New Hope for Ontario Nudists and Naturists?

I have a couple things I felt compelled to update from some of my previous posts on this blog as new information has come to light and I have time to share it.  I previously lamented in those blog updates that the naturist / nudist world in Southern Ontario was taking couple steps backwards. But thankfully there may be some hope. It’s amazing how much you can find out while waiting for a very much delayed flight.

The first item I wanted to update was about Hanlans Point, which is the only sanctioned public clothing optional beach in Ontario, one of only two in the whole country sadly.  My last few visits to Hanlans Point were less than enjoyable as I found the clothing optional portion had more "textiles" than naturists or even the clothing mandatory side did for that matter. And of those "textiles" the vast majority were apparently there to gawk rather than show any interest in experiencing the joys of outdoor nudity.  Their loss I say

Previous Blog: Hanlan's Point......Naked no more 

As such, I have essentially written off this as an option for me. For either the cost of a day pass at one of two area naturist resorts, or the drive to Port Burwell (where a short walk from the provincial park gets you to private land where naturists are welcomed) you get all the naturism and none of the gawkers.
I still have hope for Hanlans however more support is needed.  A petition (Click Here) has been started proposing to the local councillor Pam McConnell that the city should partition the beach into three sections: nude mandatory, clothing optional, and clothing mandatory.  There is only 51 signatures on the online petition so far but hopefully some of you will actually read this and it can gain some momentum.   Fingers, toes, and eyes crossed.

Next I move a bit North to Wasaga Beach, where there was a small but growing movement to make part of the secluded eastern beach at the Provincial Park that was already being frequently used by naturists, legally a nude beach. 

Previous Blog: Tale of Two "Unofficial" Beaches

I made two separate attempts to find the nude beach area (once on a weekday, again on a weekend in case I had missed something) and found nothing but signs warning that nudity is prohibited.  When I sought help from the Facebook group “Wasagabares” that promoted and supported the naturist use of this beach I found it went dormant around May of 2016. Thus I gave up on Wasaga beach as an option and moved on however perhaps I did so too soon.  A recent article (View Here) was shared by a friend on Facebook that not only gave me hope that the cause was not lost, but also explained the dormant Wasagabares group.
I turns out that in May 2016, John Cropper, who is the force behind Wasaga Bares, was charged with "engaging in a prohibited activity" at Wasaga Beach Provincial Park. Now at first glance this could be seen as the end of the dream but if you read the article, John is taking the fight to court in hopes it will set a legal precedent and thus benefit us all. It also explains why the Wasaga Bares page went silent, John may be avoiding it to prevent it impacting his legal battle.  In either case, this gives me some hope and I truly hope he is successful.  

If you live in or visit either Toronto or Southern Ontario as a whole and want more information and possible updates on these two subjects I would suggest you check out the below Facebook groups.  You can also follow my blog or my twitter account @NudeInCanada

Stay naked friends!

Hanlans Nudists/Naturists
Ontario Naturists
Wasagabares

Naked with Friends + Random Thoughts

I don’t exactly have a lot to write about once the colder weather sets in.  I do tend to post on Facebook and Seen Life more frequently where it is easier to post short posts like “Worked naked from home today”.  But I have a few items that I can group together that would not normally warrant individual posts dedicated to the subject.  I really do enjoy sharing my naturist experiences, hopefully it has some value to others to read them as well.

