The Secret Naturist Handbook

[jbeegoode]

Getting lost, naked no backup, weather getting colder, sunset coming and very tired as the hike has been longer than expected. Been there. I walked till I got unlost and then dragged myself to my SUV. By then, water was getting low, but I had n more in teh truck.

Felt a bit like, "I don't need this. Where's the path?" The cattle had made seemingly a zillion paths in every direction and over growth on the trail made it more faint. I just kept to the moment, enjoying my place, until I got tired, then didn't like the delay.

I can't imagine going to a rural house nude at night and knocking them up. Round here, ya might get shot!
Jbee

[jbeegoode]

Escape Plan: From The Secret Naturist Handbook

When planning a secret naturist outing it is important to remember that you are going to be operating in locations where members of the public may be encountered and that you may indeed do so. You also need to be aware that you are going to be naked and more susceptible to changes in weather conditions. Both these can compromise a secret naturist outing and it is wise to give some thought to what action you will take should your plans go awry. This is your escape plan.

You escape plan is essentially what you will do should you find yourself needing to vacate any given locations for whatever reason. For example, a good reason to put your escape plan into use would be after a hostile encounter with a member of the public or whatever reasons that you feel requires you to bug out of an area.

Preparing your escape plan should be done at the same time as you reccy your intended location. As you carry out your dry run fully clothed you should be asking yourself, at various points along the route, what would you do if?

What would you do if the local hill walking club appeared suddenly around the next bend? What would you do if someone used a mobile phone to alert the authorities to your activities? Part of your escape plan should also include temporary hiding places, to be used when people appear but you have not been seen. An escape plan needs to be flexible and not rigid. You do not know what, if anything, will occur and must act accordingly.

Escape plans are particularly important should you be travelling without clothing and the location of your main clothing and backup clothing should be considered. Should you be compromised, you may need to reach your clothing as soon as possible. Ask yourself how you would achieve this without being seen, what route would you take, are there any obstacles along the way and so on.

[jbeegoode]

Hiding Places: From The Secret Naturist Handbook

There may be times on a secret naturist outing when circumstances arise requiring you to look for some cover and concealment. For example, you have detected the approach of a group of walkers and although they have not yet seen you, it would be wise to seek cover until they pass. What you need is a good hiding place.

Hiding places are not difficult to find in most situations and if you have been thorough during your reconnaissance patrol you will known the whereabouts of those nearest to you on the route you are following. There are, however, a few important points to bare in mind when seeking and using hiding places and these apply both to urban and rural locations.

1. Do not panic and dash off without caution into the nearest cover. You might just end up in a worse situation than you are trying to hide from. Stay calm, look about and select the best option available.

2. Make sure you are adequately concealed from view. Remember that the pale skin of the naked body does tend to stand out against the normal darker tones of the countryside.

3. In your hiding place, you must stay in visual or auditory contact with the target you are hiding from. If possible keep them in line of sight so you do not loose track of their whereabouts. You can also track them by sound if the situation allows but this is only second best.

4. Once you are in your hiding place, keep as still as possible. Any movement may attract attention visually or by an noise you make.

5. When the target has passed, emerge slowly and without making any noise. Be aware that all members of a party may not have passed your location and note that dogs are much more alert than humans.

Finding good hiding places is not that difficult and it is surprising how little cover is required to hide the human body. Even in open areas such as heather moorland or urban gardens, it is possible to lie down and be completely hidden in vegetation reaching only 300mm high but deeper areas will provide better concealment.

One point you should be aware of is that even if you have good cover between yourself and the target, the fact that you are sitting still in one place, does put you at risk of being seen from another direction. This is especially true in urban areas. Try and stay aware of what is happening all around your hiding place, not just in the direction of the initial target.

[jbeegoode]

Kind of like being a smuggler. A border rat has to avoid everybody.

Back in the 80's, we did an at least annual nude walk in my suburban neighborhood. I kept on high alert, using all senses and always was thinking ahead about the next place to dodge a passerby. It was a good rush and a challenge. I had great fear of being caught, arrested, embarrassed, or thought to be some kind of exhibitionist. We enjoyed the risk. It wasn't the kind of thing for us then, that I do today.

