View Full Version : Nudity on the trail?
Ricky&Jack
05-12-2014, 21:59
I have yet to do long, overnight hikes. And I was wondering about nudity on the A.T.
I would have to assume that most people on the trail are more care-free and more tolerant of others. So i was wondering if seeing nudity on the A.T. was common.
With activities such as using the restoom, bathing down stream, and people not always having room in their tents to change, I was wondering if it was common to see occasional (partial & full) nudity, on a regular basis.
Is it just like anywhere else, and you do your damndest to not be seen?
Or do people just not really care, and its a daily site?
atmilkman
05-12-2014, 22:09
Be ready. It's like Paradise Lakes Resort out there.
Patrickjd9
05-12-2014, 22:28
Have never in my life seen anybody walking or hanging around nude on the AT or near a shelter. Closest I've seen is a more casual attitude --once in a while-- about changing clothes than one might have at the side of the road or at the local pool. That isn't an everyday thing.
Any skinnydipping I've seen/done has been out of easy sight of the trail.
If you actually want to see nude hikers, our group saw a half-dozen or so on the lower half of this hike.
http://www.blm.gov/az/st/en/prog/blm_special_areas/wildareas/paria_vermilion.html
Old Hiker
05-12-2014, 23:00
This count?
http://whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/showimage.php?i=33377&catid=member&imageuser=9060
Or this?
http://whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/showimage.php?i=33379&catid=member&imageuser=9060
Or this?
http://whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/showimage.php?i=33376&catid=member&imageuser=9060
Any particular reason for the question? I never saw anything in 497 miles, but I hiked mostly alone.
Wise Old Owl
05-12-2014, 23:02
ah a few bare bottoms over the years... overrated! Surprised you asked mate.
(Forest Gump) My momma always said, "Life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get."
Slo-go'en
05-12-2014, 23:04
Well, there is hike naked day (First day of summer), but few actually have the nerve to do it.
But it is polite to look away if someone is changing out of wet clothes in a shelter. Of course, it is always possible on occasion to get a glimpse of something you wish you hadn't.
What about "hike naked day"? I forget the exact date but it's some time in June! I've never personally witnessed any nudity but I know of others that have!
Damn Yankee
05-12-2014, 23:37
I believe Hike Naked Day is June 21st which just happens to be my Anniversary. And by the way, I think the pictures of the lovely lady count.
Sure isn't in Black Fly season. But no it is not common.
chiefiepoo
05-13-2014, 04:09
Rather than full nudity in the shelter, many guys and most ladies do the squiggle in their sleeping bag when it is time to get down to skin. This does not work well for people of size, of course.
A comedian once said - "People think nudist resorts are going to be like the playboy channel. In truth thy are more like the Discovery Channel."
Hike Naked day sounds like a good way to get yourself on the sex offender registry these days... imagine some lady and her kid rounding the corner while you're marching along with your naughty bits showing.
I think this country is too puritan that way (we don't even have topless beaches like a lot of european countries), but thats the way it is.
A little respect goes a long way... if someones changing, give them space, if you're about to change, let people know so there aren't any surprises. People can avert their eyes or ogle you, depending on their predilection.
saltysack
05-13-2014, 07:34
U kidding???? Why would u ask this? Seems strange...
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FarmerChef
05-13-2014, 07:38
Nah. It's rare. The occasional bare bottom while someone goes whiz in the woods. Or occasionally some skivvies while someone changes. But most try to find a bush or rock or tree or tent or the back of the shelter or something to get behind. And it is polite to look away or even to pause hiking when you see someone taking care of business. Trees don't hide that much... ;)
Josh Calhoun
05-13-2014, 08:44
On my hike last year, if there were strangers i would say "close your eyes" or just go behind the shelter. when it come to skinny dipping i didnt care. if anyone walked by i was in the water anyway. trail family didnt matter. we would all change, take baths in river and pee right in front of each. i agree to the fact that its a lil different out there. but i still have respect for strangers,women and kids. -Rash
There was a hiker in '90 who liked to walk nude or semi-nude. I hardly ever walked with him or his partner, but we were moving at about the same overall speed so we often leapfrogged one another for the first several weeks out of Springer.
I've stripped down to bare skin a few times, but always guarding my privacy as much as possible. Sunbathing on a deserted summit or rock ledge, for example. Skinny dipped in a few ponds and lakes.
well this is a first on whiteblaze. The short answer is no. You are very unlikely to ever see any nudity on the AT. At most.. someone changing in a shelter and then just briefly and discretely. Hiking Folks may be more carefree than uptight city folk but they are still in society and still in America.
