2014-09-22

The recent heavy rains from the Mexican hurricanes have replaced the monsoon rains that had been missing AND then some. Yep, it’s Arizona and we have had a drought. I knew that Redington Pass would be flowing well and didn’t want to miss the opportunity. Monday would be a day with no threat of more rain and a consequent flashflood.

I made the time, but DF couldn’t do the same. I decided to invite friends who were available for a Monday excursion. I found two.

We left somewhat early. One picked up the other and arrived at DF’s place to meet up and get into my 4×4.

They look at my wraparound and fivefinger shoes attire. She remarks with a curious glance, on how “minimalist” my hiking attire is. These are two friends that DF and I have spent extensive time with nude, but their concept is driving there and then stripping down. Mine is of course…different.

Elaine hadn’t been out hiking in a few years. Buck had yet been to the nude area of the canyon at Redington. It has been many years since he visited and that was before the lower area had been inundated by the textile clad. This begins conversation about nudity laws, free range naturism, and anecdotal stories of the ilk. The discussion lasts all the way out to the pass. She is learning more about a zealot’s attitude about getting around naked and today will become a time of many eye-opening lessons. He on the other hand has been around this for a while.

DF and I had been there a few weeks earlier and it had been barren, with little water. It had been disappointing. Today, as we begin to drive into the area, I am impressed by the green coloring of the hills and mountains. On a Monday, I am also surprised that there are a few cars already there when we arrive. There is no one with these cars, so I immediately stuff my wrap into my bag, just in case I need it, when I return to the parking area. For now, it is the last thing that I care about.

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2011-05-10

Skinny Dipping at La Paloma

La Paloma is a wonderful resort perched up in the Catalina Foothills, an upscale part of Tucson. There are all of the amenities and plenty of golf.

I’ve lifted several photos from their website to illustrate our story. It is actually as nice as the pictures. Their Website: http://www.westinlapalomaresort.com/#2

We met friends at the Westin La Paloma Resort to celebrate DF’s Birthday. We populated the happy hour with several tables of friends after work. We lavished ourselves on cocktails and horduerves as the party conversed. DF opened presents, as well wishes and affection washed over her.

Inside there is Opulence

As things were winding down, about 7:30, DF decided that she would like to take a walk around the grounds. This is a very elegant resort, multilevel with staircases and large windows looking up at the Catalina Mountains north from their foothills. To the south, as the sunlight disappeared, the famous lights of Tucson twinkled below in the valley. We meandered about and then out the doors with their brass bars. We strolled through the outdoor dining and fire pits and into the pool areas.

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2018-02-17

Our three day Valentine’s plans have been dramatically changed, but we have been provided with a perhaps more rich alternative. Here is Part I:

https://thefreerangenaturist.org/2018/02/23/a-valentine-and-eden-2018-trip-report/

New Explorations:

While enjoying a large cup of apple, cinnamon and almonds concoction that DF had made up, we feel the warm intensity of the sun on our nude backs. It is beautiful. I suggest a hike.  We’ll head north into the desert, just head out.

Shoes on, we slide through the rusty barbed wire fence and off the property. A bottle of water and cameras are all that we require.

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2018-02-16

Valentine’s Celebration for two:

We have three days together to relax over a weekend and we have decided to relax at the hot springs for a Valentines.

The weather report was looking good. We have been in a drought for a year. There had been a brief, but a deluge of a monsoon back in July. It rained once in December, last spring was dry. The weather has been warm and skies blue for months. February is usually Arizona Springtime.

We are surprised, when as our plans approach, rain comes. A huge cloud has sat down upon us and stayed. There are three straight days of rain. In my lifetime’s memory, it hasn’t rained three days straight in Tucson. We are not looking at the best of luck.

Record breakers and extremes are everywhere. I keep picturing one of those circus performers in the glittery vests that spin plates on top of broom sticks. If he doesn’t attend to them, they start to wobble, and then more, and then more, as the drama increases. He saves them in just the neck of time, or they fall off. I don’t know what fall off would be, but this planet is sure getting some extreme wobbles.

So the unthinkable has arrived on us and against the odds. We have to change course for Valentine’s. We will wait it out with a day at my place. We start out with cards and fancy dark chocolate, after a home cooked lunch. After a rest, I go out to stoke up the sweat/sauna. The cold wet weather gives me the feel of an authentic Swedish sauna.

The wood pile has managed to get soaked, which is not usually an Arizona problem. I sort out what is okay, and manage to get a relatively dry pile together. As the wood stove heats, we place some wood across the rocks that are on top of the heater box to dry.

The temperature begins to rise. First it is just comfortable and out of the cold, so that we can disrobe. Then, slowly, like lobsters in a pot, we begin to sweat.

We decide to keep the temperature a bit lower than usual, so that we can stay in the cozy box longer. The table bench gets a pad and towels, so that we can lay down on it and trade massage. Valentine’s is a pampering day, filled with pleasant little gifts. The candelabra are lit for ambiance in the rustic free form structure. After another log, a dash of water is spread on the stones, and before we know it, three hours of pleasure have passed.