One thing about hikers, they are watching their footing most of the time. I've stood within a few feet from a trail in broad daylight and had people walk by without noticing me. I might as well be a tree.
Jbee

[Greenbare Woods]

One thing about hikers, they are watching their footing most of the time. I've stood within a few feet from a trail in broad daylight and had people walk by without noticing me. I might as well be a tree.
Jbee 

That's how people get lost.  Two miles farther in and all they saw was where to put their foot to avoid rocks or roots.  It is really important to stop and look BACK every short while.  It will be important later to know and remember what the trail and the surrounding territory looks like going the other direction. 

Yes, you can be hiding in plain sight and not be noticed.   That works in cities too.  People are watching their screens, even people walking down the streets in cities.  You can walk nude through most residential areas and nobody notices.  Nobody sits on their porch waiting for neighbors to walk by any more.  That all went away with the inventions of TV and air conditioning.  Nobody even looks out their windows any more, not even the people who have automatic lights on the front of their homes.

In the 1990s I lived in a 4 unit 2 story condo surrounded by other 4 unit 2 story condos.   We all had adjoining back yards only separated by 3 foot high chain link fences.  I spent a lot of time naked in my back yard, and never saw that any neighbor who noticed.  If they did notice they never said anything.  Often I would stand naked on my pack porch and pee on the grass 6 feet below. The grass enjoyed it, and no neighbor ever noticed. 

Then I moved to Albuquerque, to a single family home in an older residential neighborhood, an area with large trees in some front yards.  I sometimes walked around the block naked and nobody noticed or said anything.  Even the "deer in the headlights" feeling from automatic lights didn't result in being noticed. 

Out in the woods on a trail, someone you pass going the other direction may not pay enough attention to notice you aren't clothed, but they might notice when you get really close on a narrow trail.  People in the woods don't care though. 

[jbeegoode]

Yes, people don't use their front yards, but to water them and walk to a mailbox in many newer neighborhoods. They use the front walk after they fill the garage with "stuff" and there is no place for a car. They often just use their garages to in and out. Even zoning and building codes place activities in the backyard.

My nude walking around a neighborhood would often depend on the time of day.
Jbee

[jbeegoode]

Local Knowledge: From The Secret Naturist Handbook

Every secret naturist can benefit from local knowledge pertaining to where they intend to carry out a secret naturist outing. Even before you visit a location there is often much you can learn about it from various sources. For example, I had planned a major nude walk through a local plantation, one where I was intending to go some distance without clothing. The evening before I glanced at the local free paper and read that a motorcycle Enduro was taking place that very same day. Clearly I made other arrangements, as the area would be teeming with people.

Local knowledge can be found in many locations, including the following:
•   Libraries and other public buildings
•   Local tourist information centres
•   Certain shops e.g. shooting, fishing, biking, etc
•   Supermarket and high street shop notice boards
•   Specific activity magazines e.g. Birding
•   Local and even national newspapers
•   Subject specific web sites e.g. Horse jumping
•   Local television and radio stations

Basically what you are looking for are the times and location of various events such as fishing competitions, clay pigeon shooting, cross country running, outdoor concerts and so on. Really anything that will let you know where large numbers of people may be at specific times, giving you the option of avoiding that location and heading elsewhere. One column in the local rag that I give specific attention is the time and location for the local rambling clubs outing. Nothing worse than meeting 20 or 30 old dears when striding purposefully naked across the moors!

As well as events, local knowledge can also include local holidays. Here in the Scottish Borders, most towns have an annual festival when hundreds of horses, and riders, ride the county boundaries. There is also an increased amount of urban activity during the wee small hours as these festivals tend to be used an excuse to get drunk more than usual. There is also a raised Police presence as well.

