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I see so many hikers wearing long pants and long sleeved shirts, in hot weather, as "protection" from nature that I feel compelled to have an opposing, albeit extreme, viewpoint presented here.
The author of this posting makes some valid points.
On the subject of Ticks and Lyme Disease, studies have shown that Nudists are the outdoor group least likely to contract Lyme Disease, by a substantial margin.
That pretty much discredits the "roll your socks up over your pant's" method of tick deterrence.
This was a posting to the Great Outdoor Recreation Pages Hiking forum.
Date: July 02, 1999 12:17 PM Author: Sunlover Subject: Nude Hiking FAQ
I've been hiking au naturel for years, weather permitting. For those of you who haven't, here is a short nude hiking
FAQ. It seems that a lot of you need it:
1. No, you don't attract more bugs. Perfume, cologne and anti-perspirant scents contaminate clothing and those
smells attract bugs from miles away. Whether or not you use any of that stuff, after a few hours of hiking, your clothes
will stink. Haven't your friends told you? Stuff fresh clothes in your pack and when you put them on to go into town
for supplies, you won't smell like a hiker.
2. No, you won't get sunburned "there" any more than anywhere else. Just like your arms and forehead, those other
parts become tan after a couple of days and will become protected too. Nevertheless, sunscreen is a good idea,
whether or not you hike naked.
3. No, I'm not a perv or creep. I am a respected professional with a very high profile job. I don't want to offend
others and will cover up if I hear or see others approaching. Then again, I hike to get away from others, and stick to
the backcountry away from the tourists and amateurs.
4. Nude hiking is the best protection against ticks. Nude, you will feel the buggers climbing up your legs or arms
looking for some clothing in which to hide. Clothed, they will march up your pants until they find a nice warm snuggly
place underneath your belt, behind your neck, or wherever. Ticks are born to suck blood or die trying. Wearing long
pants with socks pulled up over the legs is laughable protection against ticks. I've never, ever gotten bitten despite
living in one of the most tick-infested places in the country. But, I know you don't believe me, because you haven't
tried it.
5. Nude hiking is preferable to clothed in hot, warm, or even cool weather. The slightest breeze will evaporate the
perspiration from all over your body, cooling it via the liberation of heat to your surroundings. Arguments about
"wicking away moisture" are specious because there is no need to "wick away" anything when you are nude, duh!
Clothing, no matter how thin, Gore-Tex, Coolmax or whatever you are brainwashed into thinking you need to buy,
insulates the skin and interferes with cooling your body. Again, I know you won't believe me (see above).
6. Nude hiking, though rarely seen, is popular. You just don't know it because I heard or saw you on the trail first. I know
you may lose sleep over this fact, thinking there are nude people out there actually enjoying themselves. Deal with it.
Only once did I encounter another nude hiker who was as surprised by me as I was him. We didn't start our own
militant let's-hike-nude-and-shock-people group; we just said hi and just kept walking. I suggest you
clothing-compulsives do the same.
There have been a few occasions when I encountered other hikers (who were not nude) while in the buff. On most of
these occasions, the other person simply said hi or another similar greeting, and kept walking. Most people on the
trail just want to mind their own business, which is good advice for most of you opinionated extremists. Some people
engage me in pleasant converation about the weather (hot enough for you ha ha), or some other meaningless subject
and don't say a thing about my nudity. Again, in the backcountry, these people are probably out there for the same
reason I am -- to get away from it all.
Once and only once did I surprise a guy who had something to say about my nudity. He said something like "women
and children hike here" and implied that they would be offended. I told him that isn't my intention and I always cover
up if I see others approaching. I apologized for offending him but he said he wasn't offended, he just thought it was a
crazy idea to hike nude. He's entitled to his opinions and so are you.
About those women and children:
1. children always talk with their parents or whatever adult is hiking with them and so you can hear them approaching
2. women almost never hike alone and women in groups always talk (see #1)
Hike nude. What are you afraid of?
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