Deciding it's OK to be seen naked.
My casualness about this surprised me a little, but considering the context:
The location: A secluded two mile stretch of beach that is always empty when I hike it on a weekday, late afternoon. The beach ends at a trail which winds 1/2 mile through a stretch of woods and ends at a rocky point on the lake.
The scene: I hiked down the beach in a swimsuit as usual, because I'm never sure who might be at the end, even though I have not seen anybody out there in years. When I reached the woods, off came the shorts for the stroll to the rocky point. Just as I reached the end of the trail I heard music, so I slipped my shorts on and found two canoeists at the point. Nice 20-something guys who told me they had checked out a couple of bays further down the shore, and were gradually making their way back to the parking area. I was disappointed that I wouldn't have my quiet naked time contemplating nature at the point, but sometimes you gotta share paradise with other people. I started hiking back, stripping off as soon as I was out of sight.
My routine is to hike the beach naked on the return, so when I reached the open beach, I just continued on naked. Before long I heard music again, and I discovered my canoeists 100 yards out, crossing the bay toward the parking area, I thought. It was an exquisite day, warm, calm lake, late afternoon sun.
That's when I decided just to continue strolling along the shore naked. I heard one of them say "Hey, there's that guy we met" and I have no doubt that they saw that I was naked. We kept pace for maybe 20 minutes, and then I saw them pull in toward the shore about 100 yards ahead of me. I decided to pause for some skinnydipping (that's also my routine). They were starting a big bonfire, and I think that they may have planned to spend the night. I was very casual about being naked, although at a distance. After I dried off, I did put my shorts on to pass them. One of them was pretty friendly, chatting as I passed. I complimented them on their fire and wished them a good time. After I passed them, I pulled the shorts off again for the naked stroll back to the parking area.
I normally wouldn't be so casual about being naked at a 100 yard distance, but it just felt so right out there. I decided to dress to pass them, which I think was a good idea under the circumstances. But I'm happy that I pushed the envelope as far as I did.
That is good but you could push the envelope a bit harder given the deserted location. If I'm hiking in a place like that I have a wrap (a short wrap-round skirt) instead of the shorts. It can be quickly put on when coming across clothed people, so I can leave it until I'm fairly close. They will have seen me naked but the gesture of covering up is sufficient. Sometimes the wrap is see-through which causes some amusement. And I can tell them I'm a nudist - do they mind? If they don't the wrap can come off.
I've never decided "it's okay to be seen naked." I've always/we've always decided if and when it's okay to be naked and not be seen by others. We'll remain naked at various times when nakedness is probably not legal but if no one is around, who's going to complain. I've done this/we've done this on driving trips, at our previous nude beach, at a nude beach in another state and in other countries we've visited. It's all about knowing your surroundings.
We don't want to force our nudity on anyone else. Example, the OP's situation with others on the bank of the river; I would have remained naked and found an alternate route or slipped on the shorts. If they had also been naked, then I would have remained naked but if they were not, I/we would assume that they may not want to see me/us naked and so I/we would error on the side of caution and restraint.
NOW ... when we bought our current home, we'd already been nudists for over 35 years, over 15 years involvement in social nudism. It was difficult to be restricted to nudity back inside the house. We had no amenities in our backyard. It was all newly graded dirt and a two story home right next door. One day, after being cooped up inside for too long, I ventured out in our backyard naked. My wife put on her sheer house dress and we went out back to discuss our plans for the yard. The neighbor's upstairs windows were visible and a few had the blinds open. My wife said, "I hope they don't get upset with you/us cuz you're naked." I replied that "I hope they will at least say something instead of calling the cops." They never did and saw me/us out there naked quite a bit. At the initial point of being seen naked in our backyard, I suspect that I had decided that it's okay to be seen naked by our neighbors and I suspect and know that other neighbors have seen me/us naked and they don't have an issue with it.
You just might see them again, if they like to do the same thing, and perhaps next time you can mention that you are a nudist, only to find out that they are fine with that. That is likely why they are out so far as well.
I wondered if you had told them you really never encounter anyone out here that your a nudist and felt this was a safe and comfortable place to be nude... I think they might have been okay with you staying nude. Hopefully there will be a next time ;-)
I think that I would have been more selective as the home I bought. Our home was given to us and has no privacy in the back yard and all very prudish neighbors and I am sure, rather than saying something to me they would call the cops, they have already did that when we first moved in,I have a pair of beige shorts I wear to cut the grass and from a distance you can not tell I have them on and on three different occasions the cops arrived and asked me if I had seen anyone running around naked, which I replied no. The third dime I told them to stop by Mrs. Cravats house and tell her it was time to get a thicker pair of glasses, and I was also shirtless. Most around here wear long pants and a long sleeve shirt, which I think is ridiculous in 90-100 degree weather. It has changed some what over the years and now the wear shorts and some a t shirt. I can not imagine cutting grass in that kind of weather in winter clothes.
We took a very short getaway the last two days. My wife suggested
we visit Black's Beach for the day and after a day on the beach, we usually have a ritual of
finding a place to strip, clean up and then drive home naked. She's
been a real trooper with regards to visiting Black's. It's a tough
trek down and back up for her. She's afraid of heights and we're
not in the best shape. SO ... this trip, I sprang for a overnight
stay in the neighboring town.
After our good day (would have been a great day if not for the
idiot single guys) on the beach and our trek back up the trail to
our car, we cooled off at the top with the wind off the ocean. We
drove about 10 mins to the hotel and checked in. Once in our room,
we stripped and took showers. She was first and while I was
waiting, I scoped out the privacy of our balcony with an ocean
view. With the chairs positioned correctly,I could sit out
there naked and she just needed a top on.
We left after about an hour and a half of naked time in the room
and for me, outside on the balcony. She decided to remain
naked and just inside the sliding door. We didn't decide it
was okay to be seen naked but we knew we had a very good chance of
not being seen and if we did, I would have complained to whoever it
was complaining that we didn't appreciate them invading our
privacy. As it turned out, no complaints and I spent quite a
bit of time out there naked. Of course ... being on the
top floor had it's advantages. :D
That's part of my problem. When I was 2 or 3 I would be punished by my mom for being nude. And at age 7, I was caught by neighbors innocently exploring each others bodies, male and female. You know, kids curiosity. My mom flew off the handle on that one and threatened to tell my dad. I opted to receive her punishment instead of getting double whippings. In hind sight my dad may have been alright with it. Never the less, I developed a shell about nudity that I'm trying to break out of. I'm in 55+ mobile home park now with a heated pool that has limited use sometimes so I can be nude. Unfortunately, I live in a city where nudity is illegal so someone could turn me in to the law.
Why would your dad punish you for being naked? In your room?
Different people, different perceptions.
As others have said, non-nudists have *differing* tolerance levels varying from condoning to condemning
In Alfresco's position I would have behaved exactly the same. By staying naked while they were in the canoe some distance away he was non-threatening, while covering up as he passed he showed respect for the opinions.
I agree that if he met these same guys again, mention it and see what happens. However, as it's the first time in years he's seen anyone there, I doubt he will get the chance
Actions
Back to TopicsReply to TopicShare this topic
Get paid just by sending us users/traffic.
Signup takes seconds, start now!
Signup as an affiliate!