Local holidays are also worth noting, with public and bank holidays indicating increased activity at popular locations in the countryside. Again, a local example, is a popular picnic area near my local patch at the Meldon Hills. Normally on a good weather day there might be 5 or 6 cars parked with the occupants staying locally to their cars. On a holiday weekend there can be 50 or more cars with people walking all over the place and many staying over night. A place to avoid at this time.
A useful tip to find out where people are walking is to pick up a walking, cycling or fishing leaflet (or booklet) at the tourist information centre. This will tell you where the local walks, etc, are and where people are most likely to be. You can also us it to plan your own secret naturist outings, of course, at times more suitable for the secret naturist.

What other local knowledge can the secret naturist benefit from? Well two popular sports, fishing and game shooting take place at various times of the year. Both are usually permitted during certain defined months of the year, known as “open seasons” when game and fish may be taken. These open seasons vary widely both geographically and between species. Check your local tackle and shooting retailers for accurate local information.

[jbeegoode]

I get regular online bulletins from the local hikers group of retirees at Dug Mountain, which hang out in Tortolita hills, their backyard.

We visited a couple in Dewey Prescott last week. They have been exploring free range hikes. He stops by the side of the road and takes a walk up a canyon or a wash. They took us to a couple of special finds.

I suppose that I'm a great source these days.

I was following a group of regional hikers on Meet Up. I thought to get together with them and exchange information and confess that we nude freehike. The goal was to find great hikes and then do them nude, or get a line on hikes that they had done. The Site fizzled. After Covid, I'll work on that again...we did avoid them one morning in the Huachuca Mountains because of internet posts. We just left an hour before them from teh same campsite.

I can usually assume that the sources that Lookee was suggesting would lead me to populated trails. Those sources show me where NOT to go. A good trail can sometimes be investigated and nearby, or odd forks, or off canyons will be found on the trail. That's how I found my special spot on Mt. Lemmon. These can also be found by Google Map satellite photos, if clues are  followed and save lots of driving. Perseverance furthers.

Places are crawling on weekends can be serene on weekdays, extreme differences.
Jbee

[John P]

Lately I've been visiting places I've learned about on Facebook groups run by a couple of local hiking groups. I'm very appreciative of the information, and the results have been on the Trip Reports pages here. But it has occurred to me to wonder whether some day I'll encounter the Western Massachusetts Hilltown Hikers while I'm strolling down some trail naked! It would be particularly interesting because I have done a couple of hikes with that group, though not very recently, so maybe they wouldn't remember me.

Sometimes I'm willing to get out of naturist mode, and I could enjoy a walk with an organized group, though if there were to be a swim stop, I'm not sure I could refrain from asking "Does anyone mind if I swim nude?" But there are a couple of nice swimming spots out in western MA that naturists have known about forever, and now I'm seeing hikers being encouraged to go there. That can't be a good thing! But in general I think people should be out there enjoying the outdoors, and without people willing to do some organizing, lots of potential walkers wouldn't know where to go, or they'd wander around and get hurt or lost, or just not find anything very interesting. I think members of this group have had enough experience that we aren't intimidated by finding our own way!

One response to a point in the Secret Naturist handbook (just how lengthy is that, anyway? There always seem to be more episodes) is sometimes if another walker has a dog, it can be a help to the roaming naturist. Often the dog will be running out in advance of its owner, and it can alert you to the fact that people are nearby, and you can be sure Fido won't go running back to the owner with tales of how anyone is dressed. And in the past I've actually had advance warning from the jingle of the metal parts on a dog's collar.

[jbeegoode]

Dogs are often restricted here. There are usually too many people where they can roam free and less pristine. The authorities are concerned about the effects on wildlife. There is risk of dog fights. The pets have certainly given warning from time to time, good point.
Jbee

[Greenbare Woods]

Dogs are often restricted here. There are usually too many people where they can roam free and less pristine. The authorities are concerned about the effects on wildlife. There is risk of dog fights. The pets have certainly given warning from time to time, good point.
Jbee

The Wetlands Trail I've been frequenting lately is a fairly common place for dog walkers as a percentage of use.  Out of 7 people I encountered over 3 trips one of them was walking a dog without a leash.  Nice friendly dog, more friendly than its master.

