The Secret Naturist Handbook

[jbeegoode]

GOING SOLO: From TSNH:
The very nature of secret naturist activities, being out at odd hours, perhaps late at night or in the wee hours of the morning, in out of the way places and also on your own, can place the secret naturist at risk from injury, getting lost or benighted or many other mishaps. Some thought must be given to what you can do to get help should one of these happen to you.

The first and probably best thing you can do is to let someone know where you are going, what route you propose to take, when you intend to return and when to call for help when you are overdue. The rescue services will be able to find you far quicker than if they only had an approximate idea of where you might be. For this reason it is also important not to stray too far from your planned route. Obviously, you do not tell someone what you are doing, i.e. that you are walking naked, but you can tell them your cover story.

As far as safety equipment is concerned, I carry very little, preferring to travel light and fast. However, I do carry at all times a small plastic whistle - one lives permanently inside each bumbag - which can be used to attract the attention of anyone in the area. Make sure you purchase a proper whistle from an outdoor shop. These have a greater range than ordinary whistles and your blasts can be heard up to 1000m away, much further than you can shout. The internationally recognised distress signal is 6 blasts in succession repeated at 1 minute intervals.

Another useful and compact device is the mobile phone. Size and weight are decreasing almost every week and small phones can be carried inside your bumbag for emergencies. Note that not all service providers have full coverage of the entire country, make sure you choose the most suitable for your area. You should also have the required phone numbers already installed in the phones memory.

A widely used method of leaving information with a trusted person is the route card. The route card is simply a piece of paper containing details of your route, times, plans and the like, that is left with a friend or relative before going out alone into the countryside. Be sure to call in on your return to say you are safe and well.

Details your route card should include:
•   Today's date and time.
•   Full name.
•   Full address.
•   Your home phone number.
•   Mobile phone number if you have one.
•   Emergency phone number.
•   Time due back.
•   Time to raise alarm.
•   Outline of route including start and finish points.
•   Name of close family contact.
•   Equipment taken.

I don't want this page to put you off going solo but I've been going solo in the countryside for 30 years and have never had any problems. By carrying two small items, a plastic whistle and a mobile phone, you should be able to get help should a problem occur.

[jbeegoode]

I often do these things. Sometimes, I just head out the back door and go for hours spontaneously. If I got in trouble, I'd be in trouble, so I'm careful.

I got carried away this Spring in Tortolita Hills and ended up in a bushwhack, rock climb and then lost, but I figured it out. The weather was changing, I was completely naked but shoes and tired. I felt very vulnerable. Story to be published this fall, or winter.

Either there are too many people around that it is dangerous to be caught, or seen, or I'm so remote nobody would be by for a long time. Safety in numbers.

I've never taken a whistle.

Was it Eyesup that had a Boy Scout list? I make sure that I carry more than enough water and have backup waiting in the car.
Jbee

[BlueTrain]

One thing we miss from childhood (that is, before we turned 30) is doing something spontaneously. But we eventually have to do some planning for longer trips and fewer opportunities. Here are some of my own thoughts.

I don't have a cell phone. I don't know how I have escaped having one. But I manage well enough without one. I don't carry a whistle, either. Don't think I even have one. However, I don't go where nobody else goes, so sooner or later, someone will find my body. But I do tell my wife where I plan to go, and also for a Plan B, in case the road is closed or something, which has happened a few times.

I used to carry what I thought was a tolerably complete first aid kit but upon reflection, I decided that it wasn't really adequate for a real medical emergency and mostly unnecessary for what it was good for. But I still take it along on overnight trips anywhere. I decided that the most likely real emergency you might have to deal with on a day trip was a puncture wound or very bad cut, the former from a fall, the latter from a knife. So I now, all I carry is an army field dressing and a small assortment of ordinary bandages. I think about having a bad fall all the time but I really don't have anything specifically to deal with a broken bone or bad sprain. In the meantime, I just try to be very, very careful, which is good enough 90% of the time, hopefully.

I might add some other thoughts later but that's enough for now.

[jbeegoode]

Hiking, I carry duct tape (Gorilla), cotton and some bandages. I have some alcohol pads, a tweezer and a strip of dental floss. I have a two ounce razor knife with me sometimes. I'll carry a special tent stake for digging latrines and a half a dozen other potentials. It is sharpened and dangerous. I carry about the same backpacking, but I add a breaching tomahawk and leave the tent stake at home.