Naked With Friends

First, a little update on being nude with friends.  A little while back my friend Tara who accompanied me to the Nude beach at Port Burwell and who much to my surprise actually joined me in being nude (This was unexpected, check out the post here if you did not read it already).  After that day we didn’t get opportunities to try this again as we often see each other in mixed company with textiles or out in public places. Last month we planned to watch the hockey game at my place, she called to say she was on her way and I said “If you don’t mind, let yourself in so I needn’t bother putting clothes on”. Gladly she didn’t mind, and when she did arrive I greeted her with the customary hug which was surprisingly NOT awkward at all given that I was naked and she was clothed.
That changed for the better as soon after she asked if I would feel more comfortable if she also removed her clothes.  For the record, I had no issues with Tara remaining clothed, I even asked if she would be more comfortable if I put something on feeling her question may have implied I had crossed some line in her mind by not getting dressed before she arrived.  Fortunately this was not the case, she got undressed, and two platonic friends watched a hockey game, ate some pizza, drank a couple beers, and then she went home, all in a completely nonsexual nude environment.  We have since agreed when just the two of us at either of our homes, we will go sans clothes and take advantage of the accepting environment when we have it.  So now even a movie night or game night with my closest friend is a truly naked experience.

Single Naked Male
The second thing I want to cover is actually about another blog.  Specifically Felicity’s blog on the YNA website.  I am a big fan of her blog but this one I found really interesting as the topic was about being single and male in a naturist environment. Felicity is neither single nor male and yet she covered this topic incredibly well in my opinion.  It’s not always easy being the single guy at a naturist park.  Parents and single women all seem a little suspicious of single guy and I cannot entirely blame them.  I do think that is ultimately counterproductive to discriminate against allowing single men or even trying to maintain some kind of quota/balance at resorts but I understand the motive to keep a place as safe and comfortable for all as you possibly can.  From my personal perspective it would be amazing to meet a woman who is a naturist who could become a partner as it could be difficult to introduce a potential partner to the naturist world.  Although which would actually be more difficult is probably debatable.  Maybe one day if I am able to become more regular or even a member, but for now I will refrain from pursuing a more personal relationship when I visit Ponderosa or Bare Oaks so as to ensure I don’t make anyone uncomfortable, I’d feel horrible.  

Group Outings

I have yet to take part in any group swims organised by the GTA Skinny Dippers group, I was especially disappointed I could not attend their naked bowling event which sounded like great fun.  One pool they regularly use has an impressive water slide I want to try, I am such a kid at heart sometimes! There is an indoor volleyball tournament in London Ontario each January, the same week sadly I regularly attend an annual industry conference so won’t be able to attend this year either. I hear the Kitchener Museum does a nude art exhibit but cannot seem to find info on an upcoming event as I would take vacation time for that event.  If I find anything I will post it though.  

Social Nudia
And finally, Facebook has been a great asset for finding like minded naturists and expand my network as it were.  There are even specific groups committed to promoting naturism and dispelling the myths that it is just some sexual deviants running around with no clothes on.  But with the good comes the bad.  Daily I get requests from some person asking me to send them naked pictures, or to do a naked video chat.  Sorry but naturism is NOT about sex, I am not interested in showing off my naked self on the internet. I am not an exhibitionist (no judgement if you are though, you be you!), I just personally hate wearing clothes unless required.  I am also not an idiot and know that a fair to high percentage of those requests are actually from people who mean to do harm and either shame or blackmail poor souls who knew no better.  It would be nice if there were better social media platforms for naturists.  So far all the ones I have checked out are either nude dating sites or are borderline pornographic, no thanks.  For now I will stick with Facebook, Twitter (which is a little more relaxed) and I still have hope for Seen Life but with the number of right wing religious nutters who try to get me to support their racist church or attend a Donald Trump rally, I am losing hope for even this non censored site fast. 

If you know of an alternative please comment or message me, would love to hear it.


And as always, if you liked my blog or have feedback, I'd love to hear it!

