Reader comments
Nude Utah hiker faces indecent-exposure charge

157 comments   |   Read story

observer | 9:14 a.m. May 8, 2008
We needed a funny story like this to break up all the horror in the news. I will say this...I work in a field where I see a lot of naked people, and it's made me realize that virtually EVERYONE looks better with clothes on.
Really... | 9:14 a.m. May 8, 2008
So it's okay for a women to display her breasts to everyone in public, in the name of "feeding her child," but it's not okay for some dude to hide out in the middle of nowhere naked? Urinating is just as "natural" as feeding a baby... so why is it not okay for guys to urinate in front of everyone? Because no one wants to see it, but those looking for it!!! I'm sick to death of the double standard.
same guy | 9:16 a.m. May 8, 2008
I was delighted to see this article. I live in St. George and a few years ago I was running on a trail in the desert. I looked ahead of me several hundred yards and I saw someone appproaching. As we drew closer, I was wondering what he was wearing, but when we passed each other, I saw he was naked except for some shoes and a smile. An older guy with leathery skin. I have to think this is the same guy. I was too surprised to say anything.

I've thought about this incident many times. It's a good story to tell. But since this trail is within city limits, and the trail in Sedona is probably within city limits, I don't think one should be allowed to hike nude. I travel to Sedona three or four times a year and most of these trails are flooded with Vortex seekers and families with kids. You cannot expect solitude on these trails, so I think this guy has to respect other people. There comes a point where the right to do something comes head to head with the right for other people not to have you do something.
Comments continue below
Nudist %'s make me chuckle. | 9:17 a.m. May 8, 2008
I don't doubt they are accurate. In my experience seeing a few of the nudist camps in utah. They have to be about as unturned on as the rest of us with the long stringy dirty hair and the granola look. Why is it always the people you don't want to see nude that insist on being nude. ewwwww. As for the divorce rate fact. Most of them are not married. Remember they prefer an alternative lifestyle( which is code for everything that most christian societies call sin) So, the divorce rate statitic is laughable.
just me | 9:23 a.m. May 8, 2008
There have been some good thoughts expressed here (and some I think are nothing short of laughable). If, as reported, the gentleman in question was approaching women while nude on a trail, I'm not sure what he was thinking, but it doesn't strike me as very smart, and it does make me question his intentions.

However, and more generally, I think Utah LDS nudist (do I know you? ;) thoughts' are tracking quite closely along with mine. The real perversion involved here is with those who think that clothing magically changes something - it doesn't. It's what's going on inside our heads that matters. When I consider that some can see only perversion in a body, I'm scared by what must be going on in THEIR heads, and that's something I'd rather not be "exposed to".

I couldn't care less what somebody was or wasn't wearing on a trail while just minding their own business. Neither the idea nor the sight would trigger any perverted thoughts in me whatsoever.
Big Foot | 9:25 a.m. May 8, 2008
Whats becoming of our woods when we can't even take a daily hike, and then we must witness someone who wishes to de-robe, de-garb or de-clothe themselves in the woods. NOW, I completely understand the BIG FOOT MYSTERY. He's just a big hairy guy who likes to takes a stroll through the forest, in the nude, to scare people. There should be laws!
to comfortable: | 9:26 a.m. May 8, 2008
it is My opinion - yes opinion- that God showed them how to get dressed once they understood that they were "naked"- that way as they fell from the Garden of Eden to our worldly state they wouldn't get hurt from the thorns and pricklies that they now had to labor through.
Hope that made sense.
Just me | 9:37 a.m. May 8, 2008
"So, the divorce rate statitic is laughable"

And the result of an actual study, rather than just an individual's conjecture apparently from the outside looking in (there are no established nudist camps in Utah). It's curious what can be "laughable" sometimes. Nudists are not much different than the rest of the population, over-all, and most are married. Many are also Christians and do NOT consider nudity a "sin" (nor even an "alternative lifestyle" and what is implied in that concept).

