Walk A Mile To Get Naked? Hell No!

I decided to stop at Little Mud Creek on Hutchinson Island yesterday afternoon as I was driving from Stuart to Fort Pierce, Florida. I have passed this spot many times, and the parking lot always seems to be packed, especially on weekends. I finally decided to find out what the attraction was. With a name like Little Mud Creek, it does not sound all that inviting, right? As soon as I parked, I noticed the sign in the photograph on the left stating that the "Clothing Optional Beach is Located at Blind Creek, 1 mile south," and that "Nudity Is Not Permitted Here at Little Mud." And I should hope not. In any case, I headed onto the path toward both the beach and the ramp allowing you to launch your boat into Little Mud Creek, which leads directly to the Indian River. 

I took the beach path and noticed still another sign at the entrance, as seen in the photograph on the right. Not only did the sign once again mention that clothing was required, but even displayed a map showing in yellow where clothing was required, and the area in red where clothing was optional. Everything certainly seemed normal - just typical beach goers heading to and from the beach with their aluminum chairs in tow. I headed up that path looking to find out what made this beach so special.

And when I got to the top of the dune, I took a photograph of the ocean in front of me and then noticed that the guy in that photograph was naked. And as I got a little closer, I looked to my right and saw a very old guy, also buck naked, slowly shuffling to the water. Evidently the signs are just ignored, and Little Mud Creek Beach appears to be popular with those who are too lazy, too stupid, or too old to walk a mile down the beach to the area where they are supposed to be.

On my way back to the car, I checked out the boat ramp and pier at Little Mud Creek, where I took the photograph on the right. It is actually a very pretty place, contrary to its name. And as I approached my car, I realized that there were far more cars in the parking lot than there were beach goers. When I checked on the internet later, I learned that the parking lot at Blind Creek Beach, which is clothing optional, was undergoing renovations, and most of the people who left their cars at Little Mud actually must have made the one-mile trek down there. In any case, I must admit I do not understand the mindset. It reminds me of Bill Bryson, the English American travel writer and humorist, who wrote in his book "Neither Here nor There" about staying in a B&B in Germany and perusing a magazine - Der Spiegel? -  in the common area. He found a story with lots of photographs about life at home for a German couple, typical in every way except that they were nudists. And spent every minute doing chores around the house or whatever else completely naked. His conclusion - there are a lot of strange people in this world, and I definitely have to agree.