Rain Man
05-13-2014, 10:17
Hike Naked day sounds like a good way to get yourself on the sex offender registry these days... imagine some lady and her kid rounding the corner while you're marching along with your naughty bits showing.
Sadly, I'd say you're correct. However, the real perverts are the ones who conclusively equate any and all portions of the nude body with s-e-x. Or, the ones who say it would be okay for young beautiful females, but no other human. Those are the ones with their minds in the gutter.
Heck, many pervs object to breast feeding in public!
Rain:sunMan
.
MuddyWaters
05-13-2014, 19:55
Sadly, I'd say you're correct. However, the real perverts are the ones who conclusively equate any and all portions of the nude body with s-e-x. Or, the ones who say it would be okay for young beautiful females, but no other human. Those are the ones with their minds in the gutter..
Id rather look at a beautiful young female than a wrinkled 60 yr old man anyday. That doesnt make me a perv, just a normal guy. One is beautiful, the other....not so much.
But in the interest of equality, Ill defend the right of the wrinkled 60 yr old man to change clothes at the shelter as well.
kayak karl
05-13-2014, 20:03
back in the day (60's) my Dad, Cousin and I hiked to Sunfish Pond in Pa. and there were a bunch of hippies enjoying the sun :sun
Strange question though ???
Ricky&Jack
05-13-2014, 20:12
i mainly asked because one of my first camping experiences was when I was 7. It was at Big Ben State Park near san francisco. It was a weekend camping getaway with about 8 family members, and because of some drunk college age people partying at the site, I saw my first real look at naked people. The people were running around partially naked and some even playing topless vollyball.
I remmeber the ranger coming and kicking out some of the non-cooperative people, but we ended up leaving after being there only 2hours and went to a different park 3 hours further away.
So i wasnt really sure about how its handled on the A.T. since I know the places to change, bathe etc are limited. ANd the fact that most of the hikers are mature adults, that nudity wasnt really a giggling manner and people wouldnt really be shy, since "we're in nature and i got to change somehwere".
Plus I knew there was a nude hiking day but wasnt sure how it was handled...... I think the NY governor or whoever that flew down to see a mistress in Argentina had given the fake alibi of "I was hiking on the Appalachian trail that weekend" and news made jokes about that actually being the nude hiking day.
So there were a few small reasons for asking. Just curious.
Oh, plus boobies are cool.
Few people will hike naked for long on Naked hiking day. Skeeters would have a feast. I was in the snowy Sierra on that day in 2011. Can you imagine the sunburn. Ouch!
fredmugs
05-13-2014, 23:08
well this is a first on whiteblaze. The short answer is no. You are very unlikely to ever see any nudity on the AT. At most.. someone changing in a shelter and then just briefly and discretely. Hiking Folks may be more carefree than uptight city folk but they are still in society and still in America.
This is far from the first. This topic comes up EVERY year around hike naked day. I have only been on the trail once on HND and saw one guy who was "hammocked" up pretty good and another guy completely naked carrying a guitar in front of him. Didn't have the nerve to ask for a picture. Both of these sightings were south of the Ironmasters hostel.
shakey_snake
05-14-2014, 00:27
One time we saw a woman's ankle and we had to put her down for being an evil temptress.
But as it goes in the old country, "The smoke from an execution pyre keeps even the damnedest black fly away."
colorado_rob
05-14-2014, 07:43
Sadly, I'd say you're correct. However, the real perverts are the ones who conclusively equate any and all portions of the nude body with s-e-x. Or, the ones who say it would be okay for young beautiful females, but no other human. Those are the ones with their minds in the gutter.
.???????????? What "gutterish" about healthy males enjoying the sight of young beautiful female bodies (or the reverse, of course) ???????????? We are WIRED for sex, dear sir. At least some of us. Beautiful and healthy. Human.
chiefiepoo
05-14-2014, 07:46
"We are WIRED for sex, dear sir."
True, but sometimes the wires get shorted out.
pipsissewa
05-14-2014, 07:54
i mainly asked because one of my first camping experiences was when I was 7. It was at Big Ben State Park near san francisco. It was a weekend camping getaway with about 8 family members, and because of some drunk college age people partying at the site, I saw my first real look at naked people. The people were running around partially naked and some even playing topless vollyball.
...