You don't really know what you think you know.
Warren | 9:48 a.m. May 8, 2008
I am offended by seeing people with clothes on. They are covering up (hiding) a beautiful creation of God and He said it was "good"!! So all people with clothes on (unless the weather dictates covering up to keep warm or dry) should be arrested! Get real folks!
peeps | 10:44 a.m. May 8, 2008
For a bit of understanding of each other's perspective, it seems important to realize that wholesome nudity isn't worn on the basis of looks, showing off, or anything like unto the motives involved in wearing suggestive/alluring clothing. Perhaps it would also be useful to acknowledge that clothing in its many forms creates division by its quality and style. We make a lot of assumptions and judgements about each other based on what we wear.

I've had the experience of being in a situation where everyone was dressed basically the same, it was quite a personal revelation to realize I was looking at each person more easily as simply an individual. I hadn't realized how much I allowed outward appearance to color my initial perceptions of others.

I think we all realize that the same words, said with different inflection and facial expression, can change from compliment to rude belittling. It is intent that determines the message sent. However, we each can still choose what offends us no matter the intention.
Dr Know | 10:45 a.m. May 8, 2008
Warren...
No, no, no, you got that completely wrong. It's a darn good thing some people hide and cover their bodies with clothing. There are some mighty spooky bodies out there.
RE: Just me | 10:58 a.m. May 8, 2008
What about Beaver Creek east of Kamas, I can't remember the one west of Duchense. There are nudist camps in Utah, and yes it is laughable. " An actual study" you can use statsitics to prove about anything. All you have to do is use the ones that prove your point. " Nudist are not MUCH different than the rest of the population" other than the fact that they think it is okay to be nude in public. And they get mosquito bites in the places the rest of us cover up.
what a choice | 11:15 a.m. May 8, 2008
Would I rather run into a naked dude while hiking or folks who believe in spiritual energy vortices? Talk about opportunity to choose what to find offensive.

Maybe the dude was hiding cuz his clothes got sucked off when he walked through a vortex. lol
kids & nudity | 11:23 a.m. May 8, 2008
If my kids saw a naked man walking past peacefully, I think it would be a great thing. We would have a good opportunity to discuss what happened. They would have nudity de-mystified & de-dramatized a bit more. And we would laugh about it for months.

It is a different case altogether if there was any type of lewd behavior, advances, or hostile action from the man. In that case, it could be a traumatic memory for years.
Island Style | 11:31 a.m. May 8, 2008

Hangloose brah, but not too loose!
Watch out for RattleSnakes~~~You could definetely
play a part in the series episode of Lost
(man lost his clothes along), hey CBS I need my commission.
Tow Away Surfer
Moral Test | 11:37 a.m. May 8, 2008
At any rate, when a subject is highly controversial � and any question about sex is that � one cannot hope to tell the truth. One can only show how one came to hold whatever opinion one does hold. One can only give one's audience the chance of drawing their own conclusions as they observe the limitations, the prejudices, the idiosyncrasies of the speaker.
� Virginia Woolf, A Room of One's Own
wondering | 11:59 a.m. May 8, 2008
Does anyone else find this odd? "The 61-year-old man is accused of telling women that he sheds clothes because he's "getting close to nature.""

Would he have been accused if he had told them he sheds his clothes to wash them or conserve their longevity?

Accused for his words? What?
Anonymous | 12:09 p.m. May 8, 2008
A naked grown man and innocent minors is a recipe for disaster. Especially if naked grown man is "excited" to see the innocent minors.
Ladywolf | 12:16 p.m. May 8, 2008
Let's all get naked and go on nature hikes today! In support of the old guy... SEE 'ya there!!! (wag)
Random Commentor | 12:21 p.m. May 8, 2008
I hope he wore lots of sunscreen. And watched out for snakes and scorpions. And briars.
Incorrect Assumptions | 12:41 p.m. May 8, 2008
Only the nudists have made comments about the body being dirty and being ashamed of the body. Apparently unless we free ourselves of our clothes we can't free ourselves of these ideas. WRONG!