Naked with Friends

I am a fairly solitary naturist. Not that am not anti-social, I just don't know many naturists well enough that I socialise with them outside of the friendly "hello, how are you" when I see a familiar face at Ponderosa.  I prefer to keep my Naturist and textile worlds apart presently, it keeps things less complicated.  That may disqualify my as a naturist in the eyes of some but its my choice.
I am open about my naturist life with only three textile friends. A single woman I have known since high school who is my closest platonic friend, and a couple who I have been close friends with for some time now and tend to be open and very liberal in most things in life.  Now I have invited the couple (I'll call them John and Amy, not their real names) to join me at the nude beach or a Naturist club and while open to the idea, seemed to have excuses or were otherwise unavailable so I stopped asking.  I never really invited my single friend (will call her Tara, not real either) other than a "you should try it" when I first opened up about naturism with her, I just didn't think she was the type, and as we are VERY platonic, I didn't think anyone she dated would be happy to here about here going to nude beaches with her guy friend. She's my oldest friend, less complication is better
Last week I mentioned I was taking the day off to head down to Port Burwell's nude beach, and to my surprise, Tara asked if it was a mandatory nude beach so that she could join me and keep her suit on. I actually have no idea what the rule is at Port Burwell, the actual park does not permit nudity, you have to walk past the parks boundary to private property where the owners allow the nude beach. I figured if anyone had an issue we'd setup right on the boundary line, I could go nude, and she would sit next to me on the park side in her swimsuit. Problem solved. 
When we arrived at the nude beach, there was only around four other people there so we found a place off on our own in the hopes no one would bother her for being "overdressed" in a skimpy bikini. I got undressed, she as expected kept her bikini on and we setup our towels and umbrella for the day. We decided to go for a swim in the lake but when we stood up to walk to the water she sort of paused, had a sort of confused look on her face, and then after a moment she says "Fuck it", takes her swim suit off, and runs into the lake. I  couldn't help but laugh, I had no idea she was even considering being naked but I suppose the fact that we were virtually alone, and of the sparsely populated beach she was the only one NOT naked, may have given her the final push I didn't even know she was looking for.  
Later as we walked along the beach, Tara even managed to say "good morning" to a naked gentleman as we passed him.  
Sadly it is apparently horse or deer fly season near Port Burwell in September and those suckers bite. After only about an hour and a half, most of which was in the water to avoid the flies, we packed up and went home.
I am very proud of Tara, apparently she even bragged to "Amy" about going even though she claimed to only go "skinny dipping". But maybe that might start the conversation for the group of us to go to the nude beach some day. Sadly we may have to wait for spring based on the weather, this still is Canada after all and Fall is upon us.
Regardless, it was a nice to have a close friend join me and see it become very natural for them.  There was no awkwardness about being naked together, it was just another day at the beach. 

Bare Naked at Bare Oaks

When spring arrived this year I set several goals for my naturist self. This included exploring the nude beaches at Port Burwell and Wasaga beach for the first time (see my earlier post for those experiences), revisiting Ponderosa and Hanlans Point where I have enjoyed myself last year, and at the top of the list was a trip to Bare Oaks north of Toronto. 
It took nearly the entire summer but I finally made my way north to the Naturist Resort/Club whose website and podcasts provided me with well needed guidance as I dove into Naturism last year. If you are a newbie nudist or "Newdist", I strongly recommend you check out their website and Social Media presence as they have a lot to offer. 

 www.bareoaks.ca     Google+     Facebook    Twitter

So it was fitting that almost exactly a year later I would arrive on the Bare Oaks doorstep.  And as I type this I know I am going to struggle to avoid looking like a member of the Bare Oaks marketing team because this place was a wonderful experience start to finish. I arrive on what was yet another excellent day this summer to be naked outdoors, a quick "Hello, I am just here for the day" into the front gate intercom, I drive into a very full Saturday parking lot and find an empty space which may or may not have been an actual parking spot.  Once parked I removed my clothes immediately. Partly because its recommended you lock your thing in your car, but more so I was determined not to look like a rookie when I entered the front office.  
In a previous post about Ponderosa Nature Resort, my one complaint for an otherwise excellent naturist park was that the staff were dressed.   None of that at Bare Oaks, everyone from the people at the front office, those working the special silent auction event, to the servers at the "Bare Bistro", the on site restaurant, were au natural.  I hope the cook at the bistro wore an apron or something though, I had bacon on my burger, so I'd be willing to let them have a pass there. (otherwise OUCH!)
I enter the front office and wait my turn, it was Saturday and sunny, no surprises it was a bit busy.  Excellent staff greet you, run you through the usual stuff, name, ID, license plate, and "have you been here before" and then sit you in front of a TV for a video about the resort, and about the Naturist ideas they stand for.  I will admit, I was excited to get out in the sun so the short video felt like it was an hour long but I understand what they are doing here. This is not just a place to be naked.  It is about naked being natural and in nature.  True Naturism at heart.  They put it out there, if you are here to gawk, or think the naked body is lewd or purely sexual, this is not the place for you, thank you and have a nice day.  You don't even pay the entry fee until you have watched so if after the video, this sound like its not for you, nothing lost. 

