Naked Hiking Day At Tandy Hills Natural Park

In the blogging previous to this one I blogged about this coming Sunday's Summer Solstice Naked Hiking Day.

There have been articles in various media today about the naked hiking phenomenon.

The New York Times had an article in which a machinist from Warren, PA, Andrew Williams, 28, said, "There's no way to explain it until you experience it. It's not about being lewd and crude and all that. It's just enjoyment."

Well. Now, I have used some basic photo-chopping to fake that I've gone hiking at the Tandy Hills, au naturel, previously, just to amuse myself with the reactions of some. Some did not disappoint.

And then today, with Naked Hiking Day looming 2 days hence, I decided today I was going to see if it actually is true that hiking in the buff is a fun thing.

Now, I've long been a fan of skinnydipping. That just seems natural. One does not wear shoes when one skinnydips. So, there is a basic problem with naked hiking, in that one needs to wear hiking boots.

I got to the Tandy Hills Natural Area around noon. I knew there'd be no one there. This time I was going to test if Naked Hiking is enjoyable. I took along a backpack to carry my water, cameras. And, eventually, shorts.

As soon as I reached the point where I was no longer visible from the road I doffed my shorts and stuck them in the backpack. And then started hiking like I usually do. Only in Naked Hiking mode.

Well. It did not take me long to feel totally ridiculous. I did not see anything remotely enjoyable about it. Yes, it was a bit cooler. But it quickly became apparent that skinnyhiking is not like skinnydipping. I don't worry about going through brushy areas when I'm skinnydipping. I did not like feeling exposed to something poking me.

And then there was the issue of areas being exposed where normally the sun does not shine. I had not thought to sunscreen those areas.

I did maybe a half mile of naked hiking before I decided this was one of the stupider things I've done in awhile. It was not in the slightest enjoyable. I don't know what that Williams guy from Pennsylvania is thinking. From this day forth, when I am hiking, I am keeping my shorts on. My shirt, not so much.