Nude Hiking :: Part 2 (NSFW)

February 27, 2019 in Aloha, Adventure, Artist Diary, Inspiration

This may seem an odd place to share this adventure, but I have come to look at my blog as a bit of a journal so sharing this incredible experience with fellow art lovers like you seems somehow fitting….

Hopefully you caught this very special blog post from a few weeks ago featuring myself and two of my favorite sister artists hiking a super high ridge line on the Westside of O’ahu. All of the ethereal photos in that post were by my fellow nude hiker and professional photographer friend Stephanie Stein, but today I wanted to share the other photos from that epic day - the ones we snapped on our cell phones while eating lunch, taking photos, and just generally frolicking around.

As I’m sure you can imagine, this was one of the best, most invigorating, and somehow transformative hikes any of us have ever experienced. To quote Emsy as she was climbing ever higher to stand proudly on teeny ledges jutting out over the valley below, “I’ve never been so naked in my whole life!”

In this artist’s humble opinion, being comfortably naked is one of the best gifts you can give yourself. Too often in modern consumerist society we are told about all the imperfections that buying random products can solve without being lauded for who we are naturally.

I mean, it makes sense. It’s hard to sell bullshit to people who are content.

So that’s why it’s ever more important to find joys in our own ways in our own bodies. It’s hard to feel sub par within your body when it makes you feel powerful and exhilarated!

So if you can, try and find an unusual place to be naked soon! Whether you try a naked hike like us, decide to find a secret beach where you can sun your buns, or just sip some tea and read next Sunday’s paper in the buff in your backyard, taking a little time to be naked in nature will make you feel like a whole new person. Would love to hear your experiences in the comments!

PS. If you’re curious, we hiked in regular clothes until we felt nicely secluded then disrobed and continued on. We also learned that at least shorts are needed on the way back down or else one must be prepared for a very grass-tickled bottom during steep descent areas ;)

2.27.2019

Happy Aloha Friday!

June 16, 2017 in Aloha, Adventure

....just in case you were wondering what 13 years worth of dreadlocks splayed out on a beach towel looks like....

My friend Emsy and I playing in the light at the semi-underground Mermaid Caves on Westside O'ahu. Fun fact, her dreads are actually as long as mine - the only girl I know who twins me!

Before we hit up the Mermaid Caves, Emsy and I did a quickie calf-burner hike up the nearby ridge, Pu'u Heleakula. Then afterwards, Kyveli met us for a swim at Electric Beach. I am so lucky to have such awesome friends to go adventuring with!

I share lots about my life in Hawai'i on my Instagram @caleighbird. Pop on over and have a looksy here!

originally posted: June 16, 2017

Life! Aaargh!

May 07, 2017 in Adventure, Aloha, Artist Diary

What a week! I have been feeling that old saying, "when it rains, it pours!" These past ten days have been seriously teaching me the art of patience, which, as you can see, I was not exactly in the mood to learn right now ;)

My internet modem crashed Thursday of last week so I spent the weekend trying to figure out the most efficient use of the internet off my phone and at a local coffee shop for all my work all weekend. The new modem didn't arrive until Monday, which, of course, I was busy with the May Day workers' rights rally and my figure drawing session all day. Tuesday I was able to catch up a little bit online, and then Wednesday at noon as soon as I was sitting down to catch up, my computer crashed. Like completely crashed. Like reboot factory-settings type crash.

AWESOME!!

So after spending hours with customer support all afternoon and then having my most wonderful boyfriend, Tim, spend all night figuring out how to wipe clean and reboot my hard drive, I got to wake up Thursday to a 'brand new' computer. Trust me, it sounds way better than it is... blah!

The best part of my week was definitely my Friday morning hike! My friend Kyveli and I conquered the Kuliouou ridge in under four exhilarating hours. It's hard to be too upset at computer stuff when I can distract myself charging up to the top of th… — The best part of my week was definitely my Friday morning hike! My friend Kyveli and I conquered the Kuliouou ridge in under four exhilarating hours. It's hard to be too upset at computer stuff when I can distract myself charging up to the top of the world...

I am now in the process of re-uploading all of my programs, my entire operating system, and all pertinent photos and documents. Long story short, everything always takes twice as much time as one expects, so dear reader, this is the very best I could muster for this weekend's blog post.

Hopefully this offers a little peek into the life of a working artist, and shows that even if things look all nice and shiny form the outside, we all have unfortunate events to deal with and overcome. I'll be spending some extra hours at my desk this week to catch up on my admin work, but all in all, I'm just relieved that the internet is on and I didn't have to drop half a grand on a new computer.

And let this be a reminder to everyone to always, always have a backup hard drive..... or two!

Overlooking Hawai'i Kai on the left and the very end of Waikiki Beach on the far right during the descent. We could see the entire East side of O'ahu during this fantastic hike.

I know not everyone can just pop out and do hikes like these, but what are some other ways you like to unwind and reinvigorate? Leave me a note below!

originally posted: May 27, 2017