Wandering Naked in the Forest

One July several years ago my wife received an invite to stay a couple weeks with one of her long-time friends. Their family had recently moved over to eastern side of Washington, about 6 hours away. She had kids that my daughter liked to play with too, so the invite was for the both of them. I took this as an solo opportunity. Two weeks!? Nakey time!

I didn't know where to go, nor did I really have any idea exactly what I wanted to do. I was just restless and the nudist side of me was rearing its head. I grabbed a few things, threw them into the car, and headed toward the mountains. I drove up and down a few forestry service roads, checking for the right amount of guaranteed solitude. When I saw a private road with a big yellow gate belonging to a logging company (click here to go directly to the live location on Google maps), I decided that looked promising. After all, the gate was locked, who was going to bother me? There was lots of room to park and not worry about my car being in anyone's way. After parking and stashing my wallet in the trunk, I got out and locked up, walking around the gate.

No, it's not me

I was a little nervous about my being there, mainly because I was going be traipsing around naked in the woods on someone else's property! I continued, looking behind me as I went checking to see when I was out of sight of the highway. I was hoping for find a trail or path to follow instead of just walking down the dirt road and possibly being discovered. I was just a little ways up the road when I saw a trail and turned off to the left. That was my cue to disrobe. All I was wearing was elastic-top shorts and boat shoes, so I there wasn't much to it. I rolled them tightly into a roll with my car keys still tucked snugly inside a front pocket for safety. At this point I had already swatted away a couple of cobwebs that had draped across my face, so I decided a walking stick was in order. When I came across some dead branches below a tree I found one that was just right for a walking stick, so I peeled all the loose bark off of it. I developed an up-and-down sweeping rhythm with my stick, swiping at cobwebs that threatened to wrap themselves around my face.

After a while of walking and ducking around everything on the overgrown trail I came out into an open meadow in full sun. I stopped and admired the profusion of colors from the green and gold grasses to the white, purple, and yellow wildflowers. White butterflies darted around, playing tag in the warm breeze. I couldn't imagine a more perfect day. It was probably 85 degrees, the wind was blowing nicely, and I was naked! Hearing the wind blow through the cottonwood trees and the occasional bird chirping was looking more and more like heaven all the time. I craned my ears and could just hear a river somewhere in the distance.

As I wandered, the occasional strong breezes would blow through the trees, turning their leaves different shades as they were blown upward. I stopped and stood with my eyes closed, feeling the breeze tickling the hairs all over my body. Just when it would get quiet another sudden strong gust of wind would blow over me, again making trees rustle loudly. I drank it all in. There was an open area covered with hard-packed, light green moss--almost like a natural carpet. At one point I tripped over a tough, small vine on the ground, and when I bent to investigate the cause I found the whole area dotted with wild strawberries! I carefully plucked one from its vine and popped it into my mouth. Mmm... so sweet, but so tiny. I decided to be more careful with my stepping, those little vines were like little wires that would trip you if you're not careful. They were also a little stickery.

I'm kind of a "Nervous Nellie" sometimes, and this was no exception. What if something happened to me while I was out here? What if someone spots me? Will the logging company care that I'm here? I wonder if there are bears around here?

I started towards the tall cottonwood trees that were rustling so loudly. Though this part of the state is thick with evergreen trees, they don't make nearly as much wind noise as the cottonwoods do. The sound of rushing water became a bit louder as I went, and the width of the trail became a little tighter. I batted more cobwebs away. The early afternoon sun was getting warmer, and I got closer to the cottonwood trees, the sound of the rushing water grew slightly louder. Moving carefully to avoid getting scratches, I wound my way through the bushes and trees, ducking under branches, stepping through small openings, and other minor obstacles. Some areas I walked through were soft and sandy like a beach, and I kicked my shoes off and wiggled my bare toes around in it, smiling to myself. Nearby were areas that were packed sand with light green moss growing around embedded rocks, probably created from prior water levels, that almost gave it a cobblestone effect. I still wasn't quite sure how to get to the river, but because I could hear it plainly I just kept working towards the sound. It seemed like anywhere I looked I found dense growth in blocking me.

Finally, I could see the rushing water through the trees! I made my way along the undergrowth until I was able to find a suitable spot that’s thin enough to squeeze through without too much trouble. When I did I found myself at the edge of a wide, rocky beach with the fast moving river about 30 feet away. On the far side was a steep bank with thick forest above it, and I could see a road up there running along the river. That made me a little apprehensive. I had gotten very used to walking through the forest and underbrush with no clothes on, but this was different--I would be out in the open! I studied the area for a while, but never saw any traffic or sign of anyone. Then it occurred to me it was likely part of the same road that led to the gate I parked at, which meant it was likely forestry or logging use only. I relaxed a little and stepped out onto the wide open sun-blasted expanse of river rocks.

