I have been hiking nude in various places throughout socal over the years and I pretty much only do it on very low traffic trails and as a result I have never really encountered another hiker while hiking nude. That said I have encountered countless other hikers while hiking nude at deep creek however I don't count those as the deep creek trail is well known to be clothing optional, I should say I have never encountered other hikers while hiking nude at an non clothing optional location. The only time when something like that happened was when I was nude mountain biking through a pretty hilly trail and I got to a section where there were downhill switchbacks into a ravine. The switchbacks were pretty treacherous so I was focused the trail and I didn't really look around until I reached the bottom of the ravine, at which point I noticed a group of people standing on a cliffs edge at the other side of the ravine. To be honest I doubt they could tell I was naked and probably just assumed I was shirtless as there was quite a bit of distance between us. It really shouldn't have been a big deal even if they had noticed my state looking back on it as we never even crossed paths after that, however this was back before I would've even considered myself a nudist and I wasn't really aware that naturism was a hobby the way it is. I thought of nudists as weird hippies who literally never wore clothes and just lived out in camps and meanwhile I was just normal person who liked to enjoy activities in the nude every now and then, Of course I later found out that is basically what nudism actually is. Anyhow I got pretty shaken by the fact that some people might've seen that I was naked so I stopped when I had some foliage cover and put on shorts and didn't strip down till an hour or so later when I knew I was way off the beaten path.
Ya it is kinda interesting how at a certain point you realize that you've been a naturist/nudist all along. For me I never considered myself a nudist until a few years ago, however, it really is just sort of an arbitrary distinction because I've always had the same enjoyment of nude recreation and nude living I just never really had many chances to do it. Then once I found out there were beaches and clubs etc with nude recreation and socialization and the like I started going to them a lot and at a certain point I guess It just dawned on me that I'm basically a nudist. It's funny because I actually remember there was a time when I would go on nude hikes, swim nude any chance I got, sleep nude, and I had even socialized with strangers nude at some hot springs, and I was jokingly thinking to myself that some people would think I was some kind of nudist if they knew I had done some of those things. I remember one of the things that ultimately made me realize that I should basically consider myself a nudist was when I realized that whenever I was looking for new places to be naked I would search using the words "naturist" or "nudist" and even if I didn't those words would inevitably be in the results. Sort of a, "where there's smoke, there's fire" type thing.
I hike nude on remote public lands near home and on travels several times each year. I love the feeling. If I am alone I am pretty careful to assess the territory and watch for other hikers because it is not my wish to shock or offend others, just like previous posters. I almost never encounter anyone. I also hike with groups occasionally, which is nice for a few reasons. There's the social aspect, and sometimes I learn something about the terrain or wildlife from a hiker. But mainly because I think that others encountering a group of nude hikers are going to be less likely to feel threatened or offended. Safety in numbers perhaps?
lady friend and I decided to hike to a hot spring,about 3 miles away.there was only one car in the parking lot.about a mile downstream you had to cross the creek's we took off our clothes and went across naked.after crossing we decided to hike the rest of the way naked.how awesome was that.when we got to the springs there were several people naked there. the temp got up to 90 and it was a good day, going from warm water to very cold water. I should of said there was a sign at the trailhead saying that swimsuits were unnecessary baggage.
"Though I love hiking nude, but I feel like my anxiety of being seen or caught, kind of ruins it. If I wasnt so nervous I would probably enjoy it so much more. Does anyone else feel the same or has anyone else actually been caught or come across another hiker? If so what happened and how did you both react?"
Like you I try to be discreet, but occasionally fail. :-)
Mostly I walk late at night, preferably after midnight and have found large parks and creek-side linear trails to work. My first attempt wasn't quite so late and I hadn't determined the optimum path to take for maximum caution. I felt I'd probably had enough nude walking and it was time to dress and head in the general direction of home, but decided to go just a little further... Naturally I encountered someone cutting through the park walking home (presumably). I had no time to get off the trail so we just passed each other. No reaction either way and I was on my home (dressed) soon after.
Another time I was leaving a deserted beach just after sunset and felt I could start to walk back as I was since I could quickly slip my shirt over my head in time if I detected someone coming the other way. I was wrong as I chronically overestimated my dexterity. I just got a laugh as my shirt finally fell into place as we passed.
I, sometimes with my wife, have hiked nude outside of resorts and clubs, countless times, in Idaho, Oregon, California, Hawaii, and of course Washington State where we live.
Here in Washington, it's pretty much legal to be nude as long as you're not behaving lewdly i.e sexually, especially in Seattle, but commonly in the National Forests. Our several hot springs are well-known to be clothing optional, and it's very common for people to skinny-dip in mountain lakes and streams.
Only a few times have I encountered anyone. October of 2023, I was solo-hiking a 3.5 mile trail to a hot spring so I did it nude; a 7 mile round trip, all nude. Of course, others were soaking nude in the hot spring, but as I was returning to my car, about 1/2 mile from the hot spring I met a man and woman on the trail. The only comment was when the woman asked me, "Aren't you cold?" I met a solo man a little later, who was aimed for the hot spring but had walked past it. I gave directions to both parties to the hot springs. No one criticized me in any way.
Early summer 2024 my wife and I were hiking lowland state park trails since the high country was still snowed in; I took off my shorts and t-shirt and draped them over my backpack belt so I was effectively naked but could slide my shirt in front to serve as a loincloth. We met several parties - a man and woman, and a group of other seniors on a hike. No one commented on my attire.
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