Rachael started hiking naked after a breakup (Picture: PA Real Life)

How do you deal with a breakup?

Ice cream? Watching horror movies? Writing a list of all the ways your ex was actually human trash?

Rachael Fitzpatrick took a different approach – and we’re big fans.

After breaking up with the man she planned to marry, she made a resolution: to say ‘yes’ to everything.


So began her Yes Year, with the goal of trying new things and taking on any opportunity that came her way.

One of those new things was hiking naked.

Rachael had hiked before, having gone for long strolls in the outback since childhood, but she usually did it with clothes on.



Now she sets off into the wilds every weekend without a scrap of clothing, documenting her naked travels on Instagram.

Following the end of a six year relationship, Rachael started her ‘Yes Year’ (Picture: PA Real Life)

‘It’s the feeling of total liberation that I love,’ she says. ‘The feeling of being completely free and close to nature – it’s just awesome.

‘Going out into the big wide world and baring yourself totally can be a little daunting at first, but once you’ve gotten over that initial fear it is so rewarding.

‘It really helped me to become more comfortable in my own skin and about who I am – and I know that I’m a much stronger person for it.’

Rachael is now an ambassador for body positivity campaign Get Naked Australia, and credits her naked hiking as a major factor in her confidence.

She tried hiking naked with a friend and fell in love with the feeling (Picture: PA Real Life)

It all began back in 2016, when her six-year relationship came to an end. Rachael decided that a Year of Yes would be the best way to get over any heartbreak.

She went on a hiking holiday with her friend Mark in 2017, and on a secluded path up in the hills discovered the joy of getting her kit off.

‘Mark was some way ahead of me,’ Rachael remembers. ‘Then when I eventually caught up with him I found that he had taken all of his clothes off. “Come on,” he said, “what are you waiting for?” And so I took mine off too – and found that I loved it.’

She says the hobby has given her a new love for her body (Picture: PA Real Life)

Her love for naked hiking caught on, and now she often takes friends and family members along for the journey.

There are certain things Rachael has to consider when hiking out in Australia without the protection of clothes.

‘I obviously have to lotion myself up quite thoroughly because the sun can be really strong,’ she says.

‘And there is of course the danger too of snakes and spiders, with which I have had many encounters throughout the years I have been hiking.

Rachael wants to encourage others to give it a go (Picture: PA Real Life)

‘But for the most part they aren’t too much of a problem – though I know I am probably a bit too blase about it all.’

She hasn’t had any negative feedback from fellow walkers who come across her striding along naked, and wants to encourage anyone tempted to give it a go.



‘I came across a lady a few months ago who saw me strolling along naked and we got chatting about why I do it and how great it makes me feel,’ says Rachael.

‘Then a couple of weeks later she sent me a picture of herself on a naked hike too, saying that I had inspired her – and that felt really great.

‘Some people might think it’s a little strange to go wandering around naked all the time in public, but just from my experience alone it has been so helpful in making me a stronger, happier woman.

‘And if it can be a help for other people too then I want to share that.’

MORE: You can swim naked in a vat of beer with unlimited booze on tap in Iceland

MORE: It’s never okay to talk about an ex’s penis size

Advertisement Advertisement