Plus I knew there was a nude hiking day but wasnt sure how it was handled...... I think the NY governor or whoever that flew down to see a mistress in Argentina had given the fake alibi of "I was hiking on the Appalachian trail that weekend" and news made jokes about that actually being the nude hiking day.
So there were a few small reasons for asking. Just curious....
What can you say? That was San Francisco... . ;)
Plus, that was Mark Sanford, former governor of South Carolina. :(
fins1838
05-14-2014, 08:18
Id rather look at a beautiful young female than a wrinkled 60 yr old man anyday. That doesnt make me a perv, just a normal guy. One is beautiful, the other....not so much.
But in the interest of equality, Ill defend the right of the wrinkled 60 yr old man to change clothes at the shelter as well.
LIKE X infinity
colorado_rob
05-14-2014, 08:55
"We are WIRED for sex, dear sir."
True, but sometimes the wires get shorted out. Not quite yet, here, at least. sorry for your little, er, problem though! :-)
squeezebox
05-14-2014, 18:02
So what about hike naked day ?
vamelungeon
05-14-2014, 18:22
If hiking naked WASN'T about S-E-X, and was just about "being free" and unencumbered by society & etc then we wouldn't have the comments about young females and being wired for it and all that. Yes I'm a prude. I'm an overweight middle aged man and won't subject others to my unappealing nudity, and would prefer that others didn't subject me to their nudity, appealing or not. I'm also a grandfather who would like to hike with his grandkids and don't need anyone showing off their privates to them. How and when they are introduced to the naked adult form is (or should be) up to their parents, not exhibitionists. That's my grumpy old man take on the subject.
Sarcasm the elf
05-14-2014, 19:08
So what about hike naked day ?
From what I've gleaned it's mostly a west coast thing done by folks hiking in much more remote areas or in places with a different mindset.
Hiking around naked on the A.T. is a great way to get your ass kicked by an angry parent or arrested by a conservative LEO... Maybe both.
Have I seen nudity on the trail? Absolutely, but it's been brief and utilitarian such as changing or peeing and usually the people make a resonable attempt to do these things out of view.
handlebar
05-14-2014, 20:11
During our 06 thru, the FDOM (Four Dirty Old Men) were overtaken on a steep climb by a runner, excusing himself and asking to pass. He was naked except for shoes, socks and a hat and said, "When I'm in nature, I like to be natural." He passed us at a fast clip so we really didn't have time to notice much. Otherwise, I found almost everyone at shelters to be very respectful of one another and discreet.
Another Kevin
05-14-2014, 20:12
Assuming that the original question was half serious...
Hikers are a pretty earthy lot. Nobody is going to freak out at the accidental sight of a you-know-what. Everyone needs to wash, change clothing, and comply with Deuteronomy 23:13. It's hard to do these things entirely hidden from sight when you're not in an area that has dense brush. Having a wee on Main Street could land you on the sex offender list, but stepping off trail to do the same is expected, and of course might be accidentally observed.
But hikers also tend to be a polite bunch, according to the relaxed standards of etiquette on the trail. An inadvertent sight of a naked person is either ignored (if the circumstances allow for the social fiction that you saw nothing), or responded to with "Whoops! I'm so sorry!" and hiking on. Staring at skin that isn't being shown to you is rude. So is showing skin to those that don't want to see it.
Once in a while there's a story of stumbling upon a couple who are quite intentionally showing skin to each other. It's extremely rare - which is part of why the stories get told and retold; it's a real eye-roller. Generally speaking, it indicates that someone has a streak of exhibitionism or has let their curiosity get the better of them. (My personal experience, from amatory exploits planned with considerably greater care, is that, while it's still enjoyable, on the whole it's a disappointment. There are much better places.) I've no objection whatever if people want to try it in a tent or even al fresco at a properly selected stealth campsite. The whole point of stealth camping is that, if it's properly done, nobody will even know you're there! In a shelter, even if at the moment you have it to yourself, is impolite and unwise.
The whole June 21 thing is mostly a joke. Yeah, there are people that hike naked. Generally they do it for very short distances, because of sunburn and skeeters. They also generally arrange to do it in such a way that they aren't seen (with members of the party ahead and astern, for instance), and have some way to cover up fast. Because simply strutting along wearing only a backpack and a smile and running into Granny taking the grandchildren for a stroll in the woods is going to land you in a while lot of trouble.
Colin Fletcher's story about hiking naked is definitely an unusual special case. Recall that his hike was not only a bushwhack, but a bushwhack into territory (the lower Grand Canyon) that nobody had hiked before. And he needed his skivvies to keep the sun off his bald spot after his hat went missing.
