Hi, I'm Dave Powers in Montana

[Free hiker dave]

Howdy from Montana, I'm Dave Powers, a nudist or naturist living in the center of Montana in Great Falls. From late spring to the hunting season, I free-range or free-hike nude while hunting for fossils,  collecting insects, flyfishing, and camping in the mountains near my home. My hiking style is to go netless, either locking my kilt in the car or leaving the clothes home and driving nude. As a side note, I belonged to a forum like this one for free hikers quite a few years ago. I am happy to see there is another forum for naked hikers.

[jbeegoode]

Finding fossils sounds fun.
Jbee

[RiverNude]

Hello Dave!

Welcome to the FRN forum! I joined just a few weeks ago, and feel very much at home, already!

Didn't we also just meet on MeWe?

I like your term "netless". I like leaving it all behind, as well. In fact, I recently wrote a blog article on the subject of "hiking naked without clothes" on Naktiv.net. You can read it here, as well as seeing my profile and albums, without the need to log in. (Note: If you click any of the small photos without being logged in, the site will redirect you to the login page. Logged in users can expand the photos, add comments, etc.)

https://www.naktiv.net/hiking-naked-without-clothes/

[Free hiker dave]

RiverNude, netless isn't a term I coined. Instead, it was used on a much older nude hiker's forum. There were those naked hikers who carried some cover-up, their safety net, and those who took no cover-up or went netless. Those who went netless avoided that moment of looking foolish trying to cover up, upon a chance meeting others while hiking. Thus avoiding making a negative statement about being naked.  It is a thing I have learned after a lifetime of nudism.

[Free hiker dave]

Finding fossils sounds fun.
Jbee

Yes, Jbee, it is fun. I carry a selection of chisels, a ten-pound hammer, wrapping paper, a notebook, and other supplies in my backpack. I hike along the rock faces and into two caves looking for marine and other fossils.

[Free hiker dave]

Hello Dave!

Welcome to the FRN forum! I joined just a few weeks ago, and feel very much at home, already!

Didn't we also just meet on MeWe?

I like your term "netless". I like leaving it all behind, as well. In fact, I recently wrote a blog article on the subject of "hiking naked without clothes" on Naktiv.net. You can read it here, as well as seeing my profile and albums, without the need to log in. (Note: If you click any of the small photos without being logged in, the site will redirect you to the login page. Logged in users can expand the photos, add comments, etc.)

https://www.naktiv.net/hiking-naked-without-clothes/

Yes, RiverNude, you posted on MeWe. I saw the post. Looked up the link for Free Range Naturism and joined. While MeWe is nice, I wanted a forum that is more narrow to my interests. And yes you are one of my contacts on MeWe. 

[RiverNude]

Dave, yes, I've found that same freedom from trying to cover up quickly when meeting someone, by not having anything to cover up with. And yes, we do look "guilty" when we're scrambling to cover up before someone sees us!

[Greenbare Woods]

Howdy Dave.   Have you ever gone skinny dipping in the Roe River?   

[nuduke]

OK, remaining TSNS colleagues, what did we used to call 'netless' hiking?  Was it "Extreme SN"?  I've been racking my brains and can't remember the term.  Was it not Alf who would freeze the car key in a block of ice, lock the car and hike off with no form of cover up (netless) until the ice melted enough to release the car key and allow him to go home!  Wouldn't work nowadays with electronic keys which would stop working when wet!

John

[Free hiker dave]

Howdy Dave.   Have you ever gone skinny dipping in the Roe River?

Swimming of any kind is forbidden in the Roe River. The exception is the divers who come to clean it every few years. It is a state park within Great Falls, making skinny dipping difficult. A lot of foot traffic comes through there. While I get away with living an extremely naked life, I'm keen to stay out of the sight of law enforcement attached to an ultra-conservative state.

[Free hiker dave]

OK, remaining TSNS colleagues, what did we used to call 'netless' hiking? Was it "Extreme SN"? I've been racking my brains and can't remember the term. Was it not Alf who would freeze the car key in a block of ice, lock the car and hike off with no form of cover up (netless) until the ice melted enough to release the car key and allow him to go home! Wouldn't work nowadays with electronic keys which would stop working when wet!