Usually, I just have the tweezers for a shorter hike, with a piece of paper and a pen.
Jbee

[BlueTrain]

I have to point out that my comments were about hiking in general, not about hiking nude especially. But as for hiking nude, the only thing additional is to exercise additional care to prevent a fall in rocky places. But since one would be wearing very little anyway if you weren't nude, you would do well to be extra careful all the time, with all the exposed skin. So being nude isn't really that different. I usually use insect repellant but I've always wondered if it made much difference. As I frequently point out, the mosquitos are worse in my back yard than they are anywhere else I've ever been, which is curious. There are certainly insects a-plenty in the woods but not as bad as all that, at least when you're on the move. I still believe the worst danger in the woods is suffering a fall, provided you aren't playing with fire, axes or knives. I have also been hiking nude since before I finished high school, although there were some years I did none, not having any opportunities. But I guess you have to work to make the opportunities sometimes.

I have a fairly standard list of things I take when hiking, even on a two-mile outing but it's nothing special, although it's varied quite a bit over the years. In over 50 years of being in the woods and sometimes other places, I've almost never used a knife or 1st aid items but they're there just the same.

[jbeegoode]

Yea, my razor knife is like new. I stepped on a rock that I had stepped on many times before, but it flipped. I fell pretty bad, but no breaks, just blood and inflammation. That's it. I'm moving with less dexterity as time marches on and I'm at increased risk. Still, I move pretty good and I'm getting younger for some days to come, as I use it or lose it. Knock on wood, that's it in all of the years. I also carry ibuprofen and opiates for more extreme inflammation on the trail. My first aide kit has other uses and still weighs only a couple of ounces. Its space is less than a deck of credit cards. Duct tape for patching, wrapping, expanding, on and on. Dental floss for teeth, cord etc. Uses that I haven't though of, yet. 

If I'm just out for a couple of miles walk , nothing, works pretty well. Camera and water. To Havarock, I've gone in flip flops quite often. I love user friendly spots where I can leave literally everything and just wander, especially with DF in hand.
Jbee

[BlueTrain]

Well, I already mentioned a few weeks ago about falling in the creek on one my daily walks. That was a first, falling in a creek.

I always laugh when someone says a bandana has a hundred uses. Mine has two and if I use it for one, I won't use it for the other. But I also carry a pair of cheap cotton jersey knit gloves. They have 98 uses. The brown ones don't have to be broken in like the white ones.

[jbeegoode]

Backpacking, especially when I'll be working with ash, old firepits, wood, fire, I take ma trusty deerskin gloves. They are warm, and durable and lightweight. Scorpions and some critters can't get through them. What other uses do you put your "cheap cotton jersey knit gloves" through?
Jbee

[BlueTrain]

Mainly they're for keeping my hands clean as well as handling hot things as well as anything else I don't want my hands on, like poison ivy and frogs. If you'll give me a few days I'm sure I can come up with 90 more. Not bad for wiping your nose if you run out of handkerchiefs. Not much good for keeping the hands warm unless worn under wood choppers mitts. More useful at home than in the woods, to be honest.

[jbeegoode]

KEEPING SECRETS: From TSNH:

As secret naturists we usually need to keep our activities secret from friends, family and colleagues and this can be one of the most difficult things to do. It is so easy and tempting to reveal your secret, especially when you have just had an amazing secret naturist outing that you want to tell the world about. The simple rule is Say Nothing.

There are eight rules to consider when keeping secrets:

Rule 1 - Any activity leaves clues behind
Everything you do will leave a trail such as footprints in the grass or a person who sees your parked vehicle. Even your absence from home during a secret naturist activity represents a clue. Try and reduce the number of clues that link you to your secret naturist activities and make any clues that remain difficult to find or park your vehicle away from the area where your outing will take place. For example, follow an existing trail rather than force a new one.  Associate your activities with another activity i.e. bird watching. In other words use a cover story.

Rule 2 - Limit the number of people involved
The more people who know about your secret naturist activities, the greater the risk of your secret being discovered. The ideal number of people who know you are a secret naturist is one - yourself. And even then, human nature can make it tempting to talk about an exciting outing or hint that you were doing something secretive. There is also an increased risk when someone knows of your secret, such as a spouse.

Rule 3 - Have a good cover story
You need a plausible, consistent, and believable cover story, delivered in a believable manner, that explains your actions or covers up for them. For example, by bird watching you have good reason to be skulking about in thick woodland. However, it is not enough just to say you are into bird watching, you really should actually do it and know your subject well.