Lake Beamore - Bare Oaks

With the formalities out of the way, and having done my research, I am out the door and heading not for the pool, which is a bit small if you compare to Ponderosa (about a quarter of the size actually), but for "Lake Beamore" a large swimming pond with a beach.  This was bliss, few things are as enjoyable to do in nature than swim without the constraints of a swimsuit.  Lake Beamore is large, the water was so clear I could see the bottom well out into the middle of the pond and has an island/dock in the middle for relaxing or diving.  I probably spent two hours just swimming and floating around. 
When I finally pulled myself away from Lake Beamore I went for a wonderful walk around the park, especially the well maintained trail they have that winds its way along the northern boarder of the park. It was at this point I realised how friendly everyone is at Bare Oaks.  I was greeted with a smile and engaged in conversation with staff and other guests alike.  I helped a mother in the right direction when her toddler wondered around a corner, played volleyball with a group aged 8 to 80, no one seemed to keep the single white guy in his 30's at arms length, at least not that I noticed and I have when walking through a regular city park.  It really felt like I was at any other vacation spot, minus the clothes.
Come lunch time I found myself at the Bare Bistro.  Next to swimming and hiking, having a sit down meal in a  restaurant is just a great thing to do naked. The lunch menu is mostly burgers, sausages and the like, and they have a good selection of imported beers including one on draft!  I was not expecting gourmet, so what turned out to be one of the better bacon cheese burgers I have had in a restaurant in recent memory was a happy bonus.
Now that I have completed my detailed experience / marketing plug for Bare Oaks I will tell you a few of the down sides, it seems only fair to try and remain unbiased.  First and foremost, that pool is no bigger than one I could get in my back yard.  It is no exaggeration to say it is a quarter or less of the size of the outdoor pool at Ponderosa. Incidentally, the indoor pool at Ponderosa is almost as big as Bare Oaks outdoor pool though Lake Beamore trumps any outdoor pool anyway. Naturism is for the most part a fair weather summer season lifestyle. Ponderosa has an indoor pool, hot tub, and sauna to keep things going year round. I have been to Ponderosa when there was snow outside and my only complaint was that I seemed to be the only one there.  Bare Oaks has no indoor pool so the fairly large indoor hot tub and sauna will have to do come winter.
In the end, Bare Oaks was better than I expected and that was no easy feat.  If you live closer to either Bare Oaks or Ponderosa, you are likely going to be happy there.  If you live somewhere in the middle (which Toronto is) give them both a try for yourself, you will likely have a tough decision on your hands.  In both cases I loved my experience and I also love what both parks are doing to help encourage others to give true Naturism a chance and promote this wonderful lifestyle.  With the poor state of Naturism at Hanlan's Point, at least there remains two solid options to get natural in nature a short drive from Toronto.  

Thank you so much to the staff and people of Bare Oaks, I will return!

