2018.07.19 The Rogue Valley
All natural isn’t just a slogan slapped on meat these days. Nude hiking, an organized Oregon activity for over a hundred years, entices outdoor enthusiasts to stuff their clothing, and inhibitions, in a backpack and slather on sun block in places that hopefully won’t sting, to explore wilderness in-the-raw.
“We call it free-hiking,” says Stephen Bosbach, founder of Siskiyou Hiking Bares, a local Meetup group with over 200 members. “The idea is that when you drop your clothes you’re dropping your pretenses, your fears. When you’re out hiking in nature, and it’s 80 plus degrees, it simply feels way more natural to peel off clothing and just be in your hiking boots.”
Stephen, a retired educator, and his wife, Crystal, raised their kids as naturists and their clothing-optional hiking club is family-friendly. Children are welcome, if accompanied by an adult and the scheduled hike won’t be too strenuous. Experienced free-hikers, the Bosbachs organize outings where nudity is permitted and trails aren’t heavily used, generally on BLM and national forest lands.
“They might avert their eyes,” Stephen says about other hikers headed their way. “That’s more for our privacy rather than their discomfort. Usually we just get smiles and kudos.”
“It’s the hardest thing, I think, for females,” adds Crystal, a retired nurse, “because we’re trained that if we undress, it’s only about sex. We’re brainwashed by advertising and made to believe we have to be perfect. Well nobody’s perfect! And when we realize that, and accept ourselves, we accept others as well.”
The Hiking Oregon Naturally Annual Tour, or HONAT, is a multi-day nude hiking event they’ll be hosting in North Plains, Oregon July 23 – 29, to give newcomers and naturists from other regions the opportunity to meet others and experience hiking nude.
The Siskiyou Hiking Bares group follows standards and practices of renowned nudism organizations, The Naturist Society and the American Association of Nude Recreation. All hikes are clothing-optional and once registered new members have access to information regarding upcoming hikes.
