Calling down the Moon

Last night (27 September), wow!  Full Moon, Harvest Moon, Super Moon, Blood Moon, total eclipse of the Moon.  The only thing missing was an astronomical high tide, but the eclipse makes that impossible – wrong alignment of the three bodies.  Add to the lunar events the fact that we had a nearly crystal clear sky and warmer than usual temperatures – it was 12ºC on the coast, not summer but not bad for the end of September – and you have all the makings of a very good night.

As you can see I used my magic staff to pull the moon down a little early so I could do a twilight shot.

I went off to the beach to watch the eclipse.  Why?  Because the open spaces there give me a long view in all directions and very little artificial light to spoil any photos that I would take.  Despite the good weather I had the place mostly to myself, even before twilight.  Sure there were a few dog walkers on the beach and one person galloping across the sand on a very happy horse but they retreated before daylight waned.  I set up the tripods for my camera and my astronomical  binoculars, unfolded my deck chair and laid out the rest of my gear on a convenient picnic table, zipped up my parka and waited.  

Every now and again I would wander forward to where I had a better view of the beach.  This confirmed that I was alone except for one twenty-something woman who, clad in dark sweats, was promenading back and forth along the beach, always casting a glance in my direction when she passed.  She had an expectant look about her, the sort of look I recognized as “When is this person going to leave?”  I drew my conclusions and the next time she passed we were within speaking distance.  I asked if she was waiting for me to leave so she could go skinnydipping – she hesitated for a moment but then said yes, she was.  I told her that I wasn’t leaving because I was there for the eclipse and intended to do some skinnydipping myself.  I also told her not to worry because I was a card-carrying naturist.  She came forward and asked me to prove it. 

If any of you have ever doubted the value of belonging to your national naturist/nudist organization let me put forward this single encounter as the gold star reason to join up -- the ability to establish one's bona fides.  I showed her my FCN Card -- don't leave home without it.  “Huh,” she said, “So you are.  Hang on a moment and I’ll come up.”  And so she did, thereby providing me with pleasant company for the rest of the evening. 

Indeed I had two aims for last evening: observing and photographing the eclipse and a bit of moonlight skinnydipping.  As it happened the tide was mostly out when I arrived, thereby making it a fairly long sprint from the high tide mark to the low tide line.  But once everyone else had cleared off and their taillights had disappeared we doffed our kit above the high tide mark, trotted across the sand and frolicked in the surf for a short time.  The surf was running at about two feet with a fairly brisk onshore breeze and the water was warmer than it had been in July this year.  Still, given the air temperature, we didn’t linger once we got out of the water.  This wasn’t an endurance event after all, just one done for the principle of the thing:  "Life is short; Play naked."  Let me repeat that:

We quickly regained my astro camp, found that nobody new had arrived and shared out some the coffee and treats I had brought.  The moon was well up at this point and well short of the onset of the eclipse.  That made the sky so bright that it was distinctly blue to the naked eye, even though it shows as black in the photos.  Stars were difficult to see until a few hours later.  I took a few shots of the moon at different heights before the eclipse and some several minutes apart once the event began. 

When the eclipse reached the halfway point we decided to head for the surf again.  It was substantially nearer by this time so we stripped off where we were and went down the slope to the beach.  The surf, along with being nearer, was somewhat larger now, with some waves nearing three feet.  That’s a bit of a shocker when it hits below the belt and travels upward.  It didn’t take us long to get thoroughly wet, then scamper back up the hill for more coffee and cookies.  This time I lit a campfire in one of the firepits to provide some welcome warmth.  Then we settled in to a combination of Moon Watch and Bay Watch as the moon turned from butter to blood.

As the moon was steadily being eaten by the wolf the surrounding sky grew correspondingly darker and soon the stars were shining brilliantly.  The Milky Way was clearly visible and we laid back on a groundsheet with me pointing out the constellations and planets because I had my Sky and Telescope cheat-sheet and a planisphere with me.

Totality of the eclipse arrived at 11:47 with high tide close behind at 11:51 ADT – time for a third and final dip in the sea.  Of course this trip was shorter than the last, and so was the time spent in the water.  It was now time to pack up, drown the fire and head to our respective homes. 

Naturism in theory.  Naturism in action.  You meet the nicest people when you're naked.

Rail-lining

Once upon a time, many long ages ago, when Detroit dinosaurs ruled the Earth, this province was chockablock with railway lines.  You could go nearly anywhere in the province by railway and the train staff was usually pleased to stop their iron horse to let you dismount where and when you wished.  People used to go fishing by train, simply telling the conductor what stream they wanted to get off at and that was that.  A returning train late in the day was flagged down and home they went.  These days are gone now, and never will return.  I can do without the Detroit dinosaurs but I most assuredly miss the trains.

This map, adapted from the NB Railway Museum, shows most of the historical NB railway lines

What we have now is a few active subdivisions of the CNR, the NB Southern Railway, too damned few passenger trains, and a lot of abandoned railway lines.  Most of the right-of-way for the lines abandoned during the last few decades has been converted into multi-use trails.  Some, sadly, have been abandoned to nature and it is now almost impossible to follow their course.  However, as you can see from comparing the two maps, there are now a lot of remote trails to hike.

