Nude in Public

[jbeegoode]

Free hiker dave: "My original post was not for or against guns. It was about people being in the wrong place doing a thing that endangered nude and clothed hikers. I was about the power of a naked person to confront those doing wrong."

It was about inconsideration and ignorance affecting people, not guns.

It is a dramatic example of naked empowerment. It seems to me that there is generally a live and let live attitude in the wilds, but that obviously doesn't cover all of the interactive bases. To not be timid when nude is a next step, but to be assertive, is a step further still. Your story is eye opening. I found it laughable because the surprising and out of character has lots to do with what is humorous. Then, I began to think, how and why what you did was surprising and out of character, a naked and a group with guns. Kind of like a tiny little lady school teacher, scolding a huge young man in class.

There must be overcome, the idea that we are doing something to hide. We must be who we are and some instance may preclude our nude in, or near, public. If someone is drowning, you must blow off the fears or concerns of naked and save them. You must be nude in public.
Jbee

[nuduke]

Wow, Bob, as Davie says, shooting for sport of any kind is a relative rarity in the UK and any that is there is pretty carefully controlled.
Your neighbourhood must be knee deep in spent cartridge cases with all that shooting going on every day and the airbnb seemingly preferentially attracting rather irresponsible shooters!  Is that level of experience of gun use widespread all over the US or is the Spokane area just coincidentally a mecca for sport shooting?  Very different experiences across our two nations.
John   

[RiverNude]

There must be overcome, the idea that we are doing something to hide. We must be who we are and some instance may preclude our nude in, or near, public. If someone is drowning, you must blow off the fears or concerns of naked and save them. You must be nude in public.
Jbee

Yes, we do need to overcome that instinctive urge...no, that societal indoctrination...that we must hide our nudity. And it's not instinctive to hide, instinct would drive us to feel like we're natural when we're nude, because we are.

Over the years, I've been "caught" nude more times than I can easily remember. And for most of those years, I usually succumbed to that urge to hide, or to step behind something. Yet, in all those times, there have been very, very few truly negative reactions. And even those reactions didn't bring the world to an end.

Most of our "run and hide" reactions, besides making us look guilty, are also downright silly. I remember one morning when I was nude in my front yard doing some chores. With no close neighbors, I can usually just listen for vehicle sounds coming along the road, and just step calmly out of view before the vehicle comes into viewing range. That morning, something about the soft top of my Jeep had caught my attention, and I was standing under the edge of the metal carport and looking high on the top of the Jeep. My head was behind the sheet metal of the roof, while everything from my neck down was in clear view from the road. More specifically, my entire bare backside was about ten yards from my mailbox, with nothing between me and the box. With my head behind the sheet metal, I didn't hear the rural mail delivery lady driving slowly along the road as she approached my mailbox. Once she passed the last trees, she had several seconds of wide-open view of me before she pulled to the right and stopped at my box. As she braked to a stop, I finally heard tires on gravel. In retrospect, it was already way too late, yet, that urge to hide made me run around the end of the Jeep and hide behind it. There was simply no way that she hadn't seen me clearly before I had any idea she was there. Most importantly, nothing ever came of the incident, which shows that my reactionary dash around the Jeep was completely unnecessary.

Over the last few years, I've made a lot of progress against the urge to get out of sight. Last summer, my girlfriend and I were laying on  air mattresses on our pool. She wore a bikini, but I was nude. The privacy fence doesn't go all the way past the pool. When I built it, continuing further wasn't a priority because the older gentleman next door rarely went into the back part of his property. Now that he's passed away, a younger man owns the place. He came along the fence on his riding mower and continued past the end, driving past in plain sight of us. This time, my reaction was "too late, already been seen", and I didn't do anything at all. He continued making passes around his property, and we just stayed right there. When we got out of the pool, I resumed working in my garden, still nude. The garden is also in view, and he continued mowing while I continued gardening, and nothing came of it. I know for sure that he saw me, as we made eye contact several times as he passed by. I felt a lot better about how that event played out than how I had acted in the mailbox event.

[Fellsnude]

Our walk last Saturday was on paths that rarely produce encounters at close quarters. Two guys my sort of age (70-ish) had set off ahead of us and we caught them up as they had a refreshment stop. I had put my wrap on, but I asked "does it bother you if I'm not wearing this" as we passed them, and the answer was "not at all". I removed the wrap a little way on, and then we didn't see them again all day!

[Free hiker dave]

RiverNude, "Most of our "run and hide" reactions, besides making us look guilty, are also downright silly."

That wiring you rail against was taught to us as children. Before that indoctrination, as children, we saw nothing wrong with being naked. As we grew older, we saw our friends hiding their nudity with towels and learning to be ashamed of our bodies when there should not have been any shame or offense.

So, yes, breaking that urge to run and hide is hard. Once we realize that others may not be offended, they have a live-let-live attitude.   Or, in the case of most people, who are so wrapped up in their issues, they don't notice anything else. The best we can do is make the run-and-hide thing as challenging as possible.

[Greenbare Woods]

Is that level of experience of gun use widespread all over the US or is the Spokane area just coincidentally a mecca for sport shooting? 

I can't speak for "all over the US,"  but it's not just here near Spokane.   Rural US has almost no crime, and even less repeat crime.  Most rural Americans are armed, and practice enough to keep in practice.   Big cities are much different. 

My friends and I began sport shooting at around age 12 or 13, 1950s.  I haven't done much recently. 

Very different experiences across our two nations.
John   

I have read that there was a time when English peasants were required to practice regularly with Long Bows -- the latest technology weapons.  Times have changed. 

