Why We Hike Naked
This group has been quite for a while. I thought I would give it a shot at resuscitating it. Over the next few day I thought I would post my 12 Reasons to Hike Naked and see if I can create some discussion or comments here; being a westerner I'll do it here. Anyway, I think the first time I posted them as a blog, they got cut off any only four were shown. I'll post them three at a time. Here are the first three. Let me know what you think!
1.No clothes are the best clothes to wear on a hot day. I once read an article in a health and wellness newsletter about the best clothes to wear when exercising in the heat. It was not their conclusion, but it was obvious after reading the article that the best clothing for exercising in the heat was your skin, with sunscreen if out for a while. Heat is best dissipated by sweating when it is not held on your body by clothing thus dont wear clothes. Forget the expensive high-tech wicking stuff. Let the system work as it was designed.
2.It is how we evolved (corollary to #1). There is evidence that we evolved to be endurance runners so that we could run down our prey, not with speed but by out lasting them. See Christopher McDougalls book Born to Run for an enlightening discussion of this, including an example of it being done. One adaptation associated with this was becoming the hairless ape, able to dissipate heat better than our prey. We could kill them just by running them to heat exhaustion. We evolved to be naked runners, and thus naked hikers.
3.We muffle our largest sensory organ. The skin is our largest sensory organ with more nerve ending that any other sense. Think about how sensitive it is. You can feel the lightest brush of a feather. Sometimes you dont even need to be touched to sense something near you, just the movement of the air is enough. In fairness, this is one reason to cover up if the environment is hostile, but would you go for a hike in the wilderness with ear plugs or blinders? Exposing all you skin to the environment connects you to that environment in the closest possible way. And yes, there are times went you need protection, but if you can hike in a tee shirt and shorts, you can hike naked. The sun on a naked body is more warming than a tee shirt, but you also cool better (see #1).
Great post. I'm looking forward to seeing the balance of your 12 reasons.
For me, I really don't need a reason. If I had to quantify reasons, I come up with four simple ones.
It's comfortable.
It's liberating.
It's exhilarating.
Most importantly, it's fun!
I hope others will chime in.
Because it is just fun, is definitely on the list. Certainty this list is preaching to the choir in this forum. However, there might be things on the list people haven't thought of, and my hope, people will have ones I haven't thought of. I already have more than 12, for example, I could add it is easier to find a tick crawling on you, but then there is the obvious counter to that. There is the list I don't like of reasons not to hike naked.
Nude hiking is why I consider myself a Nudist/Naturist. Though we live naked and visit clubs and resorts, we also love the great outdoors, beaches, lakes, streams, rivers, the mountains, the woods anywhere in nature. Hiking gives us back that connection with nature and it's best done while nude.
My only complaint is that we just don't hike naked enough ... don't hike enough, period! I do have a close nudist friend that loves to hike but he lives a couple of states away. When together, we do try and hike each day but would love our wife's to join us but there aren't always willing.
Why we hike naked? Connection to nature, it's fun, it's freeing, it's more comfortable and it gives me increase in energy and stamina!
Can't wait to see the next 9 reasons but sure have to endorse the first 3. Forty odd years ago I was stationed in the Philippines with the navy and went through the Jungle Environmental Survival Training course that was taught by Negrito men, some in their 60's. I formed some friendships with them and found that the base golf course had a problem with wild peccary. I managed to make several dawn hunts for these beasts using a recurve bow and wearing a loin cloth and sandals. I have done a lot of hunting since for a wide variety of species but none have been nearly as elemental as those in the Philippines.
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