We have turned around a lousy day. It is even fun and sensual to step outside, cooling off, as the chilly rain places droplets all over our bodies. I soon realize that I have lost the need of clothing. We prefer to wander around outside naked, comfortable in the cold.

We wash up and go out to an Indian Bistro, then return home to gather the remaining tidbits and pack for our trip. The weather might be good at the springs.  If not, we can always taking refuge in the hot water. We cautiously take robes for the two days.

There happens to be a party invitation texted on the smartphone and we can sleep in a warm cozy yurt with a potbelly stove on Saturday night.

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2017-10-02

Pt.1 can be found here:

https://thefreerangenaturist.org/2018/02/08/walker-basin-trail-136-pt-1-a-trip-report/

The Next Leg:

The next leg of the trail isn’t steep. It runs along the edge of the mountainside and is fairly level. Before noon arrives the vegetation changes. We are on the northern slope, now. We are soon involved in what we call tall pine alley and new growth pine alley.

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2017-10-01

After a day babysitting grand-daughter, we are on our way south to the cute little town of Patagonia. We get ice for the cooler at a Tucson convenience store and immediately strip in the parking lot. Tonight, we will get closer to the trailhead for an early morning hike, high into the southern end of the Santa Rita Mountains.

On the way south, I have DF read an article in the latest issue of “N” Magazine about “naking” or naked hiking. We decide that we are not too fond of the contraction, but the attitude fits well. The authors stated that they have been hiking the Appalachian Trail for years, nude. They don’t cover up, they just act as if they are oblivious that they are naked and hundreds of people during encounters, have treated them in that way in the exchanges. I had written out my thinking on the topic and we share that. I have mentioned before, my intention to take this different tactic in my hiking. I then propose that we both take this weekend in that way, stuffing my sarong and her shirt away into the backpack. We’ll greet others in this manner and see how it goes. We can’t liberate others, if we are not liberated ourselves. We also need to explore our feelings during such encounters and recondition our learned behavior. DF concurs.

We are excited, already feeling a sense of adventure, as we drive down the winding two lane road and dusk turns to night.

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02-14-2015

DF had been sick all week, felt weak and was just playing her hand as it came. I had a cap pop off of my tooth and the only time that the Mexican dentist could cover it was…in the middle of Valentine’s Day. The prognosis was looking kind of bland, but as the day progressed I sensed that there was something perfect in the air.

We headed down to Nogales that morning. As we got nearer to the border, the sunny day, projected to be high 70F’s in Tucson was beginning to get overcast. The elevation down south is higher and the temperature could be expected to be a few degrees cooler. This was not a good sign. We proceeded across the border arriving at the 11:00am appointment at 10:59. Things were somehow working out perfectly. The procedure came out with less needing done, a cavity that would have become a root canal was exposed and so problems were prevented. To top it off, this trip was very inexpensive. We happened to check price on a needed prescription at the local “pharmacia” and discovered another brand at one tenth the cost of the stateside pirate drug dealers that are known as Big Pharm. Things WERE looking up.

We had decided to take the scenic cruise back, going through Patagonia and stop off at the cute little town. We found a spot to park across the street from the “Velvet Elvis Pizza” establishment and strode in through the patio garden hungry and ready to eat. It was way past our lunch time. There greeting us inside, was the large velvet portrait of “The King.” Back before the free trade agreement destroyed the border tariffs, it was always a fun trip to visit the border towns on the other side and shop for curios, Mexican made tourist stuff. One of the favorites that I grew up seeing, were the black velvet sheets for a canvas with oil paint depictions upon them. These classic Mexi-Americana are not to be seen anymore, but not forgotten. This one was prime. I don’t wish to denigrate the décor, it was beautiful, with well-done iron furniture with long sheets of mesquite wood, polished for table tops, tile…well, we didn’t think to take pictures.

We decided that the patio would be the very best. We sat under a trellis canopy of Tombstone Rose. This species of plant was imported from China to Tombstone, Arizona back in the days of Wyatt Earp. The original plant still grows there, a huge beautiful vine all over one of the old original buildings for tourists. Cuttings are available. This former cutting had been trained most impressively above us.

We had a delicious meal. Me, a Sonoran style pizza with a Mexican glass bottled coke. DF had a well-executed curry dish and bright red hibiscus tea. By the time that we finished the special Valentine desert (a smooth vanilla Dairy Queen or frozen yogurt style ice cream in a crystal goblet, topped with brandy, Kailua, and dark brandied cherries) our day was looking very bright indeed, despite the overcast.

Pink Manzanita Blooms

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A Continuing Series

2015-12-24

There has been weather never before seen here. We have passed through many consecutive days of record breaking freezes and cold days. It is supposed to be cold, but the sun is out. I take my naked body as a thermometer out the door for a quick reconnoiter. In the sun, it is nice. The slight breeze gives a slight chill, but I am only slightly bothered. I need exercise and vitamin D. There should be no problems, if I keep moving.

I rush back in, gather my protective Vibram KSO’s and drink some water and kombucha. I then rush out the door.

