The L.A. participants in the World Naked Bike Ride flashed Echo Park, Silver Lake, Downtown and...
This post is in partnership with Worldcrunch, a new global-news site that translates stories of note in foreign languages into English. The article below was originally published in Tages Anzeiger.
When "Germany's first hiking trail for nudists" opened on May 29, 2010, near the town of Dankerode, enthusiasm was running high - and not just among those who enjoy braving nature in the buff. Mayor Monika Rauhut hailed the trail as "the latest attraction here in beautiful Wippertal." (See eight new natural wonders of the world.)
The trail was an instant hit, which got us wondering if such a thing might be a good idea in Switzerland, where the issue of nude hiking will soon be taken up by the Supreme Court. The "unofficial spokesperson" for Swiss lovers of the outdoor activity isn't so sure. But Puistola GrottenpÖsch (not his real name) does see some upsides. A sanctioned trail would give many people an opportunity to experience the "bodily freedom" that only hiking in the nude offers - an experience that "fills you with happiness," he says.
In Germany, signs placed around the nude trail area warn: "If you don't want to run into any naked people, stop right here!" The message makes GrottenpÖsch uneasy. "It seems to suggest such a thing would be terrible," he says. "The sign could be taken as more of an encouragement than a deterrent." Nor does he like the idea that such a trail could be seen as a "ghetto" for nude hikers, particularly as such a thing might make people think "that it's obligatory to be clothed everywhere else." (See Switzerland's nude hiking [EM] in the winter.)
GrottenpÖsch recently appeared in court in Appenzell-Ausserrhoden to support a fellow nude hiker who was arrested for practicing the peculiar pastime.
The first year that the German trail - played up initially as a "paradise" for nude hikers - was up and running, there were no legal problems. But there have been some red faces. The brains behind the endeavor is a nearby campground owner who had hoped the novel trail would bring him more paying guests. He no longer wishes his full name to be given in the press, reports German nude-hiking aficionado Horst K. on the Nacktwandern website, which has provided information about the trail since it opened.
Integrating the naturist trail and the family-oriented campsite proved more difficult than anticipated for the owner, whose initial enthusiasm soon gave way to concern. Instead of trying to draw nude hikers as customers, he found himself telling them to give his campsite "a wide berth." (See a brief history of the Appalachian Trail.)
"Yes, there were some problems," Horst K. says. "But we cleared those up, and now things are okay for both sides." As things presently stand, the mood in Harz seems to be one of determined conflict avoidance.
Even among backers of the birthday-suit lifestyle, nude hiking can be a prickly issue. The president of the German naturists' association called naked hikers "neurotics and psychopaths." Fans of the activity, in both Germany and Switzerland, reject the labels flat out.
"We are careful," Puistola GrottenpÖsch explains, citing by way of example an outing he took near Toggenburg (Appenzell, Switzerland), where he came across a group of people celebrating a religious service in a field. GrottenpÖsch conscientiously hid his privates with a scarf, something he carries for just such occasions. "You quickly wrap it around yourself and all conflict is avoided."
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California beachgoers were officially stripped of their right to bathe nude this past October, but many naturalists are refusing to cover up.
Here's the skinny: For more than 30 years, the far south end of San Onofre State Beach has been a hot spot for those who prefer to spend a day at the coast and leave sans tan lines. The 1,000-foot stretch of shoreline—less than 3.5 per cent of the park—is not only secluded by 300-foot cliffs, but also has had a longstanding, unspoken toleration for nudity. Traditionally, naturists were left to sunbathe in peace unless another beachgoer complained, in which case an official would ask those in the buff to either cover up or leave for the day.
The bare-skinned bliss came to a halt in May 2008, when nudists became vulnerable to fines after California State Parks Director Ruth Coleman encouraged officers to ticket those who go au natural.
According to USA Today: "Park Superintendent Richard Haydon began efforts to halt the nudity after receiving reports of sexual activity and solicitation for sex."
With regard to Haydon's statement, USA Today reported that Allen Baylis—a lawyer who has sunbathed on the beach since the 1970s—said that nudists don’t want sexual activity on the beach either. Baylis pointed out that sex acts take place in other public areas regardless of whether or not there is nude sunbathing nearby.
Baylis, along with two groups of bare-skinned beachgoer advocates—the Naturist Action Committee and Friends of San Onofre Beach—fought back by suing the Department.
The naked beachgoers won their first round in court. However, they were left defenseless in October, when the California Supreme Court unanimously refused to review a lower-court ruling that allows officers to site nude sunbathers.
"Nudity prohibited" signs began popping up along a trail that leads from the parking lot to the beach, but beachgoers are refusing to cover up despite the ban.
According to USA Today, "half a dozen middle-aged men were sunning in the buff one recent November weekday when temperatures were in the 70s. On hot summer weekends, several hundred nude sunbathers may show up."
Baylis told USA Today that nudists are ready to be arrested. "If they really want to come down there and issue citations, we have people willing and able to be cited in order to take it up in the criminal courts as a matter of civil disobedience," he told the publication. "It's a very important issue for a lot of people."
On September 13, more than 100 nudists showed up at San Onofre Beach with signs reading "Nude is Not Lewd" and "Nude is Not a Crime." No citations were issued at the beach rally.
So far, park rangers have not issued any citations—but Haydon has warned park officials could begin slapping naked beachgoers with fines at any time. Tickets could carry a fine of up to $500, and would be considered misdemeanors.
A statement on the Naturist Action Committee Web site reminds nude beachgoers that "lewd activity is never appropriate" and requests that nude beachgoers "speak up for proper clothing-optional beach etiquette."
Well, those prudes in Tampa got their way, and the Lingerie Bowl won't be tainting their apparently pure city. Instead a nudist resort in Pasco County stepped in and saved the day. The joint is appropriately called the Caliente Clothing Optional Resort, which should fair well for the Miami Caliente team.
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