The Secret Naturist Handbook

[John P]

In northern New England and Canada, they have black flies in early summer. They're not great fliers and they're easy to kill, but they can descend on you in clouds. Their bites are intensely itchy and can bleed. It's enough to make anyone put clothes on.

[jbeegoode]

Horse flies out here, not so many.

Those internet picks of Black fly make them look like a fly whose mother got scared by a bee. I didn't get the dimensions. Are they house fly size, horse fly size, or mosquito-like? Do they leave welts and bumps, like skeeters? Female saliva while getting blood for her eggs. I wonder who likes to eat their larve?

Interesting Facts

Deceased farm animals have been found along streambeds and riverbeds, the victims of large swarms of Black Flies. It is felt these bloodsucking insects cause toxemia or anaphylactic shock in the animals. In some cases, rapid blood loss may also have been a cause of the death. An animal may breathe in the flies through its nostrils in such large amounts that suffocation of the animal results.

Animal victims of Black Flies have included horses, cows, birds, hogs, sheep, turkeys and chickens, and even dogs and cats.

Children are often the targets of these bloodsucking insects while nearby adults may not be bothered by the Black Flies at all.

River blindness, or onchocerciasis, can be found in Africa, Mexico, Latin America, and some countries of South America.

By removing pollutants in our streams and rivers, we are actually creating inviting breeding grounds for Black Flies. (But we still must continue to clean up our streams and rivers despite that fact!)...!!!!   

Black Flies are known to travel up to 10 miles from their breeding sites in search of a bloodmeal.

Black Flies seem to prefer the head area of its bloodmeal host, although these bloodsucking insects will also bite under clothing.

Black Flies are attracted to humans largely through the carbon dioxide we exhale, but these bloodsucking insects are also attracted by dark colored clothing, perfumes and sweat.

The smell of exhaled carbon dioxide also attracts these bloodsucking insects to livestock and other mammals.

Over 250 species of Black Flies have been found in North America, while there are about 2,000 species throughout the world.

Humans can develop severe allergic reactions to the bite of a female Black Fly, requiring medical attention.

Black Fly larvae are considered an important part of the food chain of streams and rivers.
Jbee

[Peter S]

Children are often the targets of these bloodsucking insects while nearby adults may not be bothered by the Black Flies at all.

Not quite in the same league, but I recall a business trip some years back, nice sunny day, the group stopped for lunch in a pub garden. Three of us were not bothered by flies, but one girl wearing a bright yellow dress had it covered in small black flies.

[jbeegoode]

Vehicle Safety: From "The Secret Naturist Handbook"

Many secret naturists rely on cars and other vehicles as their means of transport to and from secret naturist locations, often late at night. Our vehicles are often parking in out of the way locations, may be left for long periods of time and can be vulnerable to theft and loss. A few sensible precautions can go some way towards giving peace of mind.

When leaving your car, try not to leave it parked alone, as this offers a more tempting target for thieves. If possible, park beside other vehicles where the increased movement of people will act as a deterrent. Never leave anything visible inside the car that would tempt someone to break in. Hide everything out of sight in the boot. Even everyday items such a coats, sunglasses and umbrellas have been stolen from inside locked cars. With valuable items, leave them at home.

Vehicle reliability is another topic of interest to the secret naturist. If your car lets you down, it will happen at the worst possible time and place, for example, 3.00am in the middle of no-where. Have you car serviced regularly and carry out weekly maintenance checks of tyre pressures, fluid levels, fuel reserve, operation of lights, etc.

When parking your vehicle at the start of a secret naturist outing look for a spot where you will not get blocked in by another vehicle and always reverse into the space, leaving the car ready for a quick exit if required. When parking at night I always park under a streetlamp to help deter would be thieves. Parking areas with surveillance cameras will help keep the car safe but remember to dress before you return back to the vehicle.

A good tip to be aware of when parking your vehicle for secret naturist outings, is to try not to park at the same place too often, particularly if you are visiting during odd times such as late at night or in the wee small hours of the morning. Doing so might raise suspicion. Good practice would be to park elsewhere, even if it means walking that little bit further. If a two car family, use alternate vehicles.

[John P]

A little lecture about black flies from someone who is not an entomologist.

