Tell us about your most memorable Canadian summer skinny dipping moment. Perhaps you took a plunge into a frozen mountain river off B.C.’s Highway 93. (Not that we’d EVER do a thing like that.) Or maybe you peeled it off for a bathtub-warm lake in Northern Ontario? (Nope, not us!) Where were you and why was the experience so memorable?
Katherine Govier commented:
Went for a picnic by 18 foot boat in Georgian Bay. Tied up boat in sheltered cove; it was hot; we went swimming. Wind changed and boat came untied and began to drift away (quickly). Husb, friend and I went into rescue mode for boat, but could not stop it. Fortunately it drifted across toward another small island where other picnickers caught the trailing rope. We swam to them, emerged from water in all our splendour, and with dignity climbed back into boat.
Sandra Wiebe commented:
Just a few years ago – at an all girls week (7 of us 45 and over!) – Lake of the Woods, Ontario. The 7 of us had met overseas and had gathered for a week of just girls kind of fun. We went skinny dipping the first night and swam out to the dock where there was a diving board. One lady had left her panties on – when teased, she quickly stripped and tossed them into the lake! Apparently the neighbors heard from across the lake – good thing it was dark and the water was warm!!
JodyR commented:
Once. Penticton. Summer of the MC Hammer riot. Nuff said.
Michael Allemeier commented:
In my life before kids I was obsessive about rock climbing. While living in YVR, I would spend 2 days a week climbing in Squamish BC. The best part of the day was when my wife and I would be returning to YVR all “alive” after surviving another day at Squamish. We would stop at a creek just out of West Van and go skinny dipping! Cold mountain streams in the heat of summer are the best!
Don commented:
Waking at the first raven’s croak in the deep woods, I leave my friends asleep in their tents and make my way to the lakeshore. Summoning my courage in the cool morning air, I shuck off my clothes and plunge into the calm clear water. Then, shivering, I listen to the loons as I wait for the sun’s first rays to find me. Thank you for reawakening these memories.
Lynn Heinrich commented:
Skinny Dip at the “Springs”
All names have been changed to protect the innocent.
I’m sure we weren’t the first nor have been the last but it is still one of my most memorable “times” not to mention “skinny dip.” If you’ve ever walked the long and historical halls of this iconic Canadian establishment, the Banff Springs Hotel, you’ll know that it is a maze; not unlike a stroll through Venice. One minute you know where you are and the next you’re all turned around. For skinny dipping purposes you have a beautiful pool area. From the outdoor pool you have a picturesque view of the Rocky Mountains that begs for a post-midnight dip.
So think: 1) “girls weekend” in Banff, 2) staying at the Springs, 3) dinner out and afterwards a bit of Clubbing (the boys in in clubs at Banff are a lovely view too) add in a very tempting pool and you have a recipe for a challenge (said with a French accent).
We arrived back to the hotel after a night of cavorting, where we danced with arms held well above our heads, and decided we should have a dip in the pool. Why not? It’s just down the hall and there are the lovely plush white robes and slippers to sport on our travels. We all met up in the hall, clad in robes and then we just had to find the pool. Unfortunately along the way we get very lost and eventually attracted the attention of security. Not to be dissuaded we carry on through the maze determined that we could locate the pool and gain entry. Only problem was when the sign says “Pool Closed” entry is an extra challenge (yes, said with a French accent).
So what are 4 resourceful women to do? Break and enter of course. So as to not make a long story any longer – we came, we swam and we scaled the 8ft rod iron fence to do it and escaped security all naked, laughing and flushed with adrenalin, exuberance and exhilaration you can only get from a skinny dip.
Check; have skinny dipped at the Banff Springs Hotel. Maybe there’s a club?
Terry Belleville commented:
Ah, the joy of a skinny dip: an abundance of water and an absence of clothes. Love it. I’ve skinny dipped in lakes, I’ve skinny dipped in oceans but my most memorable skin dip was on a mountain in Kananaskis Country. An elderly German man once told me to always have a plastic bag inside my backpack. And so, with a plastic bag stashed in my pack. I set forth on a hike just a little closer to heaven in Kananaskis. I was well off the trail when it suddenly started to rain, to pour. That’s when I took my German friend’s advice. I quickly stripped off and stashed all my clothes in the plastic bag in my backpack. Skin dries quickly. Clothes less so. When the rain stopped, I could redress in my dry gear and comfortably press on. There I was naked in the water, skinny dipping on a mountain. Well, the rain stopped but by then I was one with nature and hiked a little further up the edge of the mountain. As I came around a bend, there, off in the distance, there was a bear, a grizzly, and he saw me. I have never been so totally naked, so totally vulnerable in my life. If anyone has a vague memory of a nude hiker sprinting down a mountain, it was me. Of all my skinny dipping moments, that may be the most memorable. Would I do it again? For sure.