Solstice Sunset

Happy Summer Solstice to all who celebrate the day!

As I sat on the shores of one of Minnesota's lakes tonight watching the sunset at the end of a wonderful summer's day, I thought about some of the past Midsummer's Day that I could remember. I also found myself thinking about the traditions of summer solstice (due to my recent post regarding tradition and innovation), whether they are religious, personal, or regional.

When we think about traditions associated with this day, the longest in the northern hemisphere,* we may think about the first harvest, the height of a god's power, dancing, and watching the sunrise. What do I think about? Naked hiking.

Wait......... Naked hiking?

Yep. You read that correctly. Now let me tell you a little about it. Naked Hiking Day is a little tradition that is rumored to have started by thru-hikers on the Appalachian Trail to break up the boredom of the third month of hiking (with another three months to go). It is not uncommon to pass people on the AT on June 21st only to realize that they have nothing on but a pack, some boots and a smile.

When hiking the last few miles of the state of Virginia on this day five years ago, I came across a huge group of fellow thru-hikers that were hiking one behind the other. Because I was walking behind them, I didn't realize that they were all naked. It was only when I started to pass them that I realized that they had not a stitch on their bodies. As I started laughing, I was invited to join them.

So, to all those hikers out on the AT today who followed the tradition of hiking naked today, I hope yours was a great day (and I hope that you didn't get too sunburned). For those of you that are just learning about this tradition, there's always next year to join in on the fun.

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* In case you are wondering, you can go to timeanddate.com to find out how many hours/minutes/seconds of daylight you got in your location today. St. Paul, Minnesota had 15 hours 37 minutes and 8 seconds of daylight.