Rule 4 - Build up credibility for your cover story
It is no use suddenly announcing that you are going bird watching to a friend or family member if you have never looked at a wild bird in your life and cannot tell a sparrow from a sparrow hawk. Build up gradually. Start by announcing you want a new hobby and look around. Actually go out and practice your cover story. The best way to hide secret activities is to mask them in your normal everyday activities. Good examples are, exercising the dog and walking to keep fit.

Rule 5 - Learn to Lie Effectively
No matter how well you prepare your cover story, hide your activities and maintain your secret, you will at some point be asked a question to which you will have to lie or at least bend the truth to maintain the secrecy of your activities. Learn to lie well and effectively.

Rule 6 - Prepare for the unexpected
There are so many variables to keeping a secret that the odds of "something" happening are often quite high. Try and think out what is likely to go wrong and give some thought to what you might do. Look at the elements of your secret naturist activities that are most vulnerable and plan accordingly.

Rule 7 - Stay calm, don't panic, think
Secret naturism often requires you to think "on-your-feet". For example, suppose someone saw you (dressed) going to or coming from a secret naturist outing and had previously seen someone naked in the same area and had asked if it was you. Don't panic and give yourself away by starting to explain, give alibis, and otherwise act guilty. Stay calm, act normal, find out what they know or suspect before you do or say anything. Remember the fact that someone may think it odd to find you in a certain place, or out at a certain time, does not automatically mean they suspect you of anything.

Rule 8 - Make a list and check it twice
Before any secret naturist activity make a list. Write down your plan and the sequence of events involved, then think about what clues you will leave behind and what might be done about them. Also think what might go wrong and what their solutions would be, if possible. Pay attention to the details. Little details matter. Make sure you destroy the list when you are finished.
One of the problems with being a secret naturist is the fact that your activities, at least in most instances, need to be kept secret. Should work colleagues, friends or family find out about your clandestine naturist activities there would be questions asked and it is usually best to keep quiet about these things.

Here are a few useful hints and tip that will help you keep your secret naturist activities secret:

1. If you must keep a journal of your secret naturist outings, make sure it is well hidden from prying eyes. If in electronic format, use encryption software. If kept on paper, don't.

2. Never use "factual" information that could lead to you being identified. Use a cover or secret naturist name rather than your real one. Same goes for your email address.

3. After all secret naturist outing, check yourself over for splatters of mud, insect bites, ticks, scratches and so on. If you find anything, fix it, or have an excuse ready.

4. Avoid sudden changes in behaviour or sudden alterations to your normal routine. Make such changes gradually over time to avoid arousing suspicion. A good tip is to make these changes as part of your new interests e.g. bird watching.

5. Consider the fact that the consequences of it becoming known that you have been keeping secrets and perhaps telling lies, might be greater than not keeping the secret in the first place. It might actually be better to own up?

7. Anything hidden will always have some degree of risk of being found. The less you have to hide the less there is to find.
With regards to secret naturism, I would always advise honesty, at least with close family. It may be the keeping of the secret itself that does more harm than the actual secret naturist activity. With any other persons I would generally keep quiet, although this generally depends on individual circumstances. Think it through carefully before coming out!

So, what can you do to keep the big secret?

•   Avoid an all-over tan. You will be questioned why your bottom is tanned.
•   Never lie, tell the truth. If you went for a nude walk and were asked what you were doing, say you went for a walk but don't mention you were nude.
•   Prepare a secure storage area for secret naturist stuff. Better still make your secret naturist stuff look normal.
•   Take up hobbies that will take you outdoors during "secret naturist hours".
•   You can often get scratched while naked. Have a suitable reply if asked.
The internet is one of the easiest ways of letting your secret out. Follow these tips:
•   Empty your browser cache if looking at this or similar websites.
•   Similarly, clear your history folder. You do not want anyone looking at where you have been surfing.
•   Avoid browser bookmarks, if possible. Try and remember what the URL was.
•   Never use someone else's email address to correspond about secret naturism.
•   Avoid printing out pages from this web site or printing out emails. They could be found.
•   Use an online email address and don't keep emails and addresses offline.

[nuduke]

Was it Lookie or Corbie that wrote the handbook, Jbee?
This last post indicates a level of caution and secrecy that that I had forgotten about in the TSNS Community.  The author was obviously a wee bit paranoid about being discovered.  I am happy to say that, these days I am much more relaxed about my SN (and yes, I am not shy of using the term) but I do still always exercise some of the cautions that the Keeping Secrets page articulates.
John

[BlueTrain]

I guess this means I can't have a bumper sticker promoting nudism, huh?

