We’re in a remote Arizona canyon. The weather is wonderfully warm for November. The Fall foliage is stunning. We don’t know it yet, but it gets even better the further back into the canyon that we go.
The next morning, we start at our leisure. I had been up for a surprisingly warm orange juice colored sunrise, but went back to bed.
Voices are heard. Two or three hikers walk by briskly up the canyon. They are the only ones about. They probably came from that group of RV’s a couple of miles down the road. This is a vast playground, all to our naked selves.
Today, we will continue upstream. Yesterday, the color got more dramatic, the further we went up the canyon. I wonder if it will continue as that. We will walk at our leisure, immersed in it all, cameras recording the gems. No more plan is needed, other than a good trail lunch, water and snacks.
After an hour and forty-five minutes of naked highway cruising, we’re off of the pavement leaving some huge irrigation farms behind. I stop in the middle of the road in a long straight stretch and turn off the engine. I climb out naked head to toe into the silent plains to turn the wheel locks into a four wheel drive high setting for stability. The dusty red dirt is pleasing on my feet. A sense of freedom comes over me, as I gaze out across flat miles in every direction. I would certainly be alerted to any intrusion to this space, by a dust cloud in the distance.
There are twenty-five miles of this dirt road still ahead. We’re off again. I look in my rearview mirror. A great plume of terracotta dust trails behind us, as we cruise through a plain of tall golden grasses in open range and a up a few grassy hills. The graded road turns into two tracks at a turn off created by the Forest Service. As we pass, the pompous grass grows into the road as high as our faces. As dry as this grass is, after a couple of months without rain, we both wonder out loud about the risk of brush fire from a hot exhaust pipe. There is one way in and one way out.
“Pompous” Grass
We find the alligator juniper, juniper and scrub oak along the dry creek. It is shading RV trailer campers.
Through a gate, hard packed dirt turns into mostly bare rock. After bouncing along on the river rock, dodging the big ones, I shift into four wheel low for a steep descent into the stream bed to drive upstream.
We notice a few familiar landmarks, a hill, a bump, or a campsite. The vegetation gets thicker and taller. Eventually, we park in a shady spot off of the road, grateful that no one has claimed this camping destination on this Monday. We have all of this to ourselves. Getting out freely nude and stretching with arms high, DF comments on the scent of those low pines and evergreens all around us.
All around, there are small patches of color amongst the evergreen trees, manzanita and low bushes. It is early November. Here in Arizona, at this elevation, the leaves begin to change and drop away in transition. Bundles of small leaves, fluorescent yellows and oranges are on well-spaced bushes. Occasionally, a colorful butterfly will flutter away from one, as if the leaves themselves are turning into the dainty travelers.
Avatar Flower
I have heard of this event and waited two years to get here. We have three days here, mid-week. There will probably be few other visitors to this remote canyon in a little known mountain range. I got a report last week that the colorful show was returning and it should be at its peak. The temperatures have been unusually high and sunny in Tucson this year. At this altitude, we are expecting to enjoy highs of mid- 70F’s. Our Fall leaf viewing won’t be bundled up in the usual warm clothing; it will be perfect naked weather.
John P. and Dan are excellent hosts and showing us around Vermont, giving pointers, lore and introductions to several wonderful naturists. For we two, who are new to this environment and place, this is a valuable treat. They have decided to stay around an extra day, after the World Naked Hiking Day celebration and show us a few places on their way back to Massachusetts. We all are simpatico, enjoying each other’s company.
There had been rain at dawn, but we’re going to get sunny weather today for the hike. In the tent, it was noisy enough to wake us up early, but we were dry.
Some quick oatmeal and we’re off.
We arrive to a full parking lot, again. There are twenty naked men. Several are new faces, today.
The number of women hikers has dwindled to one, which is DF. She is fine with that. As the only woman, she isn’t being treated with a whole lot of special attention. We are all focused on the day and the trail’s hike.
