2024-04-03
We met Ken and Amie out near the entrance to the Ironwood Forest National Monument for a campout.
The planning had come a few weeks before, by them, for the day after April Fools. Coming down from the Prescott area, they had invited several naturists from many spots around Arizona. Not everyone could show up, but on Tuesday afternoon five of us were at ready and more would arrive Wednesday.
The weather gave us turquoise skies, the air in the high 70F’s and Wednesday would be even warmer. We had lucked into a warm few days in-between dastardly much colder and rainy stretches. This winter has been a series of unusually warmer streaks alternating with plenty of rainfall and chills.
These weather conditions generally will bring a strong seasonal blooming and The Ironwood Forest National Monument is one of the best showcases for that. If you catch it right, carpets of bright colors among the lush green desert trees are both fascinating and beautiful. The rugged red rocks and soil have produced a magical place. This is one of only two intact Ironwood ecosystems left on the planet. They are not only filled with Ironwood, but abundant saguaro and other succulents with the biodiverse ground cover.
After being greeted by our old friends and a new acquaintance, who knew us from this website, we get ourselves arranged for the night and catch up next to a set of warm gas burners between us. The sun drops behind Ragged Top Mountain, its jagged edges silhouetted along with the desert vegetation. It is framed as the sky colors slowly turn incredibly rich royal blues and then the cosmos appear in the dark skies.
We talk on before turning in. We watch that sky through the net of our tent in the quiet still night. We sleep deep and peaceful in the silence. A troupe of loud coyotes nearly comes through camp, waking me right before dawn.
In the morning, Ken, Dave and I head off to Ragged top, so I can orientate them to what I have in mind for hiking today. It is a comparatively richer desert in the monument. I stop at a familiar campsite. Soon, I find Dave standing with his arms out stretched breathing in the clear air, which is still affected by the rains that fell less than 48 hours before. He looks like he has found his element and expresses his delight to stand in a naked body in nature. At that moment, I know how he is a kindred spirit, with a true naturist’s understanding.
The Free Range Naturist 