I don't consider myself to be a prude and I've been to beaches around the world where clothes were optional. From what I observed the people sans clothing were the ones that needed them most! :) Of course there were also exceptions!
I know for a fact that I can hike all day and never see another human being --- until I drop my shorts to pee! It never fails!
My apologies to those poor hikers who can bare witness to this statement!:)
Drybones
05-14-2014, 21:38
The only nude person I've seen on the trail was me...and I was really offended by what I saw.
BuckeyeBill
05-15-2014, 01:30
It would be interesting to note that the Supreme Court has ruled that as long as the genitiles are covered, People can walk around with breast and buns hanging out The case revolved around a female sited for public indecency for exposing her breast in public. Her arguement was that a male can walk in public with his shirt off thereby making the law applicable to only females and therefore unconstitutional. The court stated that everyone has breast and butts, and the only difference is the genitiles and thergored they must be covered.
BuckeyeBill
05-15-2014, 01:32
thergored = therfore
thergored = therfore
not to mention "genitiles" when you meant "genitals." :rolleyes:
I was trying to discreetly bathe in a creek far from the shelter. Another hiker in the distance kept getting closer and closer collecting firewood. Eventually I had to ask him to stop moving forward. I now bathe super super far away from the trail and possible people!
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greenmtnboy
05-15-2014, 08:35
I can't remember seeing any real nudity having hiked 2/3 of the AT and the LT 4X. I did catch a couple in the act right on the trail in NH which the Dartmouth outing club "oversees" or maintains, they looked like college students from what I could see. I walked around them.
flemdawg1
05-15-2014, 10:37
I was once gathering firewood near a trail shelter, and as my search circle grew wider, I noticed a naked female figure bathing near a stream. I'd heard of wood nymphs but had never actually seen one up close. So as I discreetly pretended to gather more wood, she eventually told me to go back.
flemdawg1
05-15-2014, 10:38
Just Kidding Sara.
Sir-Packs-Alot
05-15-2014, 10:53
In my 30 years on the trail - Only times I've seen nudity = some rare instances where folks clothing was ripped off of them in an accident / the few instances where folks have the nerve to do it on "Hike Naked Day" in June / or the times you looked the wrong way when folks are trying to do a quick clothing change in a shelter :)
Drybones
05-15-2014, 11:58
not to mention "genitiles" when you meant "genitals." :rolleyes:
Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't the Hebrews consider the Romans Genitiles?
illabelle
05-15-2014, 12:15
Just Kidding Sara.
That was funny, Flemdawg!
Damn Yankee
05-15-2014, 12:16
I was once gathering firewood near a trail shelter, and as my search circle grew wider, I noticed a naked female figure bathing near a stream. I'd heard of wood nymphs but had never actually seen one up close. So as I discreetly pretended to gather more wood, she eventually told me to go back.
I was going to say that this sounded like a Sara story. Ha Ha, good one
BuckeyeBill
05-15-2014, 15:08
not to mention "genitiles" when you meant "genitals." :rolleyes:
Thanks Rafe
MDSection12
05-15-2014, 15:36
Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't the Hebrews consider the Romans Genitiles?
Gentiles. Not genitiles. For clarification I'll use it in a sentence:
"Please be gentle with the gentile's genitals."
Sunshine82
05-15-2014, 19:37
The only time other than a few potty incidents was once coming out of Hotsprings I was going uphill and a guy and girl were coming down in their birthday suit and my response was "I'm sorry"!then I got to thinking I just apologized to two NAKED people in daylight on the appalachain trail lol!iI apologized to THEM!go figure
I was once bathing in a stream, hadn't seen a soul all day, and a young woman gathering firewood burst out of the woods. I made eye contact with her, and for some reason she started traversing increasingly large concentric circles in her search for firewood.
greenmtnboy
05-15-2014, 20:02
I was once bathing in a mountain stream naked and a 355# hairy lady in a girl scout uniform approached with a camera no less and I screeched in horror but it was too late. She threatened legal action, blackmail, etc., and I just told her to go right ahead as I wasn't aware I had broken any laws.
davidhagsr
05-15-2014, 20:17
San Francisco, the Sierras, Kern River and Topanga Canyon in the late 60s and early 70s of course but not now. I believe we have evolved and become more respectful of others these days.But watch out for the man !:eek:
Pedaling Fool
05-15-2014, 21:04
In my 30 years on the trail - Only times I've seen nudity = some rare instances where folks clothing was ripped off of them in an accident...That reminds me of when I ripped off all my clothing somewhere in Pa when I sat down on an old rotting log; taking a break I remember feeling things on my legs as I looked down I was covered in those big black ants, all over me. I instinctively ripped all my clothing off and was jumping around swatting them off my body...then I realized I was only wearing boots...
