9000ft. in elevation. As you climb higher, the seasons change. This provides a cool sanctuary in the blistering summers, forest along with desert, or snow to play in, and a grand ecological diversity.

Near the top of Mt. Lemmon is Summerhaven. Downhill in Tucson is a place called Winterhaven.

Each elevation has intersecting other climate ranges. With terrain and water courses, there are numerous changes and so, micro-climates and ecology. The steepness of these massive mountains blocks sunlight creating cool and dry sides contrasting in a short distance with wetter, and more lush vegetation. Just walking around a bend can change everything. On the sensitivity of a nude body, this plethora is always entertaining, but sometimes shocking, or a refuge from discomfort.
Jbee

[jbeegoode]

Reading Clouds: From "The Secret Naturist Handbook"

Reading Clouds
When studying the weather forecast one of the elements mentioned, though not in all cases, is the amount of cloud cover. Cloud cover is expressed as a percentage, for example, 50% means that clouds obscure half the sky. This is useful to know as the amount of cloud cover can effect what the secret naturist can and cannot do. A few examples.

Thick, dark clouds in the evening will mean it gets dark earlier and there will be no moonlight or even starlight to help you see your way in the dark. It can also be especially dark in woodland at such times as well. The amount of cloud will also govern how quickly it gets cold later in the day as clouds help stop the heat from the sun radiating back into space. Good cloud cover after a hot sunny day can keep evening temperatures much higher than under a clear sky.

Clouds cover also offers some degree of protection from sunburn but should not be relied upon totally as you can still get sunburn through clouds. At the very least the shade offered my clouds on a hot day can be most welcome. Another type of cloud cover, fog or mist also has much to offer the secret naturist. See separate page in contents for more.

One of the most useful tricks is to stop occasionally, long enough to study what the clouds are doing. Notice the direction and speed as this will tell you where the weather is coming from, as well as the colours of the clouds. We all know the dark ones can mean a storm, but the light ones can turn dark very quickly. In the winter, the cloud masses are often so large they cover the sky, therefore you will need to look more for wind and temperature changes.

There are also many different varieties of clouds and each can signify different weather conditions. The following are general examples and should be used only as a guide.

Cirrus
These clouds are the very high clouds that look like thin streaks or curls. They are usually 6 km or more above the earth and are usually a sign of fair weather. In cold climates, however, cirrus clouds that begin to multiply and are accompanied by increasing winds blowing steadily from a northerly direction indicate an oncoming blizzard.

Cumulus
These are fluffy, white, heaped-up clouds. These clouds, which are much lower than cirrus clouds, are often fair weather clouds. They are apt to appear around midday on a sunny day, looking like large cotton balls with flat bottoms. As the day advances, they may become bigger and push higher into the atmosphere. Piling up to appear like a mountain of clouds. These can turn into storm clouds.

Stratus
There is not much precipitation from stratus, because it is a shallow cloud, but may produce slight to moderate drizzle and ice crystals or fine snow in cold weather.

Stratocumulus
A low layered cloud with some observed structure and varying colour. Often stratocumulus is the result of both mixing and low-level instability. A sign of blustery and relatively cool conditions with possible showers or rain or snow but may not reach the ground.

Altostratus
This is a dull, medium level, white or bluish grey cloud. It forms by slow ascent of air over a wide area, especially ahead of a warm front or occlusion where it is often a precursor of rain. Sun may be dimly visible as through ground glass. Often a sign of approaching rain or snow.

Altocumulus
A patchy cloud with a wave-like or dappled appearance. Distinguished from Cirrocumulus by the colour which is grey or blue grey (Cirrocumulus is milky-white). Sometimes referred to as a "Mackerel sky".

Nimbostratus
This is a dark, grey, heavy sheet of cloud from which rain or snow is falling. It appears black from below but as the rain or snow becomes heavier the base may become indistinguishable with just ragged scuds of low fractostratus to be seen. The rain or other precipitation usually lasts for a long time. At a warm front it may continue for several hours, unlike the relatively short, intense rain from showers.

Cumulonimbus
A cloud formation resulting from a cumulus cloud building up, extending to great heights, and forming in the shape of an anvil. You can expect a thunderstorm if this cloud is moving in your direction. May produce very heavy rains, hail, strong winds and even tornadoes.