Hanlan's Point......Naked no more

Despite recent media attention about confrontations between Naturists/Nudists and textiles at Hanlan's Point and Wreck Beach, I decided to take advantage of the excellent weather and took the ferry across to Toronto Island. I had planned on spending am entire day on the island with the majority at the clothing optional side of Hanlans Point Beach but it was just not meant to be and this is likely to have been my last visit to Hanlan's Point. I think I may have said this before but for the near future at least, I am done with being part of a tourist attraction.
Things started well enough, I arrived around 10 am and the beach was already fairly busy with all types enjoying the only public place in Ontario you can be naked on a normal day.   By lunch time however things changed for the worse
I was in the central part of the beach, far enough I thought from the clothing mandatory side to avoid gawkers who would wander over, but I soon found two large groups of "textiles" setting up in the middle of several naturists. One group was very obviously there for the show and you could see it bothered many of those there to be naturists, myself included. One couple packed up and left when it became clear the group was having a laugh at their appearance. A core principle of Naturism is body acceptance and this couple were on a naturist clothing optional beach facing a group of bullies body shaming them in a place that by design should be one of openness and acceptance, not shame and embarrassment. And while not a target of their shame, I too had seen enough and packed up to leave

As I got dressed I had a look around and the beach was now 80% textiles compared to earlier when I arrived when it was closer to 80% naturists and most of the other 20% were accompanying the naturists which is OK in my opinion. I decided to have a stroll along the clothing mandatory beach on my way out and I found it almost completely empty. So any idea that overcrowding in the clothing mandatory side was overflowing to the optional beach is unfounded. As I have said in my previous post "Clothing Optional" , if you are wading in and testing the naturist /nudist waters so be it, that's what clothing optional beaches are for. But if you want to see naked people for fun, there are strip clubs and the Internet, leave the beaches for the more open minded.‎ I worry the textile intrusion is irreversible at Hanlan's Point and the clothing optional beach will die a slow death. 
I for one wont be returning anytime soon especially now that I have discovered Port Burwell, which while further away, is a much better experience 

On a much happier note I finally made my way out to Bare Oaks, I'll post about it in the near future. Had such a great time and I am trying to do a write up that won't look I work for their marketing team (Naked Marketing, how do I get that job???!!!)

Tale of Two "Unofficial" Beaches

Used a weeks vacation last week to get out there and be a naturist in the world.  Another visit to Ponderosa Family Naturist Park north of Hamilton Ontario went amazing as always. Other than a few textile employees and the hiking trails being less than well marked, I can't speak highly enough about my experiences there. And without any of the gawkers like Hanlan's Point.  
However I was determined to look at some of the alternatives. As I have previously mentioned, I am not able to frequent Ponderosa as often as I'd like, so the cost of membership is not economical enough, and single say use of $50 each adds up quickly as well.  And while convenient and only a $15 ferry ride away from my office, Hanlan's is fine for weekdays, but crowded and uncomfortable on weekends.  So I did some reasearch and decided to give two "unofficial" nude/clothing optional beaches a try.

First I made the trip to Wasaga beach, where the Wasagabares have been unoffically

using the eastern beach in the Provincial Park as an unofficial clothing optional beach for many years and recently looked to have made some progress in getting the city to sanction the beach (even if only on a trial basis) only to have it overturned soon after.  Only about an hour and 30 minute drive away, and free to visit other than $5-$10 for parking, Wasaga was an ideal first choice, at least until I got there.  I walked the entire length of the beach, which is no small task, its the longest fresh water beach in the world, including as far east as I could go into the provincial park and saw no signs of the Wasagabares signs or people themselves.  Had I picked a bad day?  The beach was certainly crowded enough with textiles, so how was I the only naturist?  
When I did get the the eastern extent of the Provincial Park it was mostly empty with only a few people, I was able to find an isolated area where I considered being the one naturist there, but then I saw the sign "Public Nudity Prohibited" and my heart sank. Maybe I was not looking in the right place but after some further exploring to no avail, and an overpriced lunch along the main drag,  I called it a disappointing day.

Never one to give up easy, I headed for my next destination the very next day.  At over two hours drive away, Port Burwell Provincial Park  is far from the most convenient option. Add in a $14.50 entry fee and its no cheaper than Hanlan's Point either. However after following the tips seen online, I parked at lot #5, and walked all the way west along the shore for 15 minutes until I saw the Park Boundary Sign and a group of other naturists.  I was unable to contain myself and disrobed on the spot before walking another 5 minutes or so up the beach where I found a nice spot with some shade and set up shop.  There was maybe 20 other people there, mostly couples and single men like myself, scattered across a very large stretch of beach.  Turns out this area is "Private" land and the owner has no issues with Naturists making use of their land.

