David Smith's Nudism Page
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Yes, I am a nudist. If you think that that's weird, then I disagree, and I urge you to see the next section. I have visited a few nudist resorts, and quite enjoyed myself, and I have been skinny-dipping in a lake once. I also own a couple of Yahoo! groups -- Ohio [USA] Nudism and First Generation Nudists. Although I am known as therealbirdin on most Yahoo! groups, the nudism-related groups know me as thenudebirdin.
Nudism, also called naturism, is about the natural feeling and health benefits of being nude. It has nothing to do with sex. Most true nudists have a good sense of family values, and in fact there are nudist families with small children. To put it another way, there are times when clothing is required. There are also times when nudity is required. For the times in between, it is a personal choice. Nudists are normal people who choose to be nude when others choose to wear clothing. For more information, please follow the links at the bottom of the page.
Around the age of 12 or 13, a couple of things happened that didn't really have much to do with each other, but were both important towards realizing that I am a nudist: | |
One day, when I was getting ready to get into the shower, there was the slight realization that I was suddenly more comfortable since I had taken off my clothes. After that, I always made sure that the first thing I did in the bathroom before I showered was to get nude, and then I always made sure that getting dressed was put off as long as possible afterwards. Soon after, I realized that I was also more comfortable sleeping nude. Since I shared the room with my older brother, I got into the habit of getting into bed wearing my briefs, then taking them off under the blankets and keeping them under my pillow, to be put on before getting out of bed in the morning. As a few years went by, I began to think about how I would jump at the chance to live my life nude if everything else was the same. I began to think about the ethical justifications: that if more people were nude in public, there might be less dishonesty, more trust, and fewer people with sexual-psychological disorders. |
One afternoon, I was for some reason browsing through the recycle bin on my dad's computer, and I found some interesting images. The first was a woman on a boat. I thought to myself, "nice picture." Then the next one was a woman at the end of a hallway or something, totally nude! I looked back at the first picture, and the woman was topless -- I didn't even notice the first time! The more I saw, the more I wanted to see. I realized that this was porn, and I knew I liked it, but I didn't know exactly why. I just sort of assumed that I liked it because guys are supposed to like pictures of naked women. When I started looking for more porn on the internet, it was pretty easy to get around some of the password-protected sites, but some of the images I found I didn't like -- too complicated. What I really wanted was clean nude pictures. Well, as years went by, websites became better-protected against my amature style of hacking, so free porn was very difficult to come by. I therefore resorted to old issues of National Geographic. However, it wasn't long before I figured out why I really liked the pictures. When I saw a picture of some native kids playing nude in the Amazon River, I realized that I envied their nudity-tolerant upbringing. I realized that when I saw a picture of a naked person, I was primarily excited because I wished to be nude myself. |
The two sides of things converged when I was 17. I thought to myself that I would like to be nude when possible, while still realizing that it was necessary to be clothed sometimes -- or in my case, nearly all the time. I was aware that nudity and sex were separate and I believed that more people need to make the same separation. During a visit to my school library, I began seeking information about nudism, not quite knowing what it is. One encyclopedia -- the Encyclopedia Americana -- gave a very good description and history of nudism, and that is when I first figured out that I am a nudist. Soon afterwards, I began seeking advice on the Internet, found Cheri's Yahoo! group and NetNude, and began building confidence to tell my parents. By the time I turned 18, both parents knew about my interest and didn't have a problem with it, as long as I kept out of site while nude. They even let me borrow the car to visit nudist resorts over the summer. On my first trip, I had overslept and left in such a hurry that my brothers started asking questions. Apparently my mom told them I am a nudist in my absence, though I wasn't gone long. Paradise Gardens had turned me away at the gate. A month later, however, I tried again, at Cedar Trails. That trip confirmed that nudism is a lifestyle worth persuing. | |
Note: These reports are copyrighted under United States -- and probably international -- copyright laws. However, since I attempt to maintain anonymity on this website, and because I don't stand to lose anything, these location reports may be freely copied and published within the context of nudism/naturism. If you want to use these reports for your naturist publication or website, please do so, but include the URL of this website if you can.
My first official resort visit was at CTNR. Technically, my first visit was at Paradise Gardens, but I was only there for 15 minutes - they wouldn't let me in because I was only 18. Anyway, 2nd weekend of July 2002 I decided to try again, but this time at Cedar Trails. I got there early, and the first thing I tried was the pool. The temperature was perfect; not so cold that you freeze when you get in, yet not so warm that you freeze when you get out. After that, I tried hiking, but was attacked repeatedly by flies. Besides, I'm not that much into hiking anyway. Turns out that something in the pool water attracted the flies, and I hadn't rinsed off in the shower.
As the morining went on, more people arrived - I had just by chance chosen a weekend when two non-landed clubs were visiting. There was a rinky-dink golf kart parade, and then one of the clubs had a pot-luck lunch. Since I had neglected to bring my own food, I paid a contribution and ate with them.
After lunch, I decided that I would spend the night, so I set up my tent and put my stuff there, including my towel. After that, I joined a volleyball game. The game ran long - 19 all - until it began to rain hard. I took refuge in the pool and was glad that my towel was dry in my tent.
That evening, CTNR had a 5-dollar dinner. I can't comment on the cooking, because I don't eat most kinds of meats, but the other items were good. Also, there was ice cream for dessert.
After dinner, the sun brike through the clouds, so I tried to get tanned until the sun set. Later was Monte Carlo, a little mock-casino event. I didn't participate, but instead talked a little bit with the kids who were there. It seems that most of them never really wanted to be there, but were dragged along by their parents, but by the end of the day they were enjoying themselves. In fact, I remember earlier two kids asking their mom if they could stay another day.
The next morning, I swam in the pool again for a bit and packed up. By the time I got back home, I found myself a little depressed. Some of it was my own personal baggage issues, but part of it was simply withdrawal from the social nudity. I am certain that I will revisit Cedar Trails again soon.
A 90-minute drive from Columbus will get you to Bare Valley, nicely situated in the Hocking Hills of Ohio. Bare valley does not have a great array of facilities, but there is enough for a fun weekend. Most notable about Bare Valley is probably the hiking trails, well maintained and secluded. The trails lead through a few hills and valleys on property adjacent to Wayne National Forest. There is also a rather large hot tub, but that has taken second place this season to the new swimming pool. The pool is very nice; temperature moderated at just the right level, and at night there is a rather enjoyable fiber-optic lighting system which changes colors.
Besides the permanent facilities, there is a small cleared area that seems to be used solely for volleyball - I did play a few games - and plenty of space for tent and trailer camping. On a final note, the staff and owners were very nice and were glad to provide an enjoyable weekend to their visitors.
White Thorn Lodge is well situated if you live in the Cleveland-Pittsburgh corridor; I had to drive for 4 hours, but it was worth it for Superbowl XXXII. Four days and three nights are well worth the $30 and the 400-mile-round-trip drive from Columbus, especially at Volleyball Superbowl.
The first thing to get my attention was the sheer number of people there - and I arrived on Thursday. People didn't really start to arrive until the next day. Anyway, I spent most of the afternoon and evening on Thursday in the pool, as I would for much of the event.
Speaking of the pool, White Thorn's facilities are plentiful and in excellent condition. There is of course the pool, hot tub, sauna, several showers, shuffle board, bocce ball, and -- last but not least -- the volleyball courts, on asphalt, sand, and grass. Also, families with small children will be glad to know that the playground facilities are better than I ever had growing up.
Friday night I was in the World's Longest Nude Conga Line, where I got this ticket. I think it was to get me into the awards ceremony for last year's winning volleyball teams, but i skipped out. Later, I got drafted into playing for our club's team as a sub. However, I wound up starting in every game. Saturday was the "regular season" day - our team had a record of 2 and 5 in the Novice League. On Superbowl Sunday, we were in the "playoffs" - playing another team for a spot in the Field of 16 for that court. We were eliminated. Oh well, more time for me in the pool.
I would have been able to stay until noon on Monday, but my traveling companion needed to get home that night. As we left, we saw the total number of registered guests for the weekend: nearly 1800 -- I forget the actual number -- plus dozens of unregistered kids. I will end this report on a final note: SUPERBOWL ROCKS!
I have personal knowledge of an upcoming Star Trek novel in which Captain Picard and crew encounter a nudist colony planet. Hopefully, this may bring understanding of nudism to at least a small part of mainstream society. I have heard this directly from the author; while I forget her name, she appears on the NetNude chat room as Dottie. Actual publication of the novel will be at the discretion of Ballantine Books when the novel is finished.
I was recently interviewed by a Columbus Dispatch reporter for an article about nudism in Central Ohio. The article was printed on Sunday, September 29, 2002 on page C3 -- a full 1/3-page article with a picture. Here is an online version I saved from the Dispatch website.
A neighbor of mine here at Ohio State has written a report on nudism for her sociology class. I was interviewed for the paper, for which my neighbor received an A grade. [Read the interview] [Read the report]
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American Association for Nude Recreation |
| 205 Arguments in Support of Nudism | |
| Naturist Action Committee | |
| Naturist Education Foundation | |
| NetNude | |
| Nudist Explorer | |
| Cheef.com | |
| INA | |
| Kristin on the Web |