Most of the rocks were basketball sized or smaller, and the sheer volume of them suggested that the river was usually much wider than it was during these dry summer months. I decided I would like to get my feet wet, but the murky, fast-moving river didn't look too inviting. The silt suspended in the water had turned it a gray color, but if you scooped some up in your hands it looked nice and clear. I kicked off my shoes and placed them nearby, placing my shorts on top of them. I have always loved walking on smooth river rocks barefoot, and today was no exception. Being barefoot enhanced the nakedness; making it total and somehow more natural. I put my feet into the icy snow-melt river, carefully holding myself steady with my hands. Wow, that's cold! I jumped back out of the water and decided to go up the river and explore. Nobody was likely to bother my shoes and shorts if I left them there, so off I went. Let me tell you, I felt like naughty kid again out there in the open, dancing naked from rock to rock in the hot, summer sun. It was like I was the last human on earth. As I worked my way upstream the rocky beach got narrower and narrower, finally ending altogether at a bend in the river. The undergrowth and riverbank were both too severe there, so I had no choice but to turn and head back. My feet were used to the rocks now at least.

On the way back a small pool of water caught my interest near the riverbank. It looked like tributary had been formed when the river started shrinking in the warmer months, finally drying up enough that it created a pond isolated from the rest of the river. It looked brownish and barely moving--completely unremarkable on any other day. This was no ordinary day though--this was the summer day I was naked, exploring in the forest! I dipped a foot into the dark water to test the temperature. It was so warm! I just had to go in. I waded into the deepest part. It felt like a hot spring! I wasn't quite prepared to have it feel that interesting. I slowly sat down--uncaring what the water looked like. After all, there was a river with clean (but very cold!) water just a few feet away! It wasn't very clear and it had a little mud on the bottom, and it appeared to vary from inches deep in spots to almost 3 feet deep in the deepest part. As I sat down as the water came up to my chest. I sat there for about 10 minutes or so, my mind shuffling crazily with all the sensory input that I had sprung on it in just a couple of hours. When I got out I went to the cold, fast moving river and waded out quickly to a deeper spot near the edge and splashed myself clean. Whew, that was cold! I climbed carefully back out of the rushing water as quickly as I could, and stood shivering. My skin was alive from everything I had subjected it to, and now I was enjoying the feeling all the little hairs on my body were making as they popped free from being pasted to my skin as I dried. I made my way back to where I started, retrieved my shorts, and put my shoes back on.

I was now back where I first found the river. There was no real path or safe passage along the water from there, so I had to go back inland to work my way downriver. At least there was no chance of getting lost with the sound of the river nearby. The undergrowth was pretty thick in this area, and the walking stick definitely came in handy. I was separated from the river by a row of tall cottonwood trees on my left, and I was in an open, sandy area, punctuated with round river rocks and Scotch broom. The strong, warm wind continued to expose the light green undersides of the cottonwood trees as their leaves were blown upward. To their right, the thick evergreens went as far as the eye could see. Being naked is a most pleasant way to hike!

The open area I was walking in was gradually tapering off as I got closer to the bridge, and a short distance farther I was again reunited with the river. As I neared the bridge, the ground started sloping sharply upward, leading up to the road surface above. While I could have gone along the water's edge instead of up and over, the vegetation was too dark and overgrown. I also feared bug bites, which I had been able to avoid so far. I'd rather go up or down a nice, clear hillside than through unknown, thick underbrush on level ground. The loose gravel path was about 30 feet up to the road surface, but I made it without incident. Naked wandering can be a delicate thing sometimes as some of us know. Going down the other side was a little trickier, but again, I made it without any trouble. Down the other side of the elevated roadway was a small camping area that looked interesting. It was level and fairly open, even for its small size, and was mostly overgrown grass punctuated with patches of moss. There were remnants of past campfires, but it looked like it had been a long time since anyone had last camped at this spot. Maybe next time.

For now I was tired, thirsty, and more than happy about the day as it had transpired, as it had been a very special day. I walked down the road toward my car, completely comfortable with my nakedness. When I got to the point where my car was just around a final curve and the state highway was, I stopped. That was as far as I could safely go in my skin. I considered listening for traffic and walking all the way to my parked car naked, but I chickened out. I unrolled my shorts to put them back on, and having been wrapped into a tight ball and carried in my sweaty hands for a few hours, they were wrinkled beyond belief. When I shook them out and put them on they felt completely alien to me. After a day of wandering around the forest wearing nothing but boat shoes, I didn't like the sudden change in attire. I reluctantly approached my car and opened the door. The inside of the car was stifling hot from sitting there all afternoon, so I rolled the windows down to let the hot air out of the car. After relaxing and enjoying a beer from the cooler in my trunk, I pulled out onto the highway and headed home.

I vowed to return, and return I did--at least 3 more times over the years past. After that first time I started carrying a shaving bag. My shorts, my keys, and a couple beers fit in it, and there was no chance of losing anything if it was zipped into the bag securely. Only one other time did anyone go with me out to that area, and she was the one that took this picture I shared in my first blog post: