A Continuing Series

Having just wrote the last post, I am inspired to take a walk out the trail. I think to bring my camera, but instead my stomach distracts me and I carry only a tasty smoothie in a plastic cup. The thought is that the walk might put focus into a mindful slurping on the fruity nectar.

I stop every so often from watching my step, to a pause in the trail, observing my surroundings. There is a more overcast sky today, the temperature is very comfortable, no heat from the sun. The whispy pink fairy dusters are scattered among the rocks. In the distance, the hills are lit up, coated in yellow with the flowering of paloverde and sage. The grey sky brings out a different tint to the vegetation. Grey is more grey. It appears in many shades. The grey-green plants stand out bright in contrast.

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2016-04-04

Having made our way up the “unmaintained” road from Sheep Bridge on the Verde River, we pull onto FR 18. The road immediately becomes particularly crappy. It is mostly grey rocks in a grassy pinion pine forest. There is much ecological transition here. It is an odd mixture like pinion high grass land with stands of saguaros and other cactus mixed in. There are occasional fascinating patches of blooms.

The psychedelic purple burst of the hedgehog cacti constantly catch our attention.

We are on our way to a riparian forest along a meandering creek. It is Monday and we should have the 4 mile trek to the Verde River and trail #11 to ourselves, both days. We are running late and may not make that goal, but how much disappointment can it be to be camped part of the way in the middle of what promises to be a paradise?

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My Private Place for Naturism #10

A Continuing Series

I go out to sweep the prickery debris that is in the trail and hone that new, more stealth, access to THE rock. When I arrive at the boulder, I find all around it, the evidence of all of those javelina. They have been nestling around The rock. The soil is kicked up, the plants and grass mashed and generally disturbed. It appears that they have just left. I can imagine them, how they had fit between rocks, chosen their spots, their comfort, huddled together here and there. I can image sitting on that rock surrounded by them. There are very fresh piles of scat, but not many seeds in it. For a few moments, I wonder if it was from them, or someone else. There are flies there bugging me as I stand. This is not so peaceful. I wonder what attracted them to the spot that I had occupied the day before. Was it a challenge? The ground was still moist where one had peed at the spot that I use to climb up onto THE rock. Was it a curiosity of smell, or just random, a place that they recognized as nice, too? Was it the vibe from the deeksha?

This trail is giving me a more intimate knowledge and relationship with the nature in this pristine spot. Time, seasons, conditions, smells, subtle changes, patterns, behaviors of the natural elements.  Also, what I experience within myself, a quiet, just being aware and retreat into another world. It is very real and different. It is felt with my entire body, each pocket of temperature change, at different times of day, my movement corresponds with the terrain and flora. Even THE rock changes during the day and my bare body responds to that as I sit, or lay on it.  Also, it is as if the skin lights up to stimulus and then quiets with the wind, as though there is no boundary between, only a one. All is an integrated part of the universe.

This is truly naturism. I am truly alive, fascinated and in awe with so much and always another miracle to be experienced with each moment, not just outside, but within.

2016-04-03

Have you ever been in an old house walking on disgusting dirty smelly old wall to wall carpet; you watch it peeled back and discover the fine hardwood floors that had been lying underneath? Then you have the opportunity to dance on them? This day will be like that.

We have spent the night on top of a butte at a cliffside ruins in the high desert of pinion pine. This morning we are to make our way down to Sheep Bridge, a crossing spot on the Verde River. There will be plenty of water. We hope to find a private place of solitude down by the riverside, during our exploration. The crossing is known and popular. There is a hot spring with a steel tub. After our hike upstream, I figure that most people will be heading back to the city on a Sunday afternoon.

Sheep Bridge

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A continuing diary of a stealth naturist’s hidden trail: 2015-03-10

Kindred Spirits Share a Space

The Spring weather is here, Low 80F’s with sun all of this week. I decided to celebrate and do the walk and then sit on “The Rock”,” Our Rock”,” Contemplation Rock” (you don’t have to contemplate, it’s a place to just Be). It seems that a special destination deserves a special name. I slipped on my VFF KSO’s, so I was feeling the more barefoot experience on this walk, as I continued.