Today's sad remnant

Railway lines make good places for naked hiking, it gives new meaning to the term "train buff."  The rail lines are good for a variety of reasons, first and foremost, they usually run for miles through the middle of nowhere so the chances of being seen and complained about are pretty minimal.  They also cross rivers and streams where you can fish or swim.  Also, being rail lines, they always have an easy grade so hills are at an absolute minimum, making them good for bicycling too.  Those rail lines that have been converted into multi-use trails usually have pretty good going wherever they haven’t been trashed by ATVs.  The lost and forlorn lines are more likely to be trashed but even the improved trails can suffer badly from heavy ATV use, whether from being rutted, or turned into mud holes, or desecrated by litter.  Even so, they are a good bet for all the reasons at the beginning of this paragraph.

Active railway lines are not good bets for naked hiking, not even for shorter hikes.  I DO NOT advocate hiking on active rail lines.  Why not?  Secondarily, because it is trespassing on railway property and some of their employees can get quite cranky about that.  But first and foremost, because it is dangerous.  Railway lines have a bad reputation for being inhabited by great thundering steel monsters that weigh a gazillion tons and simply can’t stop with any degree of ease.  Meddle not in the affairs of speeding steel monsters, for you are fragile and squishy, and they are not.

But . . . if you do decide to hike along an active railway for goodness sake keep your eyes open well in the distance ahead and look behind you every couple of minutes so the train doesn’t sneak up on you.  If you do both these things you will see the train long before the engineer sees you – those four big 200k candlepower headlights cannot be missed.  Then, get off the track immediately, far enough off the track that the engineer can’t see you and worry that you might fall in front of his train at the last minute.   Give him a break, it’s a stressful job.

Also, keep your ears open.  I can’t imagine why anyone would want to go for a hike in the wilds and then plug their earbuds in and listen to their MP3 player.  But people do it; I’ve seen it.  People have gotten run over by trains because of it.  The fact is that many people crank up their music to a level where they can no longer hear something so loud as a train horn -- 90 dB at 152 metres (500 feet).  How stupid is that ?!?!  Pretty stupid, and well deserving of a Darwin Award.

If you go hiking the train tracks (in Canada) a moderately active single line is going to look something like this, with shiny top surfaces on the rails and not much vegetation except a bit of grass or weeds growing on the railbed:

 
However, you are in luck if you know where to find a railway line that is out of use but not decommissioned.  Why lucky?  Because railway tracks still equipped with rails and ties make a very uncomfortable ATV trail so the ATVers go elsewhere.  Therefore hikers can have such rail lines all to themselves.  

Such a rail line is shown below, with rusted top surfaces on the rails and lots of vegetation such as bushes and berry canes growing up between the rails.  Note the encroachment on both sides of the right-of-way and the decrepit ties . . . all good signs.  (Caveat for US readers:  Some active US rail lines look far worse than that shown in the photo below -- don't be fooled by a railway with crappy maintenance.)

No, those signs weren't really there, I added them

If you’ve got one of these lines at your disposal you’re golden.  Check it out on Google Earth so you know what to expect all the way down the line, especially at road crossings, if any.

Most important, have fun!  And watch out for moose crossing the railroad.

Lady Godiva Day

July 10th is Lady Godiva Day.  In my opinion it should be a public holiday, but it isn’t.  As second best, it should be celebrated by all naturists / nudists and other civil libertarians.  I have included the day in my blog post about the “Naturist Calendar.”  Let me explain why.

Lady Godiva was an actual historical person who, according to legend, on July 10th in the year 1040, rode naked through the streets of Coventry, England in order to convince her husband to abolish abusive taxes he had levied.  Historians argue whether this is fact, an embellishment of a somewhat different event or a complete fiction.  Well of course historians argue about it, historians argue about everything.  Each has a theory and is willing to expound it while denigrating any competing theories.  However, they all agree that Lady Godiva (“Godgyfu” was the original Anglo-Saxon form of the name) was a real person, the wife of Leofric, Earl of Mercia.

All social and political movements need heroes and icons.  Who would be better as a heroine and icon for naturism than Lady Godiva?  Who indeed?  Lady Godiva is the very image of non-sexualized public nudity.  Competing versions of the Godiva legend say that the Lady herself asked the people of Coventry not to violate her modesty or that the officials of the town ordered all of the people to be indoors with their doors and shutters fastened.  But both versions, and others, are mere speculation.  No one knows the actual circumstances of Lady Godiva’s ride.

The legend also tells that the sole person to violate Lady Godiva’s modesty was a nasty little chap named Tom, the original “Peeping Tom,” who was struck blind in divine retribution.  I like this little detail.  I like it a lot.  Whether it is true is entirely beside the point;  it reflects the opinion of the people of the era in which it was written.  That is: (1) Lady Godiva’s public nudity was innocent, was done for the public good and was inoffensive to God,  (2) Peeping Tom represents the minority of one who took prurient interest in her nudity and  (3) God struck Tom blind in divine retribution.  This is a perfect example of the Garter motto in action:  "Honi soit qui mal y pense" or "shame on him who thinks evil of it."   Indeed!  Shame on any person who automatically connects innocent nudity with prurience. 

As far as I am concerned the story of Lady Godiva and Peeping Tom records what was beyond doubt public opinion at the time: that innocent public nudity was neither a civil nor a religious crime and that God’s approval of innocent public nudity went so far as to punish prurience.  At least that is the way I see it.

