Freehiking
Encyclopedia
Freehiking refers to Naked hiking
Naked hiking
Naked walking, also known as naked hiking or freehiking, is a sub-category of the modern form of social nudity....

 as well as a form of hiking in which the participants intentionally avoid trails and predetermined destinations.

Naked hiking

The term freehiking has been used by naturists
Naturism
Naturism or nudism is a cultural and political movement practising, advocating and defending social nudity in private and in public. It may also refer to a lifestyle based on personal, family and/or social nudism....

 for decades to describe the activity of naked hiking. It was adopted by hikers after the sport of freeskiing gained popularity in the 1990s.

Off-trail hiking

For off-trail hiking, the freehiker relies on tools such as topographical maps, a compass
Compass
A compass is a navigational instrument that shows directions in a frame of reference that is stationary relative to the surface of the earth. The frame of reference defines the four cardinal directions – north, south, east, and west. Intermediate directions are also defined...

 and a GPS unit. It emphasizes a hike experience free of constraints, as opposed to seeking a shortcut to a specific destination such as a scenic viewpoints or summits.

There is some concern that freehikers cause trailbraiding, erosion
Erosion
Erosion is when materials are removed from the surface and changed into something else. It only works by hydraulic actions and transport of solids in the natural environment, and leads to the deposition of these materials elsewhere...

, new trail creation, and other negative environmental impacts. The freehiking community claims that the sport is limited to open, unrestricted public areas where off-trail hiking is permitted.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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