I met a woman in the parking lot who said she usually walks her dog.  When we met I helped her put her bicycle back into her car.  Don't know which trail she uses.  The Wetland Trail is a side trail that starts about 1/2 mile from parking.  The main trail is paved and flat.  Most people go on that one. 

[nuduke]

...response to a point in the Secret Naturist handbook (just how lengthy is that, anyway? There always seem to be more episodes)

I don't think I ever read the handbook in full on TSNS and never downloaded it as Jbee has done, but I agree with John P - it seems to have an awful lot in it!   How much more of it is there, Jbee?
John

[jbeegoode]

I don't know, some parts are more lengthy than others. Almost been through five chapters and there are about five more. Probably a more than half way through, there were some extras. So, it might give us something to get us through the winter when things generally get slow around here...depending on how diligent I am. Four more sections after this one.

It should be a good resource of info and updated, by the time we're through throwing our own two cents in.
Jbee

[jbeegoode]

Lost Clothing: From The Secret Naturist Handbook

What would you do if, for example, you returned back to the car to find it had been stolen along with your clothing, and the clothing you had hidden for this eventuality was also missing? You are naked, might be miles from home, its getting dark and starting to rain. You are in a potentially serious situation, what would you do?

This page aims to draw your attention to some of these possibilities and suggests some strategies for their prevention and how to remedy them. In reality, a worst case scenario is unlikely to occur except by deliberate design but nevertheless forewarned is forearmed as the saying goes and if you have at least some awareness of the possibilities, you are less likely to panic when it does happen.

At my local patch, an area of forestry 15 minutes by road and two hours walk cross-country from the house, I've often considered that loss of clothing would probably be the single worst case scenario that could happen. I've returned to the car late in the evening after dark and cannot find the clothing I had carefully hidden nearby. I have clothing inside the car but the keys have been hidden with the clothing. What is to be done?

One option would be to wait until daylight and resume the search for the clothing. However, this would cause some concern at home and my partner would likely call out the police in the event of my non-return. Another option would be to break into the car, giving me at least some clothing for the cross-country walk home. However, the resultant damage would be criminal, costly and need explaining. A third possibility would be to walk home naked. This is possible in this instance and could even be enjoyable but would require some luck to get safely across town without being seen and would also depend on the door to the house being unlocked. Otherwise, the door would need to be knocked and some explaining would be required to my state of undress.

Of course, prior planning would offer solutions to this problem. The main preventative measure to clothing loss is multiple sets of clothing. Splitting your clothing into two sets and hiding each separately is good practice. You can also prepare emergency clothing dumps for situations such as this.

Another example I've often considered is what would happen if I was to become trapped while on an urban outing. Suppose, in the wee small hours, I had taken temporary cover somewhere, say in a garden and was unable to leave because a vehicle, just for fun let say an occupied Police vehicle, had blocked by planned route. Bearing in mind I'm naked, barefoot and without clothing, I have a bit of a problem. What are my options?

My best option would be to stay put and wait until they had left, working on the assumption they did not know I was there. This would depend on time available and how long they were intending to stay. Another option would be to seek an alternative route back to base, perhaps working my way through the local gardens. Not too bad if you have knowledge of the route but otherwise could present problems, especially if barefoot.  A less favourable option would be to make a run for it, hoping you would get away. Not one I would consider unless really desperate.

What has become clear while writing this page, is that good planning can just about eliminate all of the most likely problems mentioned above. The risk of loosing clothing can easily be reduced to minimal odds by following the hints & tips mentioned in this web site.

[jbeegoode]

"Hey, I was out nude hiking," and/or, "My clothes were stolen while..." "and I need some help" would suffice, I'd think. If in danger of freezing, find a rock and break in. Where I travel with no backup, I'm unlikely to have a problem from others. An animal might make problems.

If you clothing was sy tolen then who would expect you to be dressed and not give aide?

Always a plan is best, even when it is a minuscule possibility to happen, but it is infinitesimal. 

I suppose that this should be mentioned and considered irregardless.
Jbee