I consider that Lady Godiva’s ride qualifies her to be the Patron Saint of Naturism, and that her Saint’s Day, July 10, should be suitably celebrated by naturists everywhere.  No, you don’t have to be a Catholic, or a Christian, or even a religious person of any variety to see it this way.  When I speak of “saints” I do not refer to religious figures with supernatural powers.  I speak of real human beings who stand up for or who exemplify principles that should be important to civil society.  For Lady Godiva the issue was unfair taxation.  For us, the principle issue is whether public nudity should be accepted for what it is, an innocent wardrobe choice, rather than for what latter day morality zealots – the Peeping Toms of our times – claim it to be, immoral.  To that sorry latter group I say “Honi soit qui mal y pense.”

Stream Walking

One of my personal favourites within the many options for free range naturism, and also of naked hiking, is what I call Stream Walking.  As you might expect this involves hiking naked within or beside the course of a stream -- more often within than beside.  Within New Brunswick there are a lot of options for this and I have a few favourite places of my own which, for obvious reasons, I’m not going to blab all over the internet.

The idea of stream walking is to use watercourses that are narrow enough, and shallow enough, that you need not worry about meeting powered watercraft bearing down on you at a great rate of knots.  Should you encounter canoeists, kayakers or fishermen along the way such folks are likely to be more friendly toward, and perhaps more accepting of, naked hiking.

There are advantages to stream walking over naked hiking on dry land.  The first of these is that you seldom have to watch for road traffic.  Another advantage is that, if you happen to be surprised by someone else just around the bend in the stream, the water gives you both an excuse for being naked and an instantly available cover-up that doesn’t involve balancing on one foot at a time.

Another advantage of stream walking is that if the day gets too hot relief is just a few feet away.  Any actual swimming hole that you might find enroute is a genuine bonus.  Use it well and wisely.

A word about safety!  Be cautious of water that is too deep to wade at knee level, currents that are too fast to ford with safety, and the dangers of foot entrapment.

Where to go?

Haul out the maps of your area and supplement them with topographical maps and a good reconnaissance using Google Earth.  Time spent on planning helps provide a much better experience on the hike itself.  Besides, it gives you something to do on rainy evenings.

Look for streams that are not immediately adjacent to roads, that do not crawl through muddy bogs, and that do not have their banks dotted with summer cottages.  Ideally you should find streams that have a solid bottom of sand, gravel or bedrock.

Plan your trip keeping in mind that your progress through the water will be much slower than it would be if you were walking on dry land.

 When to go?

You can go any time between the start of warm weather and the start of hunting season.  If you are stream walking within a provincial or national park, or within a game refuge, hunting season might not be as much of a problem but still, you have to be realistic and stay safe.

Avoid the first day or two following any major rainfall as small streams can rise quickly and become unworkable for walking in the increased current and water made opaque by silt or flood debris.

What to do?

Just walking is nice but you can bring your camera for wildlife and scenery pix, or a fishing rod either for fishing or as part of your cover story.  If you are carrying a fishing rod you had better be carrying a fishing licence as well.  Remember, the purpose of going fishing is not necessarily to catch fish.  Often it is just an excuse to sit quietly and enjoy nature.

What to bring?

Footwear – this is the item of first importance.  Wear a pair of solid shoes on your feet, something that can stand being wet and will dry out to be used again.  This is where your favourite old, beat up running shoes come into their own once more.  Wear them laced up and securely double tied.  Remember, you can’t always see the stream bottom and you don’t want to cut your feet on anything.

Walking staff – this is the second most important item you should bring.  When I say walking staff I do not mean one of those skinny collapsible aluminum walking poles that you often see people dragging behind them.  There is a reason that collapsible poles are called collapsible – they collapse, usually when you are leaning on them.  They are worse than useless; they are dangerous.  No, I mean a real staff, something longer than you are tall, stronger than you are heavy, and lightweight too.  I recommend (whole, unsplit) bamboo, something about 25mm (one inch) or so in diameter.  You can probably buy a good bamboo pole at most decent garden supply stores – I swiped mine from a ski hill. (It was July;  nobody was using it.)  Use your staff to probe the bottom before you walk forward and to balance yourself against the current while you walk.

Head wear – bring a hat, even if only a baseball cap, to prevent sunburn and give your eyes the immediate shade they need to peer into the water.

Eye wear – sunglasses go with the hat and for the same reason.  Polarized lenses are best for seeking through water.

Butt wear – this is part of your “cover story.”  I usually carry a hiking kilt or a pair of river shorts clipped to one of the shoulder straps of my day pack for quick access.

Day pack – you’ll need this to carry your shirt, towel, sun block, bug spray, drinking water, lunch, etcetera.  I always carry a map of the area as well as a small first aid kit and the usual outdoor survival items: compass, space blanket, knife, lighter, small flashlight.  A cell phone is a good idea too but for goodness sake turn the damned thing OFF.  Pack everything in zip-lock plastic bags in case you take an unscheduled dip.  Pack everything out with you at the end of the day.

What else can I say?  Have a great day!  When you find a good stream share it with your naturist friends.

Women’s breasts are not obscene. Little girls’ nipples aren’t either.

When will they ever learn . . . 

When I switched on my PC this morning and went to look at the CBC news site I was drawn to the link to this story

Guelph parents angry after topless girl, 8, told to cover up

This incident happened in Guelph, Ontario, the city famous in the annals of Canadian top-free rights for being the place where, in 1991, Gwen Jacobs was charged with committing an indecent act by appearing topless in public.  In 1996, Ms Jacobs was acquitted in the Ontario Court of Appeal in a case that determined that a woman being topless in public is not indecent under the meaning of the Criminal Code.  This opinion has since been upheld by courts in British Columbia and Saskatchewan.