Mosquitoes breed in still water, but black flies breed in moving water. The larvae anchor themselves to rocks as soon as ice melts at the end of winter, and they feed on particles brought down by the current. When the spring floods end, the larvae become adults. Adult black flies are roughly proportioned like house flies, but much smaller--maybe somewhat larger than a pinhead. They do not bite by inserting a tube into the victim's skin like a mosquito, but by slashing a wound into the skin and then lapping blood on the surface, and the wound may continue to bleed after the fly leaves. Because of their method of feeding, they can't bite through clothing, even thin cloth, but they will explore under clothing if they find gaps. They don't respond much to DEET, though there are other repellents that are claimed to work. What is psychologically unnerving is that in areas with a lot of black flies, they form a cloud around potential victims, and they are relentless in their attention. They are diurnal, however, and don't tend to enter buildings or tents. Smoke from fires (even cheap cigars!) does deter them. The season when black flies are troublesome is said to be "From Mothers' Day to Fathers' Day". Once hot weather comes, black flies disappear fairly quickly.

A Canadian wrote a cute song about black flies, and other Canadians created a cute video to go along with it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f389hIxZAOc

[nuduke]

Children are often the targets of these bloodsucking insects while nearby adults may not be bothered by the Black Flies at all.

Not quite in the same league, but I recall a business trip some years back, nice sunny day, the group stopped for lunch in a pub garden. Three of us were not bothered by flies, but one girl wearing a bright yellow dress had it covered in small black flies.

Why do those tiny black flies which I think are called Thrips in the uk, flock to yellow colours?  We bought a couple of lime yellow cushions for the garden furniture a couple of years ago and as soon as you put them out these little blighters amassed in their hundreds just on those cushions. Similarly I have been plagued by them wearing a yellow t shirt.  Any entomological knowledge in the hive mind about that?
John

[jbeegoode]

Perhaps carrying a yellow flag would distract them from a body?
Jbee

[jbeegoode]

Leaving a car at a remote trailhead is kind of like leaving campsite, but one locks and the other is further from the potential bad guys. One needs to address all considerations and then just leave the rest to fate, or some higher power or magic. You do what you can to create security and then go take a walk in the woods. Sometimes it is just the luck of the draw, but don't tempt fate.

Some window tint, so no one knows if you are in there, or how much to steal can help. Just leaving things open can be a security. I lived in Oakland, California off and on for several years and we left the door open wide, usually. The bad guys just figured that somebody had to be home.
Jbee

[John P]

Unfortunately, I have heard of quite a few instances of vehicle break-ins at remote parking areas. If someone is willing to travel out there looking for an easy target to rob, there's no defense against them, probably not even a loud alarm.

[jbeegoode]

Yup, do everything that you can to reduce the odds and then just throw your balls over your shoulder and go for it.

Here we have the Mexican border and the entire vehicle may disappear.
Jbee

[jbeegoode]

"Skills"

We are entering into the "Skills" section of "The Secret Naturist Handbook." This is the given overview. It contains 21 topics. Of course, it's about the freerange aspect of not being seen, as a practical, or legal matter:

Overview:

This entire web site looks at secret naturist outings as a whole, from initial inception, through planning to final execution and his section, Skills, looks at the methods and techniques used by the secret naturist during the actual outing, where the secret naturist pulls everything together, removes their clothing and walks naked into the Great Outdoors.

These skills are not difficult to learn for many are simply common sense but to beginners it might seem impossible that you can walk naked without being seen. Of course, these skills will not make you invisible but they will go some way to helping you stay clear of members of the public and the potential problems that can arise from such encounters. There are, of course, risks to nudity outdoors and when away from so-called official naturist locations, good fieldcraft, skills together with careful planning go a long way towards a successful secret naturist outing.

The skills, techniques and information contained in these pages is best learned in the field as a page of text does not allow the author to convey fully how any particular method should be carried out. Until you are proficient at any given technique it is also strongly recommended that you practice fully clothed before you undertake any secret naturist outing in the proper manner, i.e. unclothed. If you make a mistake while fully clothed the consequences are likely to be minimal. The same mistake while totally naked could be disastrous.

As the author of these pages I am by no means an expert and although all the information included on these pages has been tried and tested on actual secret naturist outings, there is always room for improvement and additional material is always welcome.

[jbeegoode]

Bugging Out

From "The Secret Naturist Handbook"

Occasionally, the secret naturist might be unlucky on their secret naturist outing and will have a close encounter with an irate member of the public, who feels offended by your actions. Should that member of the public start making threats about calling the law, you might want to consider bugging out at the earliest opportunity.