Quit putting words into others mouths. You think you are respecting the body by exposing it and we think it is respecting the body by clothing it.

Read the arguments. Yours are just attacks with no rationale for your behavior. You give no reason to be nudist other than your incorrect assumptions that everyone else has a bad self image of their body. You argue against being prude (excessively modest in dress), which yeah wearing a burka would be excessive, but just wearing clothes in general is prudence (wisely modest in dress).

Modesty doesn't somehow make the body dirty or make people ashamed of it. Those are your misconceptions and your words, not ours.

Body fasteners needed | 12:42 p.m. May 8, 2008
Anyway you look at it, there are some major nuts, screws and bolts missing with this old man.
Perplexed | 12:48 p.m. May 8, 2008
How is it that a man locked out of his house takes a leak in HIS own backyard and ends up on the sex offenders registry and yet a man hiking in a public place naked is just getting back to nature?

I'm not a prude, but I just don't understand the double standard exhibited by society.

Personally what you do is your business. But remember, your rights end when you tread on the rights of someone else.:-)

Anonymous | 12:53 p.m. May 8, 2008
Sounds good to me, Ladywolf!

Maybe others can join in and we can all once again feel like happy-go-lucky little kids again.
Phil from Provo | 1:29 p.m. May 8, 2008
You people are a STITCH!! I am glad at least some of you can keep a proper perspective. At no time did anyone say that the man did anything inappropriate in their presence OTHER than be there nude. Obviously, he is not the one with the problem. If I, my wife, and my nine children had come across this man on a hike, none of us would have the slightest problem with it - mostly because we would all be nude, too. Y'all would be surprised at the number of LDS nudists and skinny dippers there are out there. We are not exhibitionists; we just enjoy the outdoors the way God intended us to. All of my children have a good and moral self-concept and will never be ashamed of the bodies their Heavenly Father gave them. A thin layer of linen does not define their morals; their morals are deeply embedded in beautiful spirits. They know that nudity is NOT the same as sex and that something as innocent as breastfeeding is not perverse or wrong and something to hide. If you happen to come across us hiking nude, either join us or keep on walking. "Nuff said.
observation | 1:29 p.m. May 8, 2008
Is it really about clothing at all?

If a group of people at a public park were cavorting in knee-length white tee shirts and a deluge suddenly rendered their apparel clingy and see-through would their attire then be considered inappropriate for family viewing? Would we then be calling for all to wear not only outer clothing, but underclothes as well?

Is it really about clothing?
To "incorrect assumptions" | 2:03 p.m. May 8, 2008
Question: was it the comments for this article that you read before making your post? I'm confused by your assertions as they don't seem to reflect what I've read here.
Brother Chuck Schroeder | 2:16 p.m. May 8, 2008
ALL I CAN SAY IS - Like all gifts which cometh from above, words are sacred, and must be spoken with care, and by constraint of the Spirit (D&C 63:64). It is with this realization of the power and sanctity of words that I wish to caution us, if caution is needed, regarding how we speak to each other and how we speak of ourselves. There is a line from the Apocrypha which puts the seriousness of this issue better than I can. It reads, 'The stroke of the whip maketh marks in the flesh: but the stroke of the tongue breaketh the bones (Ecclesiasticus 28:17).
Kelton Baker | 2:30 p.m. May 8, 2008
In the course of travels around the world, I've had more encounters than I can even count of people running around with little or no clothing on their bodies at public recreational areas. Most peoples' response is to ignore it, divert the eyes or some just give blank stares.

Here in America, we respond by calling it a crime and quickly summon law enforcement to stop and arrest. I find that kind of interesting.

Personally, I would never do what this man did and I don't watch rated-R movies, don't look at porn, don't subscribe to cable, and I cannot stand lewd behavior; but I just don't find myself bothered by simple nudity ever since traveling abroad and seeing that lots of people elsewhere find it to be no big deal.
mental illness | 3:02 p.m. May 8, 2008
America is famous for pretending to be puritanical in matters like this, when in fact sex is on their mind's from morning until sunset.

It's a form of schizophrenia that is common only here and is helping the fast erosion of our society.
LDS Nudist???? | 3:10 p.m. May 8, 2008
What's the connection. I don't understand why it would matter to state that you are LDS and a nudist. UNLESS, you know that it is not a behavior condoned by your Church? Much like the incorrect assumptions post from above. You are the only ones stating your religion. And Phil, if God would have intended us to be nude outdoors, he would not have created deer flies. OUCH
To the person who replied to Incorrect Assumptions. What are you talking about? Both Phil and you should read the Moral Test post above and figure out where you got these crazy ideas, and what they say about you.
Janet | 3:26 p.m. May 8, 2008
Yep! in France they have the no pants act.
californian | 3:33 p.m. May 8, 2008
I don't know if Utah leads the nation as far as states go...I know Houston is the leading city...here in the golden state we have the Hollywood anorexics, and a smattering of people on the "all you can get crack diet" but overall I see plenty of large folks here as well. On the other hand, I don't care if the old man gets back to nature, and my kids would definitely laugh...Maybe he wasn't a man at all but the infamous bigfoot?!
Phil's friends | 3:54 p.m. May 8, 2008
Oh hi Phil, just read your post and thought you might get this message. Um, me and the wife and kids won't be able to make it to that hike this weekend. We uh are all going to the uh dentist. Ya um all weekend. Come to think of it we are all really busy this summer. Um we'll call you um this fall um winter. Maybe go skiing. Um hiking is um not really our thing. Bye, oh by the way I saw your neighbors house is for sale.
hi | 3:57 p.m. May 8, 2008
i hike naked, it adds color to my cheeks:-)
old man | 4:00 p.m. May 8, 2008
I still remember the day, years ago, when as a youngster I came to the realization that under our clothes, we are all naked. In all the years since I have never looked at women the same...and to be honest, as I age (and hopefully mature) I find that the shape and size is not nearly as important as it used to be. Gods creations are pretty amazing! Unattractiveness definitely comes from within and not from the physical gifts we do or do not have!
The Texan | 4:46 p.m. May 8, 2008
He lost more than his clothes. Common sense, brains, reason for getting up in the morning, you name it.
Anonymous | 5:02 p.m. May 8, 2008
Once again, people make a big deal out of everything.
Can't tell you how freeing it is to live in wonderfully liberal California where for the most part people really don't give a (blank) what you do or don't do.
Like a new Renaissance where life is enjoyed to its fullest.
well, well | 6:49 p.m. May 8, 2008
I thought the "moral test" by the apparent expert in morality Virginia Woolf was about sex. I and most other posters on this board are commenting about nudity, how and when it may or may not be socially acceptable.

How easily we misconstrue each other's words.

I believe my ideas say I'm a thoughtful, fun-loving, respectful individual with more sense than I used to have. Thanks for suggesting the moment of reflection.
What? | 7:55 p.m. May 8, 2008
"The 61-year-old man is accused of telling women that he sheds clothes because he's "getting close to nature."

then find a nude beach or nude camp buddy....Talk about gross...
just me | 11:31 p.m. May 8, 2008
"What about Beaver Creek east of Kamas, I can't remember the one west of Duchense."

They're just jokes, they don't really exist.

"There are nudist camps in Utah,"

No, there are not, and if there were, I'd know. I should, I've visited 19 of the closest ones. Not to mention I'm a member of the two largest national nudist organizations, namely AANR, who conducted the survey referenced , and TNS (The Naturist Society). AANR has about 50,000 members in the U.S. and TNS has about 20,000. That's more than enough members to do surveys and studies, but of course you know better, just because you do.