I notice the amount of prickery things that have blown back onto the trail. I do notice a few chewed prickly pear cactus. This could mean any of many critters, but then an arm/pad that I had hacked off and thrown off of the trail had made it back to the middle of my route. This wasn’t any rodent. This was too heavy for one to move. I proceed, but notice no tracks. The surface is hard. It is rocks and it is dry. I have swept the sandy area and this should give me clues, but none materialize.

I arrive at THE Rock; I mount it and lay back. I listened to the constant buzz, the sounds of early spring. I also hear a strange noise in the little valley, next to me. Then, that noise again. It might be a woodpecker, but it is a bit quiet. I haven’t heard any woodpeckers tapping at saguaros lately. I figure they are a seasonal activity. I spend my time, noticing the temperature of the rock and the comfortable breezes passing by.

I finally stand up and survey. The trail currently passes through 30 to 40 feet of exposed area. I could make it better, more clandestine. There is a way to step through, on top of the other boulders strewn in a formation with THE Rock, but going the other direction. I had been ignoring it, contemplating the possibility of a rattler encounter in the crevasses. I see a clear area past that. I carefully step through, reassessing the passage. It is possible to stay high enough to most likely avoid the mentioned possible hazards.  My route links up to a clear area and then meets with my current trail on the other side of the ridge. Perfect. I’ll trim back one prickly pear and I’m good.

The rocks that lead away.

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In this article, I’m going to make the assertion that there are many practices of naturism which deserve the equal protections of any religion, or spiritual pursuit. I think that we all need to be protecting each others rights, no matter what our religion is. I’ll be attempting to demonstrate this opinion, to create a better understanding. It needs to be put out there, somewhere.

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2016-04-02

We get up early Saturday, after finishing our late night last minute packing. We have to drive through Phoenix on the freeways, finding our way to Cave Creek Road. I’d never been this way, nor knew anyone who had. All that I had was the view from google satellite and some instruction to the petroglyphs and ruins from my son.

We are beginning a four day back road exploration in the Verde River area known as Bloody Basin. Bloody for the red rock there. We are looking for naturism with water features and shade trees, free range playgrounds.

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2015-03-14

I had been out been out Silverbell Rd. on the other side of Ragged Top Mt., with my son, niece and her husband last weekend. I hadn’t been out that way before. Actually none of us had.

The Silverbell Mine has created a huge scar there. All I can say positive is that the mountainous piles of rubble that have buried the landscape have some beautiful color in them from the geology that they have uncovered. Directly on the other side of the road, however, there is a beautiful pristine desert which stretches for miles to the west and into the Tohono O’odham Reservation.

As we toured slowly on this very rough back road, we began to see desert blooms, bluebell, desert poppies, and others congregated in fields amongst the larger desert plants. It was quite a show at places. The rains this year had been good to us all. We had continued on to the old Redrock smelter and then circled Picacho Peak, just to explore. There were fields covered with orange glowing mallow. I hadn’t seen masses of this before. The desert blooming was just getting started.

Picacho Peak in the distance.

I told DF about this and invited her out Friday night to my place for diner and a movie, so that we could get an earlier start Saturday morning to see the display. That morning, we pumped the gas, cleaning the windows real good, stripped in the parking lot and headed out on the long road west to the Ironwood Monument desert.

Ragged Top

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A continuing diary of a stealth naturist’s hidden trail:

Early Spring

I took a stroll out the stealth trail just before lunch today. I sat on the boulder, cross legged and closed my eyes, just to listen and be. Perfect. Quiet save for bird songs.

I decided to go ahead and cross through the raw desert to the jeep trail on the way back. I hadn’t seen any signs of human activity. I wanted to do some running for exercise on the graded road. On the jeep trail/road, I noticed a small feature. It was the skin of a very small young snake, no more than a large worm. The first reptile of the year. It will be an early spring perhaps. Perhaps this young one is but a fluke, an ignorant child. I’ll keep heads up from now on, not to step on any surprises.

The trail is ready for use. The snake hiding spots are now all away from the footsteps of the trail. From here, I’ll only record a running diary of our naturist experience in this wonderful bountiful desert.

2016-03-20

We rolled over the crest of Gates Pass on the skinny mountain road to witness vast Avra Valley stretching out before us. On the other side of this expanse, at the southern end of the Ironwood National Monument, we saw our destination. Just a few bumps, these small mountains would begin to rise in stature as our journey continued closer to them. Amongst this lies Cocoraque Butte, a sacred spot, filled with ancient petroglyphs.

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