skinny-dipping in the Adirondacks

naturist 0001 Potholers, Adirondacks, New York, USA

The Adirondacks are great for hiking and kayaking, but even relaxing by a creek may turn out very special there, as it happened to us at the so-called Potholers on the East Canada Creek. One of the reasons was that it was secluded enough to have the spot to ourselves most of the time, so we stayed comfortably naked.

naturist 0000 Potholers, Adirondacks, New York, USA

Upstream from where we stayed, the creek was deep enough for swimming.

naturist 0010 Potholers, Adirondacks, New York, USA

Downstream were the rocks, flat and comfortable – you can’t ask for a better way of relaxation than chilling outdoors with the sound of running water.

naturist 0011 Potholers, Adirondacks, New York, USA

Well, maybe if you get in that running water for a shoulder massage!

naturist 0004 Potholers, Adirondacks, New York, USA

Some of the “potholes” create perfect natural bathtubs, where you could sit with the water flowing over your shoulders and massaging you! And the temperature of the water was (in July) just perfect – refreshing but not chilling.

naturist 0007 Potholers, Adirondacks, New York, USA

It was also nice to go behind that water wall and close yourself from the outer world for a moment.

naturist 0003 Potholers, Adirondacks, New York, USA

Of course you could still see through, even though quite distorted. But there were some very peculiar things to observe indeed!

Check out this video:

We are pretty sure this behavior has never been seen (or at least recorded) before, and we still don’t know its meaning. What is it?

Maybe that is what happens when naturists become naturalists and artists at the some time 🙂

On that trip, we also visited the G-lake. It was great for swimming, but while bushwalking around it, one of us got stung by wild bees!

naturist view 0000 G Lake, Adirondacks, New York, USA

And not to make you completely against the idea of visiting this lake, we also saw a leech there. But it was actually a pretty sight, because it swam gracefully at the surface and was brightly colored – green with orange spots; so I actually regretted I didn’t have my camera at that moment. Well, but at least we were lucky to record the elusive Homo tritonii at the Potholers!

Nakation at Guysers in Rotorua, New Zealand

Preamble: Sorry for not having blogged much lately (despite having lots of materials, as always), but here’s our New Year’s treat, a guest entry about ‘nakation’ (naked vacation) at a clothing-optional bed&breakfast with lots of options for outdoor activities in New Zealand, a country that welcomes New Year among the very first 😉 Happy Nude Year!

Peter and Mike are owners of a men’s clothing optional bed and breakfast in Rotorua, New Zealand called Guysers Gaystay. In 2009 they met each other in Wellington at a ‘men’s symposium group’ which was a group of about 20 guys who would meet for naked pot luck dinners once a month.

Peter and Mike have a lot in common – they both have a love of travel, in particular to Bali and all things Balinese, and a love of naturism and entertaining. Mike’s skills lie in hospitality after working in major hotels and Peter’s skills lie in graphic design, interior decors and gardening. These skills combined proved to be the perfect mix to own a bed and breakfast catering specifically for the gay male naturist (or guys who occasionally like to hang out nude with other men if they are unable to do so in their own lives).

naturist 0005  Guysers Gaystay, Rotorua, New Zealand

Guysers Gaystay B&B is clothing optional and while not all guests choose to go naked, most do, even if its just in the spa pool. Some guests have never tried nudism in a social sense before, but once they give it a go feel very comfortable with it. Men who appear quite shy at first about sitting in the lounge naked or nude sunbathing outdoors with other men quickly become at ease and wonder after an hour or two what all the nerves were about!

guysers-spa

Thus Guysers Gaystay B&B, with its stylish and well-appointed rooms, private outdoor area and spa pool is a great starting point for male nudists to the district of Rotorua, which is a major tourist town in New Zealand offering amazing geothermal parks, lakes, rivers and forests as well as a multitude of recreation, sightseeing, adventure activities and Maori cultural experiences. Beautiful nature walks with amazing scenery are just a short drive away.

naturist 0003  Guysers Gaystay, Rotorua, New Zealand

The geothermal area of Rotorua and surrounds offer some amazing and unique bathing experiences, such as Kerosene Creek

naturist 0002  Guysers Gaystay, Rotorua, New Zealand

and the streams and waterfalls at Wai-O-Tapu – all of which are flowing with hot mineral-enriched thermal water.

naturist 0000  Guysers Gaystay, Rotorua, New Zealand

Unique thermal waterfall provides a hot shower with a great shoulder massage!

