We have been hiking in the Wilderness of Rocks and filled with awe.
We have been surprised by the unusual number of other hikers. We took no clothing, but even so, nobody gives any objections. Instead all is very positive. As we are about to discover, even extremely positive.
Here is the beginning of this story:
https://thefreerangenaturist.org/2020/08/23/wilderness-of-rocks-trail-beyond/
Now, the story continues… Continue reading
It is great weather up here. We’re camped up near Lemmon Pools in the Catalina Mountains. We have all day to explore the Wilderness of Rocks Trail. We can go beyond the farthest point that we have hiked, so far. We can go to the trail’s end and then as far as may be interesting on the intersecting trail.
We plan to be back for a noon lunch, so DF takes only a few grapes to snack. With the shorter distance and it being only 9am, we figure that we only need a liter water bottle and a camera each. The plan is to wear only moccasin-like toe shoes in a sense of complete nudity and unencumbered freedom. Our nakedness here in the wilderness feels very good.
Grass Feels Good on a Body
I figure that most people travel on the previous loop trail, or go to the Lemmon Pools. We have never seen but a few people pass by on the trail when camping near it. This trail is in an even more remote area.
With a sense of bare natural freedom, we walk away from everything to the main trail. We expect a trove of scenic surprises and a very few people, if anybody…we don’t know it now, but surprises will abound. Continue reading
I’ve been hankerin’ to do this backpack trip for a few years. I had been down the trail to an extent several times, but this will be two nights with a day in the middle to make the best of the rest of the Wilderness of Rocks. It is a massive collection of oddly shaped rock, filled with hoodoo’s and form.
We carnude the long winding Mt. Lemmon Highway to Summer Haven and then through to Marshall Gulch trailhead. It is a familiar trip that has never ceased to capture my awe. It rises through the various ecosystems from desert (2500 feet altitude) at 105F to a lofty cooler pine coated low 80F’s (9200 feet). Along the way, rock formations and vistas entertain. This is just a beginning to a wondrous trip.
With Covid-19 well entrenched and the first really hot days of the year, we expect some more people than usual. We are concerned with parking near the trailhead and can anticipate the population up the popular Marshall Gulch Trail. After a saddle, we will switch to a different trail, where there will be fewer hikers in this remote spot.
Today, the normally congested parking is more so. Every picnic table is filled, but blessings happen and we pull into the perfect spot, which I had envisioned on the way up. The car will be safe and we won’t be tired and adding to the hike on the way back.
I get out, working out a way to get dressed for the foray. I need to get my sarong in place, but with a pair of tables literally staring at me this is difficult. Open car doors and quick actions hide my tush. Anyone might suspect what is happening, but people do change outfits. I make the effort to hide my body and comply with the law. The excuse is that the toilet is closed for Covid and to discourage use of the trail. Obviously, this Forest Service strategy hasn’t worked out.
The sarong and backpack is unusual for trail outfitting. I get some curious looks, but everyone understands that it isn’t polite to stare. We begin our 1.2 mile climb.
We’ve done it at last. I have created a glamping setup for us. I’ve been calling it “the summer house.” It is for taking off on longer retreats to the cool mountains.
It is time for this. The western mountain’s rains can make a tent cold and clammy and my old tent that we called “The Big Top” had sprung some threadbare leaks.
The practice of enjoying naturism can be lost when the weather changes. Huddled up in a cold clammy tent is just frustrating. I realized that I had to have a warm dry heating source to combat this. This requires a canvas tent, ready for a heater. I already had an old military issue wood burning stove. I have been scouring the internet, looking and comparing, reading and shopping for the ideal tent for our needs.
The first fire quickly had us uncomfortable in our clothes. Just as quickly, we discovered stripping to be the perfect solution to the heat.
I chose a bell tent, from “White Duck” company. It has a built-in fireproof outlet for a stove jack. The shape gives plenty of headroom to move about and stretch. There is little to no stooping under the tent ceiling. The overall diameter is 13 feet, or four meters. The center pole is over eight and a half feet tall.The tent walls on this one are at three feet, which gives more room than most bell tents.
The summer house is supposed to be a healthy habitat. I want to exercise my body’s needs by setting up a more primitive lifestyle. My strategy is to live low to the floor, Japanese fashion. The extra inches of wall work well for sitting on a cushion, or on the rugs. We have our Thermorest sleeping pads, which now have attachments to fold them up like tatami chairs with a supportive backrest. A low table fits into the system. The thinking is that modern man doesn’t use many parts of his body, having eliminated squatting and getting up off the floor. This plan builds in essential exercise integrating with lounging comfort and more space.
The Free Range Naturist 