Huckleberries: Reporter gets down to bare facts

And the answer is (as Gov. Butch Otter once said): Not only no, but hell no. The question? Would you run nude in public and then tell about it? Then, I’m not Shenelle Kraack, of the St. Maries Gazette-Record. Shenelle, a self-described extrovert, said she jumped at the chance when invited to participate in the Bare Buns Fun Run at Kaniksu Ranch, near Loon Lake, Wash. And then had second thoughts when race day arrived. She describes her first view of nudist colony life – a “senior gentleman parking attendant waving us up to the start line, completely nude except for his bright orange vest.” For her prerace attire, Shenelle donned a sports bra, a Cougar T-shirt for easy removal, some loose-fitting shorts and running shoes. She wore only her shoes to the starting line at 9:30. Then, they were off. Again, Shenelle: “300-plus buff naked souls careening down a hill and then running back up to the encouragement of the walkers and strollers.” She finished in “a respectable 36 minutes.” And stayed nekkid to eat, sunbathe, watch volleyball and listen to music. She claims nudity was the last thing on her mind during that time and that she learned several lessons, including: “put sunscreen on every inch of skin you have,” and “sports bras were invented for a reason.” Summing up, Shenelle pledged not to stage “nudity is beautiful” protests or walk to work au naturel. Participatory journalism has changed since I was a cub reporter.