So, here we are, nineteen years later in the same Ontario city, and an eight year old girl is told to put her tee-shirt on or she had to get out of the wading pool.  The article tells us that parks staff general manager Kristene Scott apologized for the embarrassment caused to the little girl but stands behind the city’s policy to “balance the safety and comfort of everyone.”  She is quoted as saying "Essentially, the policy was put in place because not everyone has the same comfort levels with females being topless."

That is true, not everyone shares the same comfort levels about anything.  So what?  What the little girl was doing was established in law as being a legal act.  Faced with a legal act with which someone on city council disagrees the city opts to attack an eight year old girl and cause her shame and embarrassment.  This, in my mind, constitutes child abuse.

Scott is quoted as saying "Our policy was never intended to offend anybody or make anybody feel uncomfortable or embarrassed. If that little girl in this situation has felt that way, we sincerely apologize for that."  Apologies do no good in such matters;  the harm as already been done.  It seems that the authorities in Guelph believe that causing psychological harm to children is much preferable to telling adult voters to grow up and leave their religious prejudices at home.

The CBC article goes on to tell us that the rule came into force in 2012 when it was decided that “topless women who refused to cover up at public pools would be asked to leave, but if that didn't work, that would be the end of it.”  In other words, the rule has no force at all.  Council knows that it cannot force the issue.  Instead, Council opted for harassment and intimidation -- "slut shaming" and "bullying" by other names -- but recognized that they had no legal recourse if their harassment and intimidation failed.  In such a situation quite clearly it would be easier to harass and intimidate children who do not know their legal rights.

Well done Guelph city council!   For your commitment to human rights and fair dealing I nominate your city to be twinned with Riyadh.

Naturism 101

Naturism 101 – Naturism Theory within Atlantic Canada

New Brunswick naturists are unfortunate in not having any naturist / nudist resorts within the province.  There have been some in the past – Maritans long ago, Simply Naturist Retreat more recently – but none now.  Over in Prince Edward Island their only naturist / nudist resort, the Oasis Resort near Cavendish, recently sold out and the new owners are no longer running it as a naturist venue.

Landed naturist / nudist resorts / clubs are expensive propositions.  The cost of land, buildings, amenities, maintenance, insurance, taxes, utilities and what-have-you soon add up to well beyond what a group of casual acquaintances are willing to ante up. For this reason alone we owe our thanks and our support to the good folks at The Oasis for having invested in the lifestyle.   But non-landed clubs, with varying degrees of formal club structure, rely on the private homes and facilities of club members for group activities and social gatherings.  Public beaches and remote Crown Lands may also be used for such gatherings providing the necessary arrangements have been made.

Nova Scotia does have one or two non-landed naturist/nudist clubs, Bluenose Naturists, which is FCN affiliated, and Nova Bares, which is not.  Both are located in the metro Halifax area.  NB and PEI lack even that degree of organization, neither province having a non-landed club.  But in terms of naturist beaches NB and PEI have NS beaten handily.  In NS there is Crystal Crescent Beach at the provincial park of the same name, a tiny cove with a beach of coarse sand and water colder than charity.  In contrast with this NB has Kellys Beach at Kouchibouguac and PEI has Blooming Point Beach, both of which have miles of beach on which to wander and water that is warmer by far.  Within NB there are also several great places for nude hiking and bicycling – "free-range naturism" – far from prudish eyes. 

There is a genuine need for more non-landed clubs within the Maritimes, particularly in NB and PEI.  Such clubs are sometimes referred to as nudist travel clubs and offer a means of broadening opportunities for the enjoyment of nude recreation in a variety of ways. They should be relatively easy to organize and start-up costs should be minimal.  The main problems in getting one of these clubs going seem to be making the initial contacts with fellow naturists/nudists then overcoming mutual suspicions and individual apathy.  In my estimation the last of these obstacles is the worst.  But I believe that it is possible to organize a non-landed club in NB.

I consider that the problem here is one of indoctrination.  Since childhood we have been conditioned by society to believe that being naked is somehow wrong.  As children we were all happy little nudists until we were educated to the contrary.  Those of us who escaped the shackles of that indoctrination and have become self-acknowledged nudists are sometimes reluctant to take the next step into social nudity – naturism.  By having the courage of one’s convictions and reaching out to our fellow naturists / nudists we stand to gain immeasurably by acquiring the sublime knowledge that “we are not alone.”  We are “normal.”  There is no need to harbour the visceral belief that what we are doing is somehow shameful.

Non-landed clubs often schedule activities on weekends during the summer season, often on a monthly basis. Another reason why they are sometimes referred to as travel clubs are that the members can schedule group outings to local naturist/nudist-friendly venues or even fly off to clothes-free destinations abroad.