I begin at a more brisk pace than usual. I had thought of jogging on the jeep trail. The new neighbor’s construction appeared to not be happening on Christmas Eve. But also to consider, there would be no rattlers under the brush and the stealth trail is so much more interesting. My pace quickens, as I get my footing. I begin to use my arms more to balance and maneuver around the brush and prickers. I am using a whole different set of muscles than jogging. Still, I am aware at each footstep, watching for cholla prickers in their characteristic bundles and buds. I take care about soft sand with collapsible tunnels dug in it and the uneven surfaces of rocks. None of my motion feels redundant.

The ground is soft from the rains. Under my footing, I see the imprints of several deer. In time, I realize that they are following my trail. Each leg of the stealth system reveals more of this consistent pattern. When I arrive at a bush that I jump over to hide the course of the trail, the prints jump as well! It is uncanny and this continues all the way to Havarock. How do they know?

My pace has increased as I gallop over bushes, between bushes, onto rocks buried in the ground. It is a lovely impromptu dance to watch myself doing. Sometimes running, sometimes jumping, I find it very fun and very diverse.

As I arrive at Havarock, I hear the rumble of a larger animal with hooves, a commotion. It could be deer, or javalina. As I cross the collection of boulders and mount the large rock of refuge, to my left, I see six or seven of the furry piglike critters. They are moving, disrupted by my presence. They are in a herd behavior. I stand, collect my hands and mentally coast into a meditative state, to send them the energy that is familiar to me as a natural divine grace. They immediately stop, relax and even begin to return to the shelter of the hackberry bush that they congregate under.

Heading Back to the Hackberry Bush Sanctuary

It is a complete uniform stop, not like a leader directed stop, they just all responded at the same time. It is as if I have used Jedi mind tricks. Yes, you may ask, “What kind of hoodoo, woo woo silliness is this?

I have noticed this in javalina before. The first time that I tried it, I was hiking nude deep in the Tortolita Mountains alone. Before we were aware of each other, I passed a pack of them on the side of the trail. The two males bolted, hightailing through the dense vegetation up the side of the steep slope of a large hill and out of sight. I had no clue that they could move like that, let alone through such thick vegetation. I would take me a half an hour to get through there, which they traversed in a matter of seconds.

They left a mother with a brand new babe. The cute little thing was so tiny that it could walk under her legs. It was so young that it still had the brown coat before grey sets in. It seemed to bounce along on its tiny legs.

They crossed the trail where I had just been. I felt bad disturbing them making them fearful. As mom and babe began to ascend the hill I did this energy thing. They immediately stopped and began to browse and relaxed.

We have been working with transpersonal energies for decades. I did my master’s thesis on it. I know that it does work on people, but this application is fascinating.

Back to Today:

Today, after this sense of oneness shared with my neighbors, I stand on Havarock and pray thanks for the gift. It is quite moving.

Young One Blends in Below Me

I start again through the desert, again in my movements and exercise. My body temperature, even when the sun goes behind a cloud is stable. I’m warm. My breath becomes slightly heavier at the pace. I’m achieving a degree of an aerobic state. I’m using a variety of muscles, and my movements are negotiated in a spontaneous manner. I’m moving fast enough on this stealth course that I find myself off of the trail by mistake. I use this opportunity to survey a fallen decayed saguaro giant. It has broken on the rocks. The previously accordion-like ribs of its skeletal structure are splayed in many directions.

I pause and look out over the vista at the massive Catalina Mountains. The clouds have lifted, which had appeared to cut off their tops, making them look as if they were buttes. There is snow up there. The mountains are white capped.

After this breather, I’m jogging, jumping, galloping, and dodging back over this course, which is anything but a path. It is great to run and see what an intricate machine we all have been blessed with.

I return to home, invigorated…with a moment’s deliberation, I do it again! Naked fun! So alive!

A Continuing Series

2015-11-14

Remains of an Old Friend’s Passing

I have been limited by nerve damage between my toes from a Cholla cactus for over six weeks. My hiking has been limited, but I still have been able to go to and enjoy Havarock. It is wonderful to have a place for a short hike and not overdo it.

We have had a couple of nights dipping deep into the 30F’s, so there are fewer reptiles about. The rattlers will soon all be in hibernation. When nobody is there to bite us, it will be a time to do some free range roaming, bushwhacking around the hills, so to speak.

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2018-01-11

When we left off last time…

…We had taken a New Years hike in a very crowded area, split from the trail, and discovered a wonderful natural interlude. The old wrangler had mentioned that there was a waterfall that would be fun, when there were rains.

It rained! It rained well. We had had drought for months and then three weeks of monsoon deluge in July. Then, only one sprinkle until we received a proper rain in December. We just woke up to more wet blessing on Wednesday morning. Thus, here in Arizona, that suggests…no, demands an “!”.

With this moister in mind and that we both had a Thursday off together, it seemed like a fun thing to investigate the waterfall, which might be during the opportune time of catching it with a water flow. There was a drawback, however. The temperatures would be a high of 60F. In that area, the chill of the mountain air drops off, flowing down through the canyons and that was where we were headed. It could be warm enough, maybe not.

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