While these rivers attract a number of visitors during the day, because they are not commercialised and are very natural, nude bathing is possible here and is quite accepted even amongst those that choose to wear textiles. (But like any nude activity in a public place, discretion and common sense is required).

Exploring some of the lakes in the district it is possible to find secluded bays which are perfect for a naked sunbathe or picnic. One bay in particular is on the northern side of Lake Rotoma located 30 minutes from Rotorua City and then by travelling on an unsealed road for about 6kms (hence its seclusion).

naturist 0004  Guysers Gaystay, Rotorua, New Zealand

Rotorua is located inland about 1 hour drive from the nearest coastline, but it’s certainly worth visiting local beaches! The beach at Papamoa near Tauranga is probably the most recognised nude beach in the Bay of Plenty and the NZ Naturist Federation Sun Clubs of Katikati and Rotota about equal distance from Rotorua (these sun clubs offer day visits for non-members, men and women).

naturist 0001  Guysers Gaystay, Rotorua, New Zealand

There are also some Department of Conservation walkways in the Rotorua region where nude hiking is possible. Usually cars in the carpark at the start of any of these walkways is an indication as to whether people are using the tracks. If yours is the only car there chances are you will be the only ones there and so it should be fine to embark on a naked hike.

If you would like to know more about Guysers Gaystay B&B or any information about Rotorua or naturism in New Zealand in general feel free to contact Peter or Mike by e-mail.

Garden of Eden trail in Iao valley, Maui

naturist 0000 Iao valley, Maui, Hawaii, USA

How do you top an adventurous trail with four waterfalls that I described in my previous blogpost? Perhaps a trail filled with tropical fruit trees and breath-taking views will do! Just such a trail goes through Iao Valley in the western part of Maui.

Iao needle 0000 Iao valley, Maui, Hawaii, USA

This is actually a popular spot for mass tourism thanks to easy access to the view of Iao Needle rock formation, but hardly any visitors go on the trail behind the viewing platform. That’s where it gets only more interesting. Of course, I took off my clothes to enjoy the nice weather – combination of warm humid air and fresh breeze – and feel at home in the lush forest.

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The view of the lush forested valley with dark vertical walls of mountains partially hidden in white clouds is exactly what you would imagine when asked to think of ‘magnificent beauty of nature’.

The trail was very easy, with a moderate incline.

trail Iao needle 0001 Iao valley, Maui, Hawaii, USA

To add some more exercises to our hiking, we climbed  a tree.

naturist  0001 Iao valley, Maui, Hawaii, USA

At first it looked like an easy tree to climb but we didn’t go much further than the lower branches.

naturist  0000 Iao valley, Maui, Hawaii, USA

But trees provided much more than shade and climbing opportunities.

guava tree 0000 Iao valley, Maui, Hawaii, USA

Guavas were probably the most common tree along the trail, and they were full of fruit!

naturist  0002 Iao valley, Maui, Hawaii, USA

That’s why I felt like Adam in the Garden of Eden! Perhaps I did not find the Tree of Knowledge, but I felt perfectly comfortable in the buff there and had no reason for shame. Quite on contrary, it was a pure bliss to walk around naked in the perfect temperature and eat all those fruits.

banana 0000 Iao valley, Maui, Hawaii, USA

Bananas weren’t ripe, but guavas were in prime condition. Besides guavas with yellow skin and pink flash, there were smaller but even tastier strawberry guavas.

strawberry guava 0000 Iao valley, Maui, Hawaii, USA

There weren’t any strawberries proper, but some kind of raspberry was abundant in one spot.

raspberry 0000 Iao valley, Maui, Hawaii, USA

Then I saw a passionfruit vine with a few green fruits,

passionfruit 0000 Iao valley, Maui, Hawaii, USA

but luckily there was a perfectly ripe giant passionfruit lying on the soil beneath!

passionfruit 0001 Iao valley, Maui, Hawaii, USA

By then, I wasn’t surprised to see coffee trees with ripe coffee beans (more like coffee berries). Raw (not fermented and not roasted) they tasted nothing like coffee, but it was interesting to try them just like that.

coffee 0000 Iao valley, Maui, Hawaii, USA

I guess to make my ‘inner monkey’ totally happy I had to eat some leaves too. And my local companion pointed to a young unrolled fern leaf. While still in the ball, they are edible and quite tender!