:-? Maybe I should have posted this on the Worst Wildlife Experience thread:D
Then there was the time I was got caught pissing by three lovely ladies...Pa was not good to me :)
bangorme
05-15-2014, 22:01
Last year I rounded a corner to spot a barely visible lady squatting just off the trail. I backed up and waited about 5 minutes, then rounded the corner again. As I got closer, it was apparent that she was filling her water bottles. Does that count?
squeezebox
05-15-2014, 22:03
There's a lot of huge difference between casual nudity ie. bathing in a stream, it's raining like crazy hey folks I'm gonna change into my dry clothes, and I will be naked for a short time.skinny dipping, nude sun bathing because it's such a beautiful afternoon and I've been bone soggy for so many days.
Between that and the exhibitisionist you aggressively and antisocially want to push nudity on other folks, for their jollies.
And there are way to many people out there ,who with a suburban attitude, who seriously can't tell the difference.
And the comfort of our lives suffers because of their discomfort, and their lack of socialization.
Sadly lowest common denominator rules.
Gawking and pink blazing puts you on the wrong side of the line also.
My not so humble opinion.
Last April, I was taking a lunch break at Iron Mountain shelter when a thru hiker I had never met before walked up, dropped his pack followed quickly by his shorts, and proceeded to change into dry shorts in front of a few of us. No warning, no attempt to be discrete. Unfortunately for him, it was a cold and rainy day. Not his best showing, I'm sure. Nobody said a word, but all had the same look on their faces.
I also once came around a bend in the trail while ironically climbing Big Butt Mt, and happened upon a rather large, pasty white, hairy old man, completely naked and bathing in a stream not more than 5 feet off the trail. He said, "Are there any ladies with you?" When I told him there were not, he said "Great" and went back to some deep cleaning.
bangorme
05-16-2014, 09:23
[QUOTE=tagg;1878311
I also once came around a bend in the trail while ironically climbing Big Butt Mt, and happened upon a rather large, pasty white, hairy old man, completely naked and bathing in a stream not more than 5 feet off the trail. He said, "Are there any ladies with you?" When I told him there were not, he said "Great" and went back to some deep cleaning.[/QUOTE]
Funny, I see so many "older is uglier" posts here, but to be perfectly honest, only about .5% of those I see on the AT would not cause me to turn my head to avoid bad dreams if I happened upon then naked. So, might wanna take a look at yourself in a mirror (a little more objectively) before calling others unattractive. Better for all of us if we all kept clothes on lol.
Funny, I see so many "older is uglier" posts here, but to be perfectly honest, only about .5% of those I see on the AT would not cause me to turn my head to avoid bad dreams if I happened upon then naked. So, might wanna take a look at yourself in a mirror (a little more objectively) before calling others unattractive. Better for all of us if we all kept clothes on lol.
I never said he was unattractive.
I had to read this entire thread because it reminded me of my first sighting of the entire vessel of the fairer species. I was about 12 years old and hiking in a county park. As I cleared the brush and stepped out onto the river bank a canoe with 3 lovely 20-ish ladies sans clothing came drifting into sight. They smiled and waved. I stood slack jawed and frozen.
I was so innocent at the time, and their conduct was so casual and blasé that there was nothing dirty or perverted in any of it. It was simply a life experience that I was and am very glad to have had.
I am not sure of the original intent of the question, but it is interesting to see how each person interprets it based on their own personality and life experience. The topic could have been asked by a hopeful lonely soul, or it might be that any dirt involved is what each reader brought with them, and a shy person was trying to be sure he wouldn't be offended or give offense.
Good thread if you like studying people.
I am living in Germany now, and I must say they have a really casual attitude towards nudity. Here in Munich there is a huge park called the English Garden, similar to NY's Central Park. On any day with nice weather, you can see dozens of nude sunbathers lounging there. And in European swimming competitions, the Germans are notorious for changing at the pool side rather than be inconvenienced by visiting the locker rooms. (usually they are discreet, but not always!) And the saunas ... men and women of all ages visit the sauna nude, only carrying a towel to place on the sauna bench.