The Federation of Canadian Naturists doesn’t seem to have a handy definition for “non-landed clubs” so I’ll borrow this one from the AANR: “clubs . . . that do not typically own or utilize a single piece of property for activities."  However, even though they are homeless, they offer expanded opportunities for the enjoyment of a clothes-free lifestyle, and more active forms of nude recreation.  In fact, they have a number of potential advantages over landed clubs.  Some of these advantages are:

    – lack of capital commitment – the club owns no property and is therefore not tied to any particular property or location, it can evolve with its membership;

    – increased convenience – by using the homes or property of club members on a rotating basis all members gain in terms of convenient access rather than the same people having to make travel arrangements every time;

    – increased frequency of club activities – freed from the driving time and the expense of going to a resort club members can organize more frequent events and therefore enjoy more frequent socializing with their naturist/nudist friends;

    – comparative low cost – non-landed clubs are much more cost effective, with low annual membership dues and activity fees being either nominal or on the basis of cost-recovery;

    – increased security – just as the Bluenose Naturists have done in Nova Scotia, any non-landed club may choose to affiliate itself with the FCN in order to assure peace of mind to potential members looking for the same non-sexualized brand of social naturism / nudism found at FCN-affiliated landed resorts; and

    – increased flexibility – non-landed clubs can hold the kinds of activities that have the greatest appeal their members, and may hold more than one type of activity simultaneously, in more than one location.

Some examples of possible club activities are:  monthly get-togethers even when the weather outside isn’t ideal for naturism, backyard barbeques, potluck dinners, nude swim parties in private or rented pools,  sports parties such as Super Bowl or Stanley Cup, movie nights, beach parties, nude hiking, and nude camping.  Some clubs organize group vacation trips to foreign naturist venues.  If indications are correct, this sort of peripatetic naturism is in the ascendant while landed clubs are in decline.  The bottom line is that almost any normal human social activity that can be enjoyed while being clothed can also be enjoyed while naked.

I have talked to and corresponded with a number of New Brunswick naturists and some seem to think that organizing a non-landed club affiliated with the FCN would be a good idea.  At the same time many have fears of somehow being “outed” in the process.  There is no reason that this should be so.  Ongoing contact among members can be facilitated over the internet and true identities are not needed, nor is there any need for membership lists that can be accessed on-line.  Beyond the virtual world there is a need for actual social interaction in the physical world, and that is something that we already have on offer from at least one potential member.

So, that is Naturism Theory 101.  Is it time to move on to Studies in Practical Naturism 201?

Naturism 201

Naturism 201 – Studies in Practical Naturism within Atlantic Canada

Is it a good idea to have a non-landed FCN-affiliated naturist club within New Brunswick?  Opinions may vary but I consider that it is a good idea.  Why?  Because the legitimation of any social activity is always a numbers game.  The more people who are involved in any particular social activity, the more the activity is viewed as “normal” or, failing normal, “acceptable.”  Numbers matter.

The Calculus of Nudity

In general terms, as far as our textile-obsessed society is concerned, one naked guy seen in public is thought to be either a pervert or a nut job and in either case the police are summoned.  Two naked guys seen together are accounted “gay” and society treads more lightly for fear of being branded homophobic.  Three or more begins to seem more “normal” unless they are carrying guns or chainsaws.

One naked woman seem in public is thought to be either a slut or a nut job and in either case some consider her to be a target for harassment or worse.  Two naked women seen in public begin to acquire legitimacy and begin to lose the status of potential victims.  Three or more begins to seem “normal.”

One man and woman couple seen naked in public tends to inspire more envy than anything else.   Each member of the couple legitimizes the other.  Two or more such couples begins to look like “normal.”  A naked crowd, whether at a beach or engaged in a mass naked event such as the World Naked Bike Ride is seen by most people as legitimate or, at worst, non-threatening. 

Numbers matter.  With numbers comes legitimacy and where legitimacy goes safety usually follows.  Who knows, it might even lead to positive changes to the law!

All this is why I think that organizing a non-landed club is a worthwhile endeavour.  By being able to say to a politician or to parks authorities “Look, we have one/two/three hundred active members and that is likely far less than ten per cent of the active naturists in this city/province”  we acquire strength in numbers that is denied to each of us as individuals.  Strength in numbers is essential in lobbying for official toleration of clothing-optional land use.  How much better would it be if there were actual signs on Kellys or Long Beach saying “Official Clothing-Optional Beach”?

While waiting for that sort of official sanction the members of a non-landed club would be able to enjoy the advantages listed in Naturism 101, and probably many more that I haven’t thought of at the moment.

So think about it.  Acknowledge your convictions that the naked human body is neither obscene nor sinful.  Overcome your suspicions.  Conquer your apathy.
                                           

The Naturist Calendar

Bear in mind that the focus of this blog is naturism within the Province of New Brunswick in particular, and within the Atlantic Provinces in general.  The comments below reflect that fact, plus the peculiarities of our geography and its effects upon our climate.

World Naked Gardening Day

This is officially (as much as any naturist calendar observance is official) marked on the first Saturday of May. 

For those of us living on Canada’s Atlantic Coast this is not a good time for gardening.  Wet springs and late frosts being as common as they are here, we have a tradition of not conducting serious agricultural or horticultural activities until after the Victoria Day weekend. 

Unless you are celebrating WNGD by working in a heated greenhouse it is probably best to put it off for a few weekends.  If you are celebrating WNGD by working in a heated greenhouse let others know – many hands make light work.

Victoria Day

This day is marked on the last Monday before May 25 each year.

This is not a naturist holiday but the day set aside by Order in Council for the official celebration of the Sovereign’s birthday within Canada.  Here in New Brunswick it is also the traditional day for cottage owners to open up their summer homes, evict the bears and raccoons, and get ready for the summer.  For farmers, it is also the traditional last day for guilt-free fishing before they get down to the serious business of ploughing and planting.  

