In a recent post, I expressed some measure of wonder at the direction life has taken me - that I've become so enamored with wilderness recreation (provided there are opportunities for naked communion), despite quitting Boy Scouts when I was a kid. Consumed by fears and anxieties, I don't think I was capable of appreciating those activities - e.g., rock climbing, white water rafting - back then. But I feel like if I had a chance to redo it with the mindset I have now, I would enjoy it.
It's the same thing with sports. Although I'm not competitive by nature, visiting nudist camps has instilled in me a great love of playing volleyball, to the point that I find myself practicing alone, lamenting not having access to a league, or even a group of friends with similar interests. As someone who dreaded gym class in school, and always got picked last for teams, I was convinced I had no athletic talent - something that I no longer believe to be true. If only we weren't expected to figure things out so early. We throw all these activities at children, to help them find what they like, before they are even fully formed. But once you've grown up, you're expected to be set on your path. It's difficult to find opportunities without the momentum of having done it since you were young.
I had an idea while out hiking nude up a partially dry riverbed, and I can't decide if it's brilliant or bonkers. As you know, my enjoyment of wilderness recreation is largely incumbent on being able to mix in the feeling of being naked in the great outdoors. (Maybe I'm weird, but I think doing something naked makes it a lot more fun). What if there were an organization designed around just this sort of thing? You could call it... Bare Scouts! Of course, my first thought is that people would freak out, thinking it has something to do with mixing children and nudity. As a nudist, I want to state for the record that I see nothing wrong with kids engaging in nude recreation outdoors - provided they're supervised by responsible adults. But there's no reason this organization would necessarily have to involve children. I just think it would be fun to base it loosely on the scouting model. You could even design merit badges to be awarded to members for completing various activities naked in nature!
Let's brainstorm. First of all, in order to meet the requirements for a given merit badge, a supervising scout leader must sign off on it (photographic evidence is encouraged). All requirements must be performed completely naked - without shoes or any kind of cover up, unless otherwise indicated. Ideas for merit badges could include:
*hugging X number of trees of distinctive character;
*skinny dipping (with different badges for river, lake, and ocean);
*hiking and biking X number of miles (shoes and packs permitted);
*paddling a canoe or kayak (safety gear permitted);
*standing under a waterfall;
*performing a rock scramble;
*dancing in the rain;
*hiking by moonlight;
*setting up and striking camp;
*collecting firewood and tending a fire;
*campfire social (sitting around a campfire in a group, roasting marshmallows, telling ghost stories, etc.);
*animal sightings (with a checklist for different animals encountered);
*spelunking/cave exploring (safety gear permitted);
*taking in a scenic vista;
*cleaning up the environment (picking up trash);
*tending a garden (plant a tree, trim a shrub, water flowers, etc.);
*leaf peeping (collect a red, gold, and orange leaf on a single hike);
*cross-country skiing (boots, hats, and gloves permitted);
*answering the call of the wild...
Any more ideas? I know nudists are a minority, and there isn't nearly enough interest to support an organization like this (and that's to say nothing of the potential for bad actors to slip in and exploit the opportunity to turn it into something different - alas, we cannot have nice things), but doesn't it sound like fun?