fern 0001 Iao valley, Maui, Hawaii, USA

And there were plenty of ferns!

view 0003 Iao valley, Maui, Hawaii, USA

When we got to the highest point on the trail, we enjoyed amazing views again.

view 0004 Iao valley, Maui, Hawaii, USA

Waterfalls,

view banana thicket 0000 Iao valley, Maui, Hawaii, USA

forest with banana thickets

view

surrounded by mountains, what else would we need?

naturist  0003 Iao valley, Maui, Hawaii, USA

Maybe a nice branch to seat on and enjoy the view? By the way, “Filium hominis” (son of man) was carved on that branch. Not sure what I felt more, a son of man Adam or son of monkey, but I definitely felt happily connected with nature on that day 😉

naturist  0004 Iao valley, Maui, Hawaii, USA

trail through a bamboo forest with 4 waterfalls, welcome to Maui!

On my very short trip to Maui, I had to be very selective as to what to visit from the wide range of adventures and fun that this island could offer. A rough trail through a bamboo forest with four waterfalls sounded too good to miss out. It’s a short trail (just 1km) that goes along Na’ili’ili-haele stream, but it is rightfully located in the adventures section of “Maui Revealed: the Ultimate Guidebook“, where I first heard about it. I was lucky to find an adventurous couchsurfer in Maui, who knew the island well but not that trail and was up for checking it out. So, we headed there almost straight away after he picked me up from the airport.

There are a few narrow trails that start off Hana highway, and they immediately bring you into a dense bamboo forest.

naturist 0000 Na'ili'ili-haele, Maui, Hawaii, USA

The guidebook said that few people went beyond the second waterfall, but it wasn’t crowded in the beginning either and I couldn’t wait to get naked in that warm and humid weather. Bamboos greeted us with a pleasant noise when the wind made them move and hit each other.

bamboo forest 0002 Na'ili'ili-haele, Maui, Hawaii, USA

Depending on the rainfall, I assume there may be more springs,

bamboo forest 0001 Na'ili'ili-haele, Maui, Hawaii, USA

but once you cross the main stream, turn left and walk on its right side upstream.

bamboo forest 0003 Na'ili'ili-haele, Maui, Hawaii, USA

At the first waterfall, you need to cross to the opposite (left) bank of the stream.

bamboo forest & waterfall 0000 Na'ili'ili-haele, Maui, Hawaii, USA

At the second waterfall, there were quite a few people, so I put on my clothes back. We found a ladder to the left of the waterfall that wasn’t described in the guidebook (I had 2005 edition) – it definitely made it easier to climb the rock, but use it on your own risk.

trail 0000 Na'ili'ili-haele, Maui, Hawaii, USA

While climbing that shabby ladder, I continued to admire the diverse plant life of this place. I could see 4 fern species within my hand reach (but the hand had to reach out for the rope!)

ferns 0000 Na'ili'ili-haele, Maui, Hawaii, USA

When we got up and walked just a little farther, we saw a very different kind of fern, a tree fern that was truly majestic.

naturist 0001 Na'ili'ili-haele, Maui, Hawaii, USA

As you can see, I got naked again. It started drizzling but was still very warm.

forest 0000 Na'ili'ili-haele, Maui, Hawaii, USA

That stretch of the trail goes through a more open area no longer dominated by bamboos. There were a lot of guava trees full of ripe fruit, so we didn’t need to worry about snack 😉

guava 0000 Na'ili'ili-haele, Maui, Hawaii, USA

Another edible plant growing in abundance there is ginger.

ginger 0000 Na'ili'ili-haele, Maui, Hawaii, USA

As much as I love ginger, it’s not the kind of thing I would eat just like that.

ginger 0001 Na'ili'ili-haele, Maui, Hawaii, USA

About 15 minutes after the second waterfall, the stream’s valley narrows and the trail actually disappears… Now, you have to swim to see the next waterfalls! That’s when a waterproof bag gets handy – I used it for my camera, and hid my shorts just under a tree.

naturist 0003 Na'ili'ili-haele, Maui, Hawaii, USA

After swimming about half-Olympic-size pool,

naturist 0004 Na'ili'ili-haele, Maui, Hawaii, USA

you get to boulder along the third waterfall, but it’s an easy climb.

naturist 0006 Na'ili'ili-haele, Maui, Hawaii, USA

And, just a short walk later, you are at the fourth and the most impressive waterfall so far!

waterfall 0000 Na'ili'ili-haele, Maui, Hawaii, USA

The pool is surrounded by almost vertical cliffs which create a very pretty scene.

waterfall 0001 Na'ili'ili-haele, Maui, Hawaii, USA

We met a couple there who didn’t even blink at my nakedness. I hope they took a mental note that being naked was a good idea on a hot day on a trail where you have to swim 😉 The guy went for a dive from the cliffs, and then I followed.

naturist 0002 Na'ili'ili-haele, Maui, Hawaii, USA

That was a perfect reward for the strenuous hike!