Port Burwell Provincial Park Beach,
taken looking away from the Naturist beach so as not to upset the naked people

While the beach is scattered with driftwood, and is not quite as nice as Wasaga beach.  It is still a beautiful place with plenty of space to explore.  By the time I had to make my way home the crowd had grown to about 100 people, some being social, some in their own world, all free to enjoy the world, it was wonderful.  So wonderful that as I walked back I was well into the Provincial Park boundary when a fellow naturist called out and reminded me I'd have to put some clothes on.  Their group all had a laugh at my expense as I begrudgingly put my shorts back on and headed home.

I'll likely be back again later in the summer, and if my plans to camp at Bare Oaks don't pan out this will be my second choice.  What a great day!

Clothing Optional?

I touched on this once or twice before but a recent story by CBC news got me thinking about this again.  Before I get into the story let me revisit a few things first
When you visit a resort like Ponderosa or Bare Oaks their clothing policies are fairly simple.  Most if not all of the resorts are clothing NOT optional.  With some allowances for newbies to test the waters so to speak, or weather, you go to a naturist resort to be natural, aka nude, in nature.  My experiences at Ponderosa with this have been nothing less than wonderful. 
My experience at Hanlan's Point, while still excellent, has not been the same.  I've previously mentioned that a fair size minority, sometimes majority of those in the clothing optional part of the beach choose not to take the option.  If you are genuinely there to see for yourself what its like before you try naturism/nudism and either decide its not for you, or chicken out as it were, so be it.  My first time at Hanlan's I damn near turned around myself.  When the company picnic was on Toronto Island last year, there were silly jokes by colleagues about checking it out, having a peak etc but no one actually went over (that I know of).  This years picnic about a month ago was also on the Island, happened to at a site right next to both the clothing optional and clothing mandatory beaches and this time several colleagues did sneak off to walk the beach. Now had the group actually been brave enough to say they were going to try it out, I might have considered going along.  These are not just colleagues but people I socialise with outside work as well.  But it was clear they were going to peak at all the "nudies". Leaving the fact that I am a naturist out of it, I tried to speak up but it was of no use, they wanted to get their look.
Having written about my experiences with this before I was not going to again but then I saw the article by CBC Canada's nudists feeling overexposed by onlookers . It appears the problem is worse than even I noticed and some naturist/nudists have taken to posting signs implying nudity was mandatory and even confronting those "textiles" that don't go nude.
While I agree with the sentiment and would love to see a stop to the gawking,  I disagree with these actions for a couple reasons.  

1. That person very may well be a bit nervous to take the step towards naturism and who are we to tell them what they can or cannot wear? Its that attitude that keeps naturism secluded to a few sparse resorts and two public clothing option beaches in Canada.  If you choose to dip your toe in the water, or dive right in, that's your choice. If the naturism movement and culture is to grow, it has to be done in an open and inclusive way, not via confrontation.
2. If you feel nudity should be mandatory, and I could get behind this very quickly, petition the city as in the past to remove the option on the naturist beach, or split the beach in three, one for textiles, one for clothing optional for those taking a first step, and one for nudity mandatory.  
3. There are alternatives like Ponderosa and Bare Oaks in the GTA.  I have read of some private beaches (ie one near Port Burwell Provincial park).  I've not been personally but have read in a few places online that Naturism is permitted at some locations and tend to be only frequented by non-textile types.

While I completely agree that the clothing optional beaches can get a bit crowded with those just checking out the sights.  But it is a public beach and there for the use of all.  I would no sooner ask someone to remove their clothes than I would want someone to tell me to put mine back on. I'd love to hear other opinions on this, its a long overdue discussion.