I actually like it, because I think the people here have a much healthier attitude towards their bodies. They are not ashamed of how they look, and they don't think the human body is dirty or unfit to be seen. I can't imagine a thread like this in Germany, because catching a glimpse of a naked person is not considered extraordinary enough to have a discussion about it later. (you know, I think the French would like their neighbors more if they knew how much the Germans love being naked!!!)
MuddyWaters
05-16-2014, 19:33
(you know, I think the French would like their neighbors more if they knew how much the Germans love being naked!!!)
Well, the french like being topless, so they are halfway there.
Actually, totally nude sunbathing is common in some areas. Not at the beaches of course, but on boats in the calanques, and the cliff areas around Cassis, I saw plenty.
I am living in Germany now, and I must say they have a really casual attitude towards nudity. Here in Munich there is a huge park called the English Garden, similar to NY's Central Park. On any day with nice weather, you can see dozens of nude sunbathers lounging there. And in European swimming competitions, the Germans are notorious for changing at the pool side rather than be inconvenienced by visiting the locker rooms. (usually they are discreet, but not always!) And the saunas ... men and women of all ages visit the sauna nude, only carrying a towel to place on the sauna bench.
I actually like it, because I think the people here have a much healthier attitude towards their bodies. They are not ashamed of how they look, and they don't think the human body is dirty or unfit to be seen. I can't imagine a thread like this in Germany, because catching a glimpse of a naked person is not considered extraordinary enough to have a discussion about it later. (you know, I think the French would like their neighbors more if they knew how much the Germans love being naked!!!)
When we lived in Munich that must have been why my wife did not want to take the children to the English Garden. I some other Ex-Pats there were surprised when the young children's soccer coach thought nothing of changing in front of them.
Drybones
05-17-2014, 08:12
Well, the french like being topless, so they are halfway there.
Actually, totally nude sunbathing is common in some areas. Not at the beaches of course, but on boats in the calanques, and the cliff areas around Cassis, I saw plenty.
Photos or it never happened.
dabreeze
05-17-2014, 14:00
I have read many posts and talked to many fellow hikers about hiking nude on the summer solstice day, which is on June 21st. The way I see it, it s a freedom of expression, and tradition, so get over it. Turn your head and check out the prettier view. This is dabreeze getting on with life.
On the AT, full nudity is still reserved. You might catch someone bathing in their B-day suit/barely nothing, changing clothing, doing their biz behind a tree, a brave soul swatting insects or the chill in the air on Hiking Naked Day, etc but not much more than that.
DocMahns
05-17-2014, 17:16
lol, this thread makes me think of that scene from southbounders, "I'm just hiking in my happy hippy hiking suit"
imscotty
05-17-2014, 17:43
I have been trying to avoid this thread, but since the topic persists, I might as well go ahead and tell a story.
Many years ago when I was sixteen I had my first successful climb to the top of Mount Washington. I was on the Lions Head trail walking through the clouds above timberline when just ahead through the mist I could see a group of 4 young males standing in a circle staring at something on the trail. I was curious about what they were looking at and as I approached the group parted and I walked into their circle. There on the trail in front of me was an attractive young woman, pants around her ankles, trying to do her business. I could not have been more shocked at what I was seeing. I stood there mouth agape like a deer in the headlights just a few feet away.
Now I do not know if she was in a desperate situation and these guys were just incredible jerks or if they were all close friends on very familiar terms. All I can say that the poor woman looked a little perturbed that they let a young boy stumble onto this scene. Certain graphic images were seared into my young brain that have not faded after all these years. After a moment I regained my composure and muttered some greeting and marched on. A glance back showed me that the circle had reformed and the guys kept watching as this strange little gathering receded into the mist behind me.
It was a memorable first climb up Mount Washington. I have never come across anything quite like that before or since other than the occasional skinny dipper. I avoid shelters for the most part and keep things private when I am changing or doing my business in the woods. I always try, and I think the entire hiking community should always try, to extend the courtesy of privacy to each other.
Drybones
05-17-2014, 19:18
I was hiking out west with Ed and his wife Annette, I believe it was Hunchback pass we were coming down from, no trees just some scrub brush, I was in the lead and looked back to see if they were in sight, I saw something red and then something white, didn't know what it was at first but didn't take long to figure out the red was Annette's jacket and the white was her butt, I turned and kept walking, didn't know it but Ed was higher up watching the whole thing unfold.
WILLIAM HAYES
05-17-2014, 22:19
nope never seen it dont want to kinda of surprised at the question