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The guidebook said there were more waterfalls, but they were “not possible” to reach. We did not have time to test that and headed back down.

naturist 0008 Na'ili'ili-haele, Maui, Hawaii, USA

At the third pool, we had another chance for a dive.

naturist 0005 Na'ili'ili-haele, Maui, Hawaii, USA

As the sun came out, I was shining with happiness 🙂

naturist 0007 Na'ili'ili-haele, Maui, Hawaii, USA

On the way back, as it often happens, the trail felt much shorter.

naturist 0009 Na'ili'ili-haele, Maui, Hawaii, USA

Almost at the trailhead, we discovered a viewing spot that we just missed in the beginning.

bamboo forest 0000 Na'ili'ili-haele, Maui, Hawaii, USA

It provided a magnificent view over the whole bamboo forest, and it was a perfect way to end our hike.

hiking to the Tenant Creek Falls in Adirondacks

naturist 0000 Adirondack, NY, USA

Sorry for having been quiet for the entire month of November, but hopefully we’ll be more active at blogging this month. Luckily, there’s never a shortage of what to post, just the lack of time. After writing about the hike in Mohonk Preserve in New York, I thought I should add a couple more stories from Upstate this summer. My friend Miguel, an avid naturist himself, connected me with his buddy Teddy, who seemed to know the southern portion of the Adirondack Park well. So, after a couple of weeks planning, I was on the train from [former] New Amsterdam to Amsterdam, NY.

Tenant Creek Falls 0000 Adirondack, NY, USA

Teddy brought me to his favorite hiking trail along the Tenant Creek.

naturist 0001 Adirondack, NY, USA

There are three waterfalls, but most people don’t go beyond the first one. We had the third waterfall all to ourselves!

Tenant Creek Falls 0001 Adirondack, NY, USA

The hike took us about an hour, but as we started pretty late, we had just an hour of sunlight left to set up a camp and go skinny-dipping.

naturist 0005 Adirondack, NY, USA

It was easy to find a spot for out tent, but the place is certainly not mean for a lot of campers, so we were lucky to not have any neighbors. The sound of the waterfall was a perfect accompaniment for otherwise quiet night!

Next day, we went to explore the forest around, and it was so worth it. Butterflies and flowers greeted us, and we had some hand-picked blackberries for breakfast :p

butterflies 0000 Adirondack, NY, USAbutterflies 0001 Adirondack, NY, USA

… and then I saw a coyote! He definitely saw me too, and even let me to take a picture of him,

coyote 0000 Adirondack, NY, USA

though by the time I focused well, he was scared by Teddy getting out of blackberry bushes and ran away.

coyote 0001 Adirondack, NY, USA

But even so, it was a big luck to have seen a coyote in New York state!

After walking in the sun, it was nice to come back to our camp and enjoy skinny-dipping.

naturist 0007 Adirondack, NY, USA

In the waterfall, there was even a deepening that looked like a perfect bathtub, but the water was too cold to really sit there for a while.

naturist 0002 Adirondack, NY, USA

We could swim in the pond below, however.

naturist 0006 Adirondack, NY, USA

On the way back, we saw these amazing colorful mushrooms.

mushrooms 0000 Adirondack, NY, USAmushrooms 0001 Adirondack, NY, USA

Near the first waterfall, Teddy knew a tree that grew right on top of the rock with its roots twisting down. It was almost the point to put our clothes on, because there might be more people coming, but we couldn’t resist snapping a couple of photos.

naturist 0010 Adirondack, NY, USA

What a great place to enjoy the beauty of the forest and meditate.

naturist 0011 Adirondack, NY, USA

This toad seemed to do the same, and lucky him, nobody would make a fuss for him being naked!

toad 0000 Adirondack, NY, USA