The rest of your assertions are just as flawed. It never ceases to amaze me how much some people who've never actually been a part of something just know all about it.
Susy | 5:32 a.m. May 9, 2008
Well I guess not everything you see is a sin. lol
Utah LDS Nudist | 9:46 a.m. May 9, 2008
People have a tendency to fear, criticize, or ridicule what they don't understand or what they don't know anything about.
Most of the negative comments made here are by people who are prejudice against nudity. Yet if you ask them what they know about you get the same uneducated response as we are seeing here such as...
"Its against the law."
"I don't need to see that"
"People who go naked are perverts"
"Going naked is immodest"

People who open their mouths with silly comments with out first doing a little study and becoming educated about the subject run a great risk of looking pretty stupid to the ones they are commenting to.
Anonymous | 11:33 a.m. May 9, 2008
"Don't criticize what you don't understand."

- Bob Dylan
See No Evil | 12:10 p.m. May 9, 2008
It's amazing how clothes-minded some people are. It never ceases to amaze me what things people choose to let offend them.

I had to laugh at the comments by "Creepy" -- that it is OK for a child to be naked, but not anyone else. That must have been the underlying philosophy behind the teaching, "Unless you become as a little child you can in nowise inherit the kingdom of God."

Funny how children don't get hung up on nudity issues until they learn to be ashamed by their parents.

I've learned over the years that it is generally pointless to even have this discussion. A person will never even remotely understand the exhilarating freedom and, yes, spirituality of hiking naked unless they give it a try. The people who could learn the most from that experience will never consider doing it. It's much easier to point fingers and mock the practice. I get that.

My spouse and I hike naked together whenever we can. We go out of our way to not offend anyone by carrying towels or shorts and keeping a wary eye on the trail. We've never had a problem with anyone.
origins of the concept | 12:34 p.m. May 9, 2008
"... and they saw that they were naked and were ashamed."

See how early the guilt-dumping starts?
See No Evil | 1:20 p.m. May 9, 2008
Who told them they were naked -- and, more importantly, that they should be ashamed of it?

See where the "origins of the concept" started?
And so it was ... | 1:52 p.m. May 9, 2008
HEY YOU!
GET OUT OF THIS GARDEN!
YOU'RE NAKED!
AT LEAST PUT YOUR FIG LEAVES BACK ON!
Anonymous | 2:04 p.m. May 9, 2008
I'm still reeling from the fact that there are STILL those who believe in a talking snake.
NASTY - MAN | 2:55 p.m. May 9, 2008
WHAT A NASTY, NASTY, NASTY MAN!

Add your comment

Comments are monitored. Any comments found to be abusive, offensive, off-topic, misrepresentative, more than 200 words or containing URLs will not be posted.

Words Remaining

E-mail address: For internal use only. We may want to contact you to publish your comment (not your e-mail address) in the newspaper or for a separate story idea.

previousnext

Latest comments

Gifts for gamers

There are some games I love not on your list. Arkham Asylum for one.

Daughter: Mitchell fed me my pet

Our parents made my brothers help kill and clean our rabbits before we ate...

Why would you keep it open? I would understand if there was a lot of amazing...

The government will run our health care well? Read Reader's Digest, November...

BCS stable at top, Y. up to 14

TCU stomped on the MWC so they are naturally ready to crush Florida, Alabama...

Jazz win 6th in 7 games

could you understand Dave Locke any more than my mom does and she is not even...

Notre Dame fires Weis

Attending the ND/BYU game 3 years ago in south bend, a couple of things stuck...

I missed the game, actually i heard a little bit of Locke on the radio (man...

Hall's pain reflects self-betrayal

quotes were good: Article was dumb and unnecessary.

Understanding translation process

I believe the art depicting Joseph looking at the plates may possibly be...

Advertisements