Nude American Scott Cook: Guiding You on a Naked Adventure in Oregon
Posted at 12:12 PM Jul 11, 2008
Pokin' Round the Gorge: A Sexy-Romantic Guide for Gorge Lovers is a guide book for the nude adventurer about the Columbia River Gorge, which extends through Oregon and Washington. Though the title is punnerific and a lot of the writing is firmly tongue in cheek, its a fun take on a guide book, and even if you are a city slicker who shudders at the thought of hiking in the wilderness, its a fun read. Plus there are lots of naked pictures.
Naked City editor Audacia Ray had some questions for the book's enigmatic writer, Scott Cook, who was happy to oblige (and who is grinning at you in the picture above).
Audacia Ray: Do you consider yourself a nudist or a naturist? Is there something about the Gorge that inspires you to take it all off, or are you an across-the-board appreciator of nudity?
Scott Cook: I feel that I'm more of a naturist than a "nudist." I don't really go to nudist resorts--the whole group-nudity thing doesn't much interest me. BUT, I love being naked in nature, whether alone or with company. I love to bask naked in the sun and breeze, skinnydip in lakes, river and waterfalls...get naked in hot springs. Being naked in nature in secluded and natural places seems very natural to me. And, while the Gorge is a sort of unspoiled Garden of Eden...I do tend to get naked whenever and wherever secluded beautiful Mother Nature beckons. Thus, lots of naked time in Mexico and New Zealand (I'm working on a New Zealand Exploring/hiking guidebook).
AR: Your book has an almost ridiculous number of pictures that must have been a lot of fun to take. Can you relate a funny story about doing the photographs?
SC: On page 126 I tell some little stories...but here's something funny: On Stonehenge, page 123, the idea was a red naked priestess lording over a blue laying-down love slave. During the test photos the model and I had to take turns posing and lighting each other--all naked and all within a 15-second shutter window before the flash fired. 
So she'd pose and I'd light her with red for 4 seconds, then she'd jump down, I'd jump up, lay down and she'd light me with blue for 3 seconds---then I'd quickly jump off before the flash went. Alas though, trying to speed up our gig, on our second attempt I was just jumping off the alter stone when the flash went and blinded me and i jumped off and SLAMMED right into one of the Stonehenge monoliths!! OUCH, I wailed my hand, thumb and nose right into the rock-- I couldn't see it at all because I had been blinded. The picture above is the photo that the flash captured before I slammed!
Two more questions and their answers after the jump!
AR: What are three things that the nude adventurer should be careful of when venturing out into the wild?
SC: The nude adventurer should be careful about these three things (as well as many more)...first, the poisons--Poison Oak and Poison Ivy--shrubbery and nudity don't mix well! Second, be careful of the sun...amorous intent makes you careless about exposing your white bits to the big yellow ball in the sky. You're horny and the brain 
ain't workin' in the normal way--don't forget the sunscreen, because you may be out there Pokin' 'n relaxin' for longer than you thought!! And Third, be careful and considerate of other people. A spot that may be secluded on a Tuesday morning might be way busy on a Saturday afternoon. No family out with their kids wants to spy you trying to start a family of your own. And, as I detailed on page 13...being caught having sex makes it "Indecent" and thus illegal. Be careful to "beat off" the path, find seclusion and privacy so you can frolic worry-free!
AR: If you could make a special request for a book about getting naked and adventurous in another state park, where would it be and why?
SC: I'd love to see a guidebook like mine for any of the Hawaiian Islands--jungle waterfall nooks, secret caves behind cascades...hidden beaches, wild trees, etc etc. I don't want one book for all the isles, because that would spread the potential places too thin. What I like about my guide is that everything is within 70 miles--you can go on "tour" and hit a bunch of places in one outing. How fun would it be to fly to an Hawaiian Island and then just cruise around for a couple of days from one remote spot to the next...all the while blood and hormones racing in anticipation of both adventure, risk, romance...ahhh, LIFE!
