Friday June 20th 2025 opens up with my eye lids. I find myself back in the mountain forest under blue skies. Last night’s smell of smoke is gone, replaced by a sense of clarity. All is seen through the net tent, as the sun is getting us up, out and about, acting like a parent sending us off to school. We conked out last night early. A glance at a cell phone tells us that we have slept for more than 12 hours. “How’d we do that?”
“Maybe there actually are fairies with magic powders in the woods.”
“Huh?” “Better check on your pot of gold!”
It is day, everything is telling me, actually shouting at me, the message about the displacement of the calm and peace of the night. I hear the wind blowing high in the trees above, and nearby, the rustling leaves of the young aspen that are determined to someday populate this field of short grasses and dainty flowering greens.
I climb out of the tent stiffly, making my way to my appointment. I find the route through the brush to the office, a pleasant spot that is still slumbering in deep shadows.
As I stand, I notice nibbles on my calves and ankles. Those Utah no-see-ums flash out of my memories. My mind grinds out, “If so, we’re movin’.” But they seem to prefer the shade…
…I sit fully naked in my folding chair, absorbing the warmth of the morning sun, dusty Earth on the soles of my bare feet. There are occasional critters that I launch with a flick of my finger. A fly stops by, I’m thinking, “just to irritate me.” I breathe in, puff my cheeks and then blow out directly at it. It is gone, done with me. I’m reminded, I take note to brush my teeth, swish some water, re-hydrate.
The Free Range Naturist 