So, if you’re a cottager you are probably busy cleaning and if you’re a farmer you are trying not to be busy by going fishing.  The good news is that either activity can be done while naked.

New Brunswick Naked Gardening Day

The only sensible time to mark such a day would be the Saturday (or Sunday) following Victoria Day.  That way your tender fruits won’t suffer any damage.  If you are combining NB Naked Gardening Day with a barbecue for goodness sake wear an apron, that way you’ll survive undamaged for the next naturist holiday.

World Naked Bike Ride Day

The usual official day for the World Naked Bike Ride is the second Saturday in June. 
This date can be a good or a bad day depending on where you live.  With the growing number of WNBR events in countries such as the United Kingdom and Spain the actual date is becoming variable in order to allow riders to attend more that one event in a given year.  (Hurrah for common sense!)

Back here in NB, we don’t have a WNBR event of our own (see my post on that subject) so riders can travel to Halifax, Toronto or Montréal if they’re really keen on the plan.  (Try it for yourself;  it is a lot of fun.)  Both Halifax and Montréal hold their rides in July so the “official date” is more of a guideline than a rule.

Naked Hiking Day

Usually celebrated on June 21 on the Appalachian Trail, variable dates elsewhere.  See my post on this subject.  Really, any sunny day is a good day for naked hiking.  For that matter, any warm rainy day is also good for this purpose.  Why wait for an official day?

Summer Solstice

The actual date of the Summer Solstice varies from year to year between June 20 and 22. 
If you are an adherent of one of one of the more traditional religions: Druidism, Sol Invictus, Wicca . . . you are probably celebrating already.  For the rest of us it seems to me to be an ideal date for a naturist occasion.

Lady Godiva Day

July 10 is Lady Godiva Day.  Trust me, it is.  

Unlike Marianne (see below) Lady Godiva was an actual historical person who, according to legend, rode naked through the streets of Coventry, England in order to convince her husband to abolish an abusive tax he had levied.    The sole person to violate Godiva’s modesty was a chap named Tom, who was struck blind in divine retribution, thereby establishing beyond doubt God’s approval of innocent public nudity.  That is my belief and I am sticking with it. 

I consider that this event should make Lady Godiva the Patron Saint of Naturism, and that her Saint’s Day (July 10) should be suitably celebrated by naturists everywhere.  Your celebration need not include either an equestrian event or chocolate.

National Nude Day

This is a New Zealandish idea, one to which I object, to celebrate nudity on July 14.  Incroyable!  July 14 is Bastille Day!  Therefore, in honour of bare-breasted Marianne leading the Parisian mob to victory July 14 should be International Top-Freedom Day, at least throughout the member countries of the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie.  Since Canada and New Brunswick are members of la Francophonie it seems only fitting that we celebrate Bastille Day here by a display of solidarity for top-freedom.  

Top-Freedom Day / “Gwen Jacobs Day”

The precipitating event occurred in July 1991 but, since we already have at least two July dates to celebrate this one should be held in late August.

Back in the day Ms Jacobs was charged with committing an indecent act for appearing topless on a public street in Guelph, Ontario, a charge which, after a battle in Ontario courts, was dismissed.  So far, of all the provinces of Canada, only BC has explicitly recognized the validity of the Ontario ruling.  That means that the fight is not over.
 
Marking this day should not be about bare breasts, it should be against the abjectly ridiculous notion that a woman’s breasts are somehow obscene or indecent.  An event such as this should be like mother’s milk for naturists.

St John River Valley Naked Apple Picking Day

There isn’t an official day for this but there ought to be.

Apples are usually ripe for picking in the St John River valley from mid-August until mid-October and there is always a shortage of apple pickers.  What better way to celebrate the bounty of nature than by getting naked on an sunny autumn day and climbing up a ladder to pick apples?  If it catches on I’m going to lobby for a province-wide Naked Blueberry Picking Week too.

Naked Hiking Day

So the next major holiday on the naturist / nudist calendar is Naked Hiking Day, 21 June.  This isn't an international holiday but it should be.  The tradition started out among hikers on the USA's Appalachian Trail as a must do on the day of the Summer Solstice and has since spread to other places, or merged with similar traditions elsewhere.  Naked hiking is something that our ancestors used to do as a matter of course and as such should be a human right, but isn't.

 In Europe the "Naktiv" (naked and active) folks have built on this idea to create the NEWT -- the Naked European Walking Tour -- an annual event since 2005.  The NEWT doesn't take place on Summer Solstice but is a multi-day event usually happening later in the summer.

Naked hiking, also known as free hiking (as in "clothes free") and as free-range naturism (as in not cooped up) has an internet forum of its own and a great website built by the Scottish gurus of free range naturism.   Give them a look sometime, it just might inspire you.

Here in New Brunswick naked hiking has its own traditions.  The Fundy Footpath, which runs along the Fundy coast from the Fundy Trail and Parkway to Fundy National Park, was a known route for naked hikers with convenient (if chilly) beaches along the way.  The trail is challenging, narrow and at times vertiginous, sometimes closed in tightly by the forest and at other times offering spectacular vistas, and is by no means overpopulated with hikers.  I've hiked at least part of it each year for several years and on the two occasions when I hiked the entire route more than half of the other hikers I met were hiking naked.  And why not?  The Fundy Footpath is so remote that it certainly fulfills the legal definition of a place wherein privacy can reasonably be expected.  The same goes for the long walk on Kellys Beach at Kouchibouguac National Park.  There are many other places too.

