Burlington Nudists Bare All

Author: Greg Duggan

Anyone spending time at the mountains or beaches of Vermont this summer may happen upon a newly formed group based out of Burlington: the Burlington Nudists. A handful of founding members have been meeting at houses and waiting indoors until warmer weather will allow them to bare their full, nude selves in the summer sun.
John Miller started the group with two of his friends and explained in an e-mail interview with The Middlebury Campus, "Our motivations were that there are no organized nudist groups in the area but there is a lot of interest expressed by many people. Most people just go it alone or with friends." Several nudist resorts exist in Vermont, but none of these have group affiliations. Once the membership of the Burlington Nudists grows, the group plans to associate itself with one of the resorts.
At the moment, the Burlington Nudists group consists entirely of men, but expects to include women soon enough. Miller says the group "will be doing more promotional ads to let people know we are here and trying to form a larger group." Others in the Burlington area have tried to form nudist groups in the past but have failed largely because of a lack of advertising. Miller's group hopes to get its name out soon so that a large number of people will join.
The nudists have started a Web group on Yahoo! at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NakedInVermont/, which provides a discussion forum for members. Miller says that discussion topics typically include "issues such as where nudity is legal or not, best ways to keep from offending the public, events that we would like to host or attend and the appropriate place to hold those events."
According to the Web site, 99 people have joined the discussion group since it opened in February. The group funds itself, and seeks to bring together anyone interested in taking part in organized nudist activities. The only stipulation to membership is that everyone be over 18, unless a family member of a younger person is present. Miller said he hopes "that people will refer friends and acquaintances that might be interested in nudism to help increase the visibility of the group."
He explained the appeal of nudism, saying it "provides a feeling of freedom and certainly comfort." Of course, being a nudist does not entail going about all of life's activities unclothed. Miller assured that nudists don clothes when visiting the store and other public places. Generally, the nudists undress in private settings, such as homes, beaches (where nudity is legal) and resorts. They remain discreet and make every attempt to avoid offending the public.
When asked about the oddest places he has bared his skin, Miller said "on top of a mountain and driving in a car, but only because I was dared."
The Burlington Nudists have planned their first outdoor event for later in May, when they plan to go on a nudist camping and hiking trip. With the arrival of warmer weather, the group also plans to visit various beaches and out-of-state nudist events.