[jbeegoode]

Yea, times have certainly changed. There is no draft either, like olden England's feudal ways..."a well armed militia".... and Some people are sure having a tough time understanding why the traditions have always had the latest technology in the hands of the people.
Jbee

[RiverNude]

...was taught to us as children. Before that indoctrination, as children, we saw nothing wrong with being naked.

Dave, you're absolutely right! Kids are natural-born nudists!

[RiverNude]

Rural US has almost no crime, and even less repeat crime.  Most rural Americans are armed, and practice enough to keep in practice.   Big cities are much different. 

That's very true! In my neck of the woods, just about everybody's either carrying a gun, or has one handy. One of our Sheriff Deputies once mentioned to me that they never have any problems in our area.

Once, a guy from the ranch down the road stopped to visit with me in my front yard. Another guy, who I also knew, saw us and stopped. The first guy asked the second guy "Do you know James?" Second guy said "I know not to come up here f*#%ing around!" LOL!

[Davie]

We too in the UK have less crime in rural areas but possibly more than the US as most rural areas are within easy reach of larger towns and cities.
Whether firearms are the reason, is I feel open to debate. There may be other reasons too including distance from cities, the rural v urban cilture were neighbours know each other better and so on.

At least over here I'm extremely unlikely  to meet anyone with a gun whilst out naked. The last poor encounter was when about 20 of us walked by snd a guy armed with a spade shouted and bawled at us. However others have come across him whilst dressed when he's been unpleasant. Two of our group stepped off the path to shelter from a snow storm when he appeared and shouted tat them.

Part of life I guess.
Ĺ
Davie

[RiverNude]

As much as I enjoy a respectful political debate, we should probably curtail discussion on this subject here on FRN. We're beginning to "free range" right out of naturism, and that's not what FRN's meant for, as I understand it.

[Greenbare Woods]

As much as I enjoy a respectful political debate, we should probably curtail discussion on this subject here on FRN. We're beginning to "free range" right out of naturism, and that's not what FRN's meant for, as I understand it.

We do get topic drift.  In general we avoid political advocacy. 

[jbeegoode]

KIds are natural born naturist, every time, in my experience, any literature that I've read, history, and study. They aren't hurt by the sight of another in their own species without clothing, generally don't care, or they laugh, because it is out of context, or turn to their parents for an explanation of the unusual sight, having been trained that people always wear clothing.

With no political opinion, I can say that I had no unannounced visitors in more than twenty years in Tortolita, excerpt one very reluctant, overly polite man with a supeana, who was met by a naked man with a pistol showing in hand. I never went to a rural door unannounced, without someone else with me, or stayed in the car, because of the possibility of people in defense, some living out there because they don't get along anyway. That same context and expectation also reassured me that I could privately roam without cover, or backup in my boundaries, because there would be no intruders. I felt safer.

I carnude with a pistol within reach, generally under the seat, both habits are practical. I have felt the need to pull the gun out in ready twice in the last two years in urban areas, but never once in the fifty previous.

Most people are good and safe, but there are weirdos out there that might hassle someone else. I suspect that many of those that would complain about someone minding their own business nude, would also hassle people for other behaviors that they have a right to. I've encountered people in full camo battle rags and armed and myself nude, neither of us was alarmed. Each probably thought the other an extreme, but no problem. I have never carried a gun on a trail, I nearly always hike nude. Somehow, naked with a pistol just contradicts, to my senses.

I haven't hiked in grizzly country, but might consider shooting one, just to get one lick in, before it killed me.

If you carry a gun, you need pockets, or a belt, ie. clothes, 'cept around the house when you hear an odd noise.

The authorities probably won't respond to a report of a naked man out there on the trail, but might respond to a naked man with a gun.

The use of firearms is a legit concern for people. Since I am nude most all of the time, then nude use of firearms is legit here, I figure. Keeping the politics aside, that is.

Target shooting is fun. Target shooting while nude is fun, but hot muzzles, casings and blowback. Nude shooting deserves extra caution. I think that it depends on the gun what precautions to take. A simple 38 revolver is comfortable. If shooting out in the sticks, people will tend to stay away from the shooters, so nude shooters need not be concerned. Besides, again, the stigma, who's gonna hassle a naked person with a gun?
Jbee

[RiverNude]

Like you, JBee, I almost always carry when I'm traveling. That fact caused me to also carry on a nude hike last summer, but it was me keeping the gun safe, rather than the other way around. Like you, I don't usually hike nude with a gun. I had to travel to the area where I grew up for a couple days, and had the gun with me. After my business and social visits were finished, I drove out to a federal wildlife refuge that I frequented back in my younger years. I camped at a primitive campground, then made my 12-mile loop hike the next morning. Technically, I wasn't even supposed to have the gun on the refuge outside of modern gun hunting season. Realistically, I wasn't going to miss the chance to camp and hike there for the first time in 30-some years, and I wasn't planning to do any shooting, anyway. I'd driven my rag-top Jeep on that trip, so securing the gun in the Jeep wasn't happening. I put the pistol in a ziploc bag and stowed it in my pack for the hike. During my hike, I did walk naked among a group of feral hogs, but had no urge to get the pistol out for that. Also found myself standing barefoot and naked, much too close to a Cottonmouth, which also did not need to be shot.

On occasions that dogs or woman order a night-time security recon of the property, I always make those patrols in my normal uniform of the night...nothing at all...with a gun.

[Peter S]

You want nude in public:
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/naturist-arrested-duty-cop-because-30117565

Where he was is, as I know, very public, but pretty much everyone there knows him and is fine. the best bit of this is that the local police rescued him from a misinformed colleague, then lodged a complaint about said colleague.