John

John, I can't say I'm extreme enough to freeze my keys in a block of ice. I'd have to wait a long time for the ice to form before I could go for a hike. Leaving my clothes at home works just fine for me. I have changed a few flat tires nude. I used to work for FedEx Ground up on the high line. I'm very good at changing tires. My route to the mountains is primarily rural dirt roads. I hike in places very few will go,  so the chances of meeting anyone are slim.

[jbeegoode]

Nuduke, I just remember "without a net.

Freehiker dave: "...While I get away with living an extremely naked life..." What is an extremely naked life? After I get naked, there ain't much more, but the shoes. Is it in odd places, or most of the time nude?

Yea, staying nude during encounters with others after getting away from trailheads comes much easier for me now. However, I do generally take a sarong on my shoulder, in case I'm out long enough to sunburn my shoulders, get tanlines from water bottle and camera straps, or use as a chair. I will wrap up enough to cover genitals as per legal, but let them know that we are being nude when people have children. They are the most likely to complain, simmer without asking questions, etc. They're protective and can flare up in their ignorance. I'm just not out there to get into hassles.

I've been taking a loose poll for years now. In your experience bumping into people out hiking, how many problems have you received apposed to no problems when encountering others? What percentages have you perceived, not bothered, bothered, said something negative, etc. And one more question. How many encounters do you more or less had?
Jbee

[Free hiker dave]

Nuduke, I just remember "without a net.

Freehiker dave: "...While I get away with living an extremely naked life..." What is an extremely naked life? After I get naked, there ain't much more, but the shoes. Is it in odd places, or most of the time nude?

Yea, staying nude during encounters with others after getting away from trailheads comes much easier for me now. However, I do generally take a sarong on my shoulder, in case I'm out long enough to sunburn my shoulders, get tanlines from water bottle and camera straps, or use as a chair. I will wrap up enough to cover genitals as per legal, but let them know that we are being nude when people have children. They are the most likely to complain, simmer without asking questions, etc. They're protective and can flare up in their ignorance. I'm just not out there to get into hassles.

I've been taking a loose poll for years now. In your experience bumping into people out hiking, how many problems have you received apposed to no problems when encountering others? What percentages have you perceived, not bothered, bothered, said something negative, etc. And one more question. How many encounters do you more or less had?

Jbee

Jbee, I never considered myself to be extreme. I always saw my nude habits as usual. Some things I always wear are tied to my self-image, such as my body jewelry. I wear other things because they are practical. I hike over a lot of scree. Hiking boots are a must to avoid cutting feet and losing toes. The boot protects my feet from falling rocks while I extract fossils from the host rock. I wear a hat for the same reason, to protect the top of my scalp from cutting flying rocks and the sun. There are very few places where footwear of some kind is not required. I wear something on my feet ever flyfishing because of broken glass mixed in the streambed rocks. I always have a camera and a backpack. The pack is for the tools for collecting and carrying back fossils. In it, I keep a hefty supply of water. My collection can easily weigh fifty pounds by the time it is loaded with fossils. So I work out on a treadmill with a fifty-pound pack in winter.

At home, I am always barefoot. 

As to meeting people, I rarely see them. If I do, they never have kids with them. Those I may meet are flyfisher people. I usually give a friendly howdy and keep doing what I do. Some will comment that I have the right idea because of the heat.

[Greenbare Woods]

Swimming of any kind is forbidden in the Roe River.

I know it's forbidden, but someone might go in at night.  When I visited there it looked tempting, but it was a day with a lot of company. 

Montana seems to be less tolerant than many other places. 

[Free hiker dave]

Swimming of any kind is forbidden in the Roe River.

I know it's forbidden, but someone might go in at night.  When I visited there it looked tempting, but it was a day with a lot of company. 

Montana seems to be less tolerant than many other places.

Greenbare Woods, while the crystal clear water looks tempting, it is very cold.  Yes, Montana is less tolerant of nudity than many other places.