Cirrostratus
A fairly uniform layer of high stratus clouds that are darker than cirrus clouds. Cirrostratus clouds indicate good weather. A "halo" may appear about the sun or moon due to refraction of light rays in the ice crystals and is often a sign of approaching storms.

Cirrocumulus
A small, white, round cloud at high altitude. Cirrocumulus clouds indicate good weather.

[jbeegoode]

I can read clouds around here because I can see them. The view is nearly a 360 degree dome. I can see storms approaching an hour off, and if they might bypass me and even the intensity of the weather coming.

I often get on the satellite images of the National Weather Service. I can sometimes predict better than the forecasters about my area and get a fuller picture.

DF and I were out northwest in the Ironwood National Monument for an eclipse, not long ago. The military runs aircraft out north of there. Since Senator McCain pushed through the act during the Iraq War, they have been using fuel that leaves a white trail instead of clear. While out there, we were looking for clear skies, but there was so much pollution from the trails that as they spread out, the entire sky developed a haze, changing the weather. The haze usually traps the heat. It was just obvious what was going on. It is out there that we have seen strange rainbows in the clouds. Now I think I know what causes those.

The fuel is cheaper and is supposed to save millions of dollars. How many times have I sat and watched an incredible Arizona sunset and watched some military jet slice across the pristine painting?

One thing, I do pay attention to clouds, as they may provide the only shade that I have. There Is that cover up the shoulders sunburn factor.

[jbeegoode]

When I was a teenager, I laid out in the sun in the backyard on a partly cloudy day. I passed the time watching the traveling thick fluffy cotton cumulus clouds pass in front of the sun over and over. I figured that I was getting only half of the sun as it was blocked half of the time. I spent a longer time out, figuring that I was getting half of the suntan. It doesn't work that way. Even a haze can suntan, or burn, the skin, just as easily as clear blue.

Jbee

[jbeegoode]

SNOW: From "The Secret Naturist Handbook"

Most people, even when fully clothed, try and avoid going out in the snow but secret naturists are another breed entirely - well, some of the more extreme one's at least. Even when snow is falling, temperatures can be high enough for short periods of nudity, say a few minutes, with the thrill being the main reasons for doing so or perhaps, to complete a challenge for the Challenge League.

One interesting challenge I came across on the Forum, was to leave a trail of bare footprints at first light for the neighbours to see and have something to wonder about! I tried this late one winter's evening, dashing from the house to the end of the street and back. However, later, when I was looking out the window, I could see a trail of bare footprints leading right up to the front door! I quickly donned boots and erased my bare footprints.

What you do in the snow is up to you - walking about is the most obvious one - but one correspondent suggested that naked body surfing on snow was great fun! That's not using a snowboard but using your own body to slid down the slope. Head first, of course. Now that would be a challenge!

Generally, it is usually too cold for extended nudity during the winter months when snow falls and lies on the ground but with a bit of local knowledge you can find sheltered locations facing the sun that are also out of the wind, where longer periods of nudity can be achieved. Coniferous woodland on south facing slopes are often the best.

Going barefoot on snow is invigorating but you need to watch your feet do not get too cold as cold feet can mask the occurrence of cuts, etc from sharp stones or glass. Generally, other than for short periods, footwear is usually required.
One of the most thrilling activities you can do when its snowing, is to be naked outdoors when a blizzard is blowing. Having tried this one or twice, I can truthfully say it's jolly good fun and worth trying at least once. Of course, I can also truthfully say, it was bloody freezing as well!

[jbeegoode]

KEEP MOVIN"!

https://thefreerangenaturist.org/2016/12/23/a-new-year/

Snow is so wonderful...every so often.
Jbee

[nudewalker]

I miss being out in the snow. Changes in the neighborhood have limited doing naked snow angels and issues at home have limited outdoor nude time period. Last time I got to snow hike in boots, gloves, hat and sunglasses managed to get a bit of a sunburn. So be thankful your snow melted before noon!

[jbeegoode]

Good to hear from you Nudewalker! Snow and clouds this time of year has often meant heading to sunny warmer climates for many of us. Any plans this year?

We're going to hold off from Zipolite this year, dew to Df's family stuff. Fortunately, I see a few hot days forecast next week. I'm tired of feeling bundled up with cold feet, so much. This new place doesn't hold heat efficiently like my ol' strawbale house. I'm gonna have to give it some adjustments this year.
Jbee