| NATIONAL PARKS QUICKLINKS |
Blog Search
Daily Dirt
- Backpacker Photo School: Capture Your Favorite Trees
- RECALL: 2011 Editors' Choice Winner
- Make (Gobs of) Money from Hiking
- Medical Update On Backpacker Editor
- Backpacker editor hospitalized
- Video: Hike the Entire Appalachian Trail—in Five Minutes
- Eastern Cougars Declared Extinct
- Believe It: Albino Redwoods
- National Trail Days Announced
- Friday Video: Falling Off A Cliff
- All posts...
Categories
Share your tales of travel & adventure with our step-by-step guide. Upload trail descriptions, photos, video, and more.
Sorry, Dad: Sunday Is Nude Hiking Day
Some hikers will ditch their clothes to celebrate the Summer Solstice this weekend
If you're planning to celebrate Father's day on Sunday with a mellow hike, you might see some unexpected skin: Sunday is also Nude Hiking Day, when backpackers-in-the-buff celebrate the Summer Solstice nationwide by taking to the trails en masse, sans clothes.While this isn't a mainstream movement, we can't just blame it on the Euros, who totally dig hiking up the alps in nothing but Scarpas. The tradition has gained traction in some areas, especially on long trails like the Appalachian. Fanatics say there's no better way to feel at one with nature than by busting up switchbacks butt-nekkid.
"There's no way to explain it until you experience it," said Andrew Williams, 28, a machinist from Warren, Pa., who first hiked naked six or seven years ago. "It's not about being lewd and crude and all that. It's just enjoyment."I'll say. Of course, most locals and law enforcement officials are less than stoked, worrying that the impressionable eyes of hiking Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts could be singed forever by the arresting, universal beauty of the naked human form slogging along in a pair of Chacos.
Nude hiking advocates say they go out of their way to avoid those repressed by the tyranny of waterproof-breathable fibers, knowing their arcane ways could shock and awe the locals into a spontaneous orgy. But they do note that beyond a primal connection to the natural world, nude hiking does have practical advantages:
Wood ticks on the skin are easier to spot.Okay, nudies, you almost had me until you had to bring up the ticks. Happy Father's Day.
Do you like hiking in the nude? What will you do to celebrate Nude Hiking Day? Overshare in the comments section below.
—Ted Alvarez
Nude hiking buffs ready to shed as solstice draws near (AP)
International Travel
From Nepal to New Zealand, we have stories and tips to help you plan the perfect 'life list' trek abroad.
Navigation Center
Learn how to orient a map, navigate any terrain, and the ins-and-outs of GPS devices.
BACKPACKER's Free Smartphone GPS App
Record and share you adventures with our new, free navigation app. Plus, discover thousands of GPS-enabled hikes in national parks and major cities.
Green Guide
A backpacker's guide to environmental issues and "green" gear.
READERS COMMENTS
I have hiked nude in several areas in the perdido wildlife area, I’ve also canude the perdido river. If you are careful and don’t bring to much attention to yourself it makes for a nice afternoon stroll. I useually carry water, snacks and such in my back pack, I also need to carry a quick reach pair of pants. I do not understand why the people of Florida are so stuck-up about this kind of thing.
Posted: Jun 06, 2011 Paul of the Woods
Here in Florida we can hike nude pretty much anytime we want...as long as it's in the middle of the day, during the week. Lots of public trails that never get used, and if you pack in water, you can go past where anyone else will be. Sunday, though...you're likely to get yourself in trouble. That's the problem with a prudish state that equates simple nudity to lewdness.
Posted: Jun 11, 2010 Adam & Eve
We are usually not brave enough to hike around naked unless we are pretty remote, but we certainly like to enjoy nude sun bathing or skinny dipping once we get up to our destination spot, which is usually a remote lake or river. There is no better way to fully enjoy nature than aunatural. If more people would just try it on occasion they would quickly realize how relaxing, comfortable and natural it is to be free of soggy swimsuits. It also means less to pack in... :)
Posted: Jun 21, 2009 aunatural family
Hiking nekkid adds color to your cheeks.
Posted: Jun 20, 2009 Mad Dog
It might crack 50* this Sunday in the Mts. A weee bit too cold for naky hiking ;-)
Posted: Jun 19, 2009 S.
ADD A COMMENT