This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2009, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Hagerstown, Md . » Every year on the first day of summer, a few outdoor enthusiasts nationwide expose virtually all of themselves to insects, scrapes and thorns for the pleasure of bonding with nature au naturel.
They call it Naked Hiking Day.
"There's no way to explain it until you experience it," said Andrew Williams, 28, a machinist from Warren, Pa., who first hiked naked six or seven years ago. "It's not about being lewd and crude and all that. It's just enjoyment."
This year, the summer solstice falls on a weekend -- Sunday. Father's Day.
Hikers who prefer clothes are not happy.
Rangers and police warn that people caught outdoors in the altogether could be charged with indecent exposure. Managers of the Appalachian Trail, where the tradition is sometimes observed by those trekking from Georgia to Maine, also discourage nudity.
"It's just rude," said Brian King, spokesman for the Appalachian Trail Conservancy in Harpers Ferry, W.Va. "People are out there hiking with their kids and families, and there are Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts."
Law enforcement authorities say they see so few nude hikers, even on Naked Hiking Day, that they don't consider it a big problem.
Nude hiking is a European tradition, too. Voters in Appenzell, Switzerland, passed legislation in April banning naked hiking after dozens of mostly German tourists started ambling through their region wearing only hiking boots and socks.