One particular type of free hiking of which I'm personally fond is stream walking.   This is what you might expect, hiking naked in the wild using a stream as your pathway.  I'll do a separate post on stream walking sometime this summer.  In the meantime, don't throw away your favourite old, beat up running shoes.  Save them for stream walking.

If you're going to hike naked anywhere in New Brunswick make sure to take sun block and bug spray with you.  Hiking later in the summer (but before the start of hunting season is, in my opinion, the best time for it.  So your naked ramblings in the woods or back roads needn't be keyed to Naked Hiking Day.  Besides, Summer Solstice is such a busy time for adherents of the more traditional religions that you may not be able to fit both events into a single day.

Whatever day you go, whatever way you go, whatever path you choose, HAVE FUN!

World Naked Bike Ride

Today (the second Saturday in June) is the “official date” for all 2015 World Naked Bike Ride (WNBR) events within the northern hemisphere.  That date may vary somewhat due to considerations of weather or coordinating two or more different events that are close enough together that some riders might want to attend more than one. 

I consider that WNBR events are good for naturism.  Some other naturists disagree but I stand by my opinion.  Each event puts some tens, hundreds or even thousands of naked people in the streets of major cities, to be seen by all and sundry, and wonder of wonders, society does not collapse as a result.  There are no riots, no orgies and no displays of rampant lewd conduct.  Most onlookers are either bemused by the riders or supportive of them as evidenced by comments heard in passing.  At the end of the ride civil society remains intact.  It is in this annual setting of such a good example that the WNBR is good for naturism.

Yes, I’ve participated in the WNBR, at Montpelier VT and Montréal QC in years past.  Both of these rides were and are quite small events.  In Montpelier this is understandable, but Montréal?  Montréal could be huge, but it isn’t.

Maybe there is not so much of that joie de vivre as we have been led to believe.  Or maybe it is the lingering and reproachful influence of the Roman Catholic church.  Consider, according to the WNBR Wiki page  there will be three rides in Canada this year on the "official" date, Vancouver, Edmonton & Toronto, plus Halifax on 04 July and Montréal on 05 July, neither of which have updated their listings. Also this year there are (at least) seventeen WNBR events planned in Britain, three in Spain, four in Germany, several more elsewhere, but none in France.  Given the fact that Spain, which is by far a more conservative Roman Catholic country than France, has (at least) three rides scheduled for this year, it seems that the church is not the issue.  If not the church, then what?  

There are, it seems, some ethnic preferences or prejudices involved in this lack of WNBR events in areas inhabited by Francophones.  This observation seems to be born out by comments provided some years ago to a quick check of whether Moncton NB might be amenable to hosting such an event.  Although there has been neither an official question raised nor an official answer provided, the unofficial answer was "No."  I really have to wonder why this is so. 

Whatever the reason, Happy Anniversary to the World Naked Bike Ride.  May you have many more in the future.

Kellys Beach

New Brunswick’s only semi-official nudist beach

 






Kellys Beach, located within the boundaries of Kouchibouguac National Park is New Brunswick’s only semi-official nudist beach.  Yes, there are other beaches, more about them later.

What do you mean by semi-official?

I mean that there is no official written sanction from Parks Canada authorities to the effect that people can use the beach for nude recreation.  However, such use has been customary for at least the last thirty years or so and is more or less tolerated by park officials . . . sometimes more, sometimes less.  If you see Parks Canada staff marching down the beach towards you it is better to slip into a pair of shorts before they arrive.  Avoid confrontation.

How to get there . . .

Start off by going to Kouchibouguac National Park (KNP) on the province’s Northumberland Strait shore.  That is in Kent County off NB Hwy 11, about 110 kms north of Moncton or about 50 kms south of Miramichi.  There is no means of public transit so you’ll be arriving by car.

Once you get to KNP stop at the gate or park office and pay the necessary fee, then head for Kellys.  Follow the park’s internal signs.  It is about 11.5 kms from the office to the several parking lots at the beach.  There is a services centre at the landward end of the boardwalk leading to the dunes.  This is the time for that all-important restroom break as there are no facilities on the beach.

Take the boardwalk to the dunes (That's just about ½ km.) and you will arrive at the lifeguard station and the textile beach.  Turn RIGHT (south) and start walking.  After about half a kilometre, if there is nobody around, you can get naked – but keep walking southward and be prepared to cover up if you see a textile approaching, they have rights too.  After another five hundred metres (1200 steps is about 1000 metres) you’re probably good to stay naked but, just to be sure, keep walking until you are about 1500 metres south of the lifeguard station.  You are now in the unofficial nudist zone – hereinafter called the “N Zone.”

Are we there yet?  If you are unsure where you are on the beach walk up to the height of the dune and look landward.  If you can see a big cleared area on the landward shore that is Callander's Beach and you are about 1.5 kms from the boardwalk, "officially" well within the unofficial N Zone. 

Caveat . . . 

In the early part of the summer, from mid-June until mid-July some of the southerly part of Kellys used for nude recreation may be closed to allow undisturbed nesting by the Piping Plover, an endangered species.  It isn't supposed to be closed but sometimes the Parks guys get a little overzealous and erect their signs too far north.  Regardless, please obey the closure signs and give the birds their space.  If you are intending to visit KNP call ahead to find out if the beach is open and be specific in your questions or you might arrive and find out that only the textile beach is open.  (It seems that piping plovers never attempt to nest on the textile beach.  Yeah, right!)    