First thing you need to do is think. Unless you have been recognised, you are still an unknown and the worst that they can do is give a description of you. You want it to stay that way. If you have a vehicle in the area, do not go straight for it and drive away. Similarly do not head straight for home. Both would create a link between you and the car or house. Wait until unobserved, then drive away or head indoors. Even if this means heading in the opposite direction from the vehicle or house and returning later by another route. You should also consider that it might be better to remove yourself and your vehicle from the scene before anyone thinks to note your licence number. Again, the situation will dictate your actions.

If walking totally naked, without carrying clothing, you have to consider how to get to your clothing as soon as possible. You should know from your planning each and every route to your clothing and should make use of the most suitable route. However, continue to practice your skills as you do not want to walk into another contact situation.

The question of how quickly you should bug out also arises. My own preference, assuming no hostility, is to walk calmly until out of sight then vacate the area as fast of possible. If they think you are not making a hurried attempt to leave the area, they may not inform the authorities immediately of your presence, rather waiting until later. A good tip is to watch them from cover and see if they use a mobile phone, if they do - get out fast!

When leaving the location, do not drive in the likely direction from which a Police vehicle would travel, choose the opposite direction, even if this means driving out of your way. Check also that you are not being followed. This can be done by simply taking right or left turns until back on the same route and see of any vehicle follows.

Later, when away from the location, calm yourself down, as you will undoubtedly be somewhat excited. Analyse the situation and consider if there really is any possibility of further action by the offended party? Was it just a bluff? It is important to bare in mind that bugging out should be done in a calm and collected manner. Panic is the worst thing you could do. Think and stay calm.

[jbeegoode]

I should add once again, that out of trails away from the trailhead there are odds less than 4% that you will encounter someone hostile, or even fewer wanting to take action. The further away from authorities, the less likely that the authority will come calling after someone. The trail becomes more and more cold.

Lookee doesn't mention a key that is not on a totally naked person.

It is one person's word against another. If you just dress, or leave, you are not likely bothering someone. Showing the intention to obey the local law is usually enough. If you expect to be alone then act like you expected to be alone, surprised.

This sounds like some closer places, like public streets, or parks, where unusual things are suspect and more likely to offend someones weird idea of sensibilities.

I most often don't spend nude time in such places, with so many wonderful natural and carefree spots to go. In town, or where I live, I tend to us these cautious skills almost automatically, say getting mail, or arriving in a public place after a carnude. There is a procedure a list of potential hassles, and an escape route, or ploy, if there is risk.

Keeping a cool is major. One can hallucinate anything in a fear based framework and end up say, spending the night up in a tree. Which is a good place to hide, if a tree is available, and you feel, or know the need.
Jbee

[Greenbare Woods]

Bugging Out
From "The Secret Naturist Handbook"
Occasionally, the secret naturist might be unlucky on their secret naturist outing and will have a close encounter with an irate member of the public, who feels offended by your actions. Should that member of the public start making threats about calling the law, you might want to consider bugging out at the earliest opportunity.

I've encountered hundreds, or thousands, of textiles while nude hiking over the past 40 years.   Nobody has been irate, at least not irate enough to say anything.  Nobody has threatened to call the police.  I can recall twice when women stepped off the trail as I passed naked going the opposite direction.  They didn't make any negative comments. Almost everyone returns my friendly greeting, and some greet me first.  I recall a couple of occasions (way less than 1%) were other people made negative comments, but they did not appear to be irate, and did not threaten to call police.  If there is a problem at all it's a rare occurrence. 

[jbeegoode]

What is against the law, or even debatable as law, or potential of problems or harassment, or even just not customary needs to be addressed and not ignored.

I have had only one problem, a younger tougher looking guy down at the redington Pass free beach of all places. He was apparently not aware of where he was. When DF and I came through, he gave as dirty and threatening a look as one could. I just smiled and kept on. I think he was trying to protect his girlfriend from an unsavory kind.

On our way back, they were getting drunk. As we came through the rocks, his girlfriend screamed that she thought, " I think that you guys are so cool!" He was looking at us rudely at the time, but she proceeded to take her top off. Intending the bikini bottoms, too,  don't know.

He ran over before her, "What are you doing?!" in disbelief.

She was obviously not in his control. He obviously learned that his "high standards of behavior" are to be questioned as any norm.

That's it. All informal polling, testimony and anecdotal gathering tells me that only three or four percent will object, for whatever reason and fewer that that will take action. Bob's experience isn't unusual. Essentially nobody cares. The more people about and the more public, the more risk and odds of confrontation.
Jbee