[Greenbare Woods]

I won't accept lying.  Lying destroys your own honor and self image.  Some of this list is not acceptable, and may be dangerous.  Here's my take.

Rule 1 - Any activity leaves clues behind

Always leave a message telling someone where you went and when to expect you back.  A broken ankle on the trail could leave you dead if nobody knows where to go look for you.

Bare feet do a lot less damage to the path and leave a lot less evidence of your passage.

Rule 2 - Limit the number of people involved

We are a social species.  Don't hike alone unless you don't have someone to share with.  There is safety in numbers.

Rule 3 - Have a good cover story

Your cover story should be true.  Don't claim bird watching unless you are bird watching.  Saying you are “enjoying nature” is cover story enough when you aren't covered.

Rule 4 - Build up credibility for your cover story

Be honest.  Don't say you are bird watching, or mushroom gathering, or whatever unless you actually are.   Getting exercise from walking is enough of an honest story.

Rule 5 - Learn to Lie Effectively

Honorable men do not lie.  Learn to tell the truth all the time.  Be an honest and honorable person.  The truth is always better than a lie. 

Rule 6 - Prepare for the unexpected

Have a plan for when you encounter someone else.  If you don't have a plan you may panic and hide.

Rule 7 - Stay calm, don't panic, think

Have a plan for when you encounter someone else.  If you don't have a plan you may panic and hide.  Act as if hiking naked is common and normal.  Just say “Howdy” or similar and carry on.

Rule 8 - Make a list and check it twice

After a few excursions your naked adventures will be habit so you no longer need a list.

5. Consider the fact that the consequences of it becoming known that you have been keeping secrets and perhaps telling lies, might be greater than not keeping the secret in the first place. It might actually be better to own up?

Lying destroys your soul, and you know you are a dishonorable liar.  You don't have to tell everything you know, but everything you tell should be the truth.  This list is unacceptable and wrong for honorable men.

[BlueTrain]

For once, I agree wholeheartedly with Mr. Bob. He knows.

I don't know if I've said anything about the whole idea of secrecy. Hiking may be a private affair but it probably shouldn't be secret. It's like you're trying to evade the VoPo's (the people's police), although there may be good reason to do that. The Appalachian Trail happens to pass quite close to Camp David, the presidential retreat and there may indeed be lurkers lurking. We've also had a discussion about trail cameras.

I will admit at this point that under certain circumstances, being seen nude might get you labeled as a sex offender and that's worse than being caught with your mistress--I think. Other factors apply.

Telling someone where you're going and so on is commonly done and makes sense. You certainly don't have to mentioned that , by the way, I'll be naked, if it embarrasses you. If you leave after dark and come back before it gets light, I have no further advice in that respect.

Sometimes I make a list and check it twice. I always have a list but don't always check it twice. And sometimes I make a bad decision at the trailhead, where final decisions and preparations are made. Do as I say, not as I do.

Here's a surprise for you: Horace Kephart, who was writing about hiking and camping a hundred years ago, and whose writing has scarcely become dated, mentioned hidden trails. Or rather, hidden camps. He recognized that other people who may be less than honorable also might be tramping around in the woods and that it was desirable to have a hidden camp. So he gave a few tips about ways to place a camp where others would be unlikely to discover. A secret camp, in other words. Nothing really about secret hiking, though.

Although I am not against group hiking or with another person (even your spouse), it's always problematic. Everything about the trip will be a compromise. It can even cancel out the whole object of the trip but with the right person (even your spouse), it can be nice. The only other person I've hiked nude with was my wife, so far.

If you want to walk barefooted, go right ahead. The trails I take cannot be damaged by human boots. I realize it may seem a little weird to hike naked--except for footwear. But I'm no purist. However, leaving the trail is usually official discouraged. That doesn't keep whoever it is that decides these things from relocating the trail now and then, always making it more difficult. The trail probably isn't natural to begin with, so don't worry about damaging it.

Be secretive if you must. But always be discreet. Kind, trustworthy, loyal, etc., etc., etc.

[jbeegoode]

DF asked why I was buying all camouflage and dull green stuff. Stealth camping. I want to know that I can walk away naked and come back to my stuff. I want a private place. I don't want people to see my camp and know that I'm not around. I make it look like occupied or sleeping. I don't like black ash in frequented campsites generally. I like solitude. regular spots often have ants.
Jbee