Kellys Beach . . .

The beach is part of the barrier dune system at Kouchibouguac.  There are three main dunes in this system: Kouchibouguac North, Kouchibouguac South and Richibucto North.   Kellys is located on Kouchibouguac South dune and is the only dune with access by walking. 

The dune is a mixture of white and tan sands, both coarse and fine on the seaward side, Marram grass and a varieties of herbs and low-growing shrubs on the landward side.  The beach is separated from the heath by a low escarpment.  There are nearly eight kilometres of beach at Kellys, six of them within the N Zone, so you don’t have to just lay in the sun and broil – go for a walk.

The water off Kellys is shallow with a sandy bottom.  Of course it is warmer later in the year but it is tolerable in late June so long as the weather has been warm and sunny so the water can warm up somewhat.

Within the N Zone you will likely see a succession of sangars or low stockades built from driftwood, lost fishing floats and other flotsam.  These have been built by other naturists for windbreaks or just for something to do.  Feel free to occupy any that are vacant.

Within the N Zone you may get some textiles walking by to see the sights, both natural and naturist.  Some of them are genuinely curious about naturism and want to talk about it, but can’t work up the courage to get naked.  If you are truly a naturist it shouldn’t bother you to be seen naked, right?  But if they are hauling along a troupe of kiddies it would be best to cover up, just in case.  Act naturally, and please be a good ambassador for naturism.

What to bring . . .

Bring something for shade (beach umbrella or pop-up sun shade) because there is absolutely no shade on Kellys Beach.  If you have a good quality beach umbrella (such as a SportBrella) it is also handy as a windbreak.  Bring something to sit on (a beach chair) or lie out on (blanket or towel).   Drinking water (lots of it) is essential, as are sunscreen and insect repellant (Muskol works for some of them, Piactive is MUCH BETTER).  The insect repellant is a must as KNP has a lot of bog land and Kellys has both black "sand" flies and the dreaded green-headed marsh flies.  The Muskol will keep some of these pests at bay but bring along a fly swatter too, because a little revenge is a good thing for the soul.  Experience has shown that a liberal application of baby oil on your legs seems to work best for keeping the sand flies from biting.

Trash . . .

Please pack out everything that you brought with you, including cigarette butts.  While you’re at it, be a good sport and gather up any litter that the tides have brought to land and pack that out too.  There are trash bins at the lifeguard station.

Have a great day at the beach!

Just to get the ball rolling . . .

Yes, it’s yet another blogsite. 

What have we here?

We have a blog that has been created for the purpose of promoting the naturist lifestyle within the Province of New Brunswick.  That is our immediate purpose.  Our short term goal is the creation of a actual club or association of naturists within New Brunswick (and those areas that are immediately adjacent to NB) in the form of a non-landed club within the parlance of the Federation of Canadian Naturists.

This blogsite is not the first attempt to do promote naturism in New Brunswick.  A couple of naturist venues have come and gone over the years:  Maritans, back in the 1960s-70s, and Simply Naturist Retreat in the 2000s.  An information website for “N.B. Bares” already exists  but there has not been much response to it. 

As a result, a Facebook page for the “New Brunswick Naturist Club (NBNC)” was created and has gathered in a number of interested people.  However, for understandable reasons, some people who are naturists wish to keep a fairly low profile on the internet.  To do this they have opted to use aliases for posting to Facebook and other sites.  Ongoing Facebook campaigns against alias accounts is thinning the numbers of pages and members, and creating problems for users.  

So, why a blog for New Brunswick naturists?  For the reasons stated above.  The website didn’t work out all that well and some Facebook groups are under attack by the Facebook morality commandos.  This blogsite has been created as a means by which those interested in naturism within New Brunswick can communicate without having to suffer attacks from the Facebook police or from nosey relatives or cow-orkers. 

About naturism . . .

What is naturism?  There are several very long answers to that question and a few very short ones as well.  Taken together, two of these two quips come very close to being an executive summary of my own definition of naturism:

• A nudist is a person who likes to be naked; a naturist is a nudist who knows why s/he likes to be naked; and
•  Naturism is nudism within a non-sexualized social environment.

In other words, naturism is a social phenomenon, not a solitary pursuit.  There will be more said about this in postings to follow.

About comments . . .

I will be looking over all new comments on an almost daily basis.

•   Please keep your comments relevant . . . anything that isn’t related to naturist activities or venues within New Brunswick, Nova Scotia or PEI is liable to be deleted.  There are lots of other sites for other regions, activities and purposes. 
•  Please keep your comments clean . . . the use of profanity serves no good purpose for anyone.  If you can’t make your point without using bad language then don’t comment here.
•  Please keep your comments civil . . . any resort to personal attacks or the casting of aspersions on individuals on the basis of race, sex, religion, ethnicity or sexual orientation will be deleted. 

And another thing or two . . . 

I welcome all current members of the "NB Naturist Club" Facebook page to join me here.  Please feel free to sign in here and still use your FB account.  But it may only be a matter of time before we find that FB page closed down.  I thought it best to set up here in advance.

I am  new to this blogsite platform so there may be changes as we go along.  Please bear with me.

Notification of any factual errors, spelling mistakes or poor grammar will be appreciated.