In a full lot, we move vehicles to fit in and then another one shows up. Once again it takes a while and some effort to sort things out.
Rick is excited to be writing the report of this for “N” magazine. We gather to get the pictures going for publication and posterity.
There are three clothed men who have been surprised by this spectacle. Rick is a boisterous guy and has a passion for naturism. He immediately begins greeting them as a salesman for naturism. He convinces two in that car to strip!
“Okay!” We cheer it on. There are high spirits in us all.
There are those favorite places in the world. One of those, for me, is in Redington Pass.
When the flow is strong, the stream splits into dozens of channels in the bedrock.
There is a boulder there, large and flat. I can sit with my legs crossed India style. The slight slope makes it more comfortable. There, as the waters cascade down the carved channels toward me, I feel wonderfully alive.
The mist from the turbulence of the falls floats by, across my bare body, chilling just right, as the sun warms my back.
Minerals and tannins create effervescence. The tiny bubbles fizz like root beer, fizzy all over, up into nostrils. I touch the world with the inhale of breath. I smell fresh mineral vapors.
It is like an energy, a presence that flows down. Chinese call it chi, the natural fung shui of it seems evident. I raise my palms and know something unique.
Sound is only the pleasant roar of water flow and the silence in-between. It seems to wash away any thoughts that have nothing to do with where I am right now, here, alone, at one with nature.
I wrap my kilt around my waist ready for a bottomless ride across New York State. Our journey begins in this driveway in Buffalo and will end with nude friends at a campground, somewhere in the Green Mountains of Vermont. We say our goodbyes. DF and her brother have those tears that dear ones share.
By the time we have arrive at the end of the block, you can hear the rip of separating Velcro at my waist and DF is pulling her dress over her head and folding it up. We have been dressed during our nude journey for plenty long enough and bare skin is liberation.
We’re on our way to the semi-organized “World Naked Hiking Day” in Vermont. We’re about to meet cyber friends that I have been corresponding with for years, in the flesh. We’re more than ready.
In the southwestern New York, we came across an emerald gem. It has a grey bedrock channel through it. In some places it sparkles like tiny diamonds. It’s called Skinny-dip Falls. It’s a canyon gorge with a nude area about a mile long. Some sources say that it is designated, but it appears to speak for itself.
We’re off on an ADVENTURE! We haven’t done a long road trip in…decades. DF has retired and we can have an open-ended vacation across America…naked.
We wake up with the Alarm? Dang, DF forgot to stop the reoccurring setting on her phone. She rolls over, first confused and then angrily she starts to peck at the screen.
The peace and well-being intruder is off for good now, unless we choose so. Now, our excitement is getting in the way of our slumber. We begin in a casual series of stretches and exercises, a little yoga, just enough. We’re going to be doing a lot of sitting in a car, best to have our bodies ready.
This exercise establishes a good pace for us. We hug and acknowledge that we’re okay. DF produces “The Daily Word” a small book of spiritual wisdom that we read each morning. Today its daily advise is spot on. It talks about adventure. We feel in like we’re in sync with the world.
We have been loading and final prepping for over a week. Everything that we need has been tucked into the little good on gas Honda Civic. Each piece placed more at the ready in its rank of usage. In the trunk tent/bedding out front, kitchen front and center. Clothing minimized, we just have the space in the rear driver’s side door for access. Food goes behind the passenger’s seat on the floor and the cooler is packed and placed on that seat. Doodads, this and that is placed in available nooks and crannies. It’s all ready.
After a quick breakfast, we walk naked through the garage and into our trip.
I had to make sure that the posts would continue, while we would be on our road trip, so I pre-published. I arranging to have automatic posts while we were gone. I neglected to pre-post recognition of six years of publication of TheFreeRangeNaturist.org., which occurred during the middle of June. We are now back in Tucson, after seven weeks of travel and I have access to my familiar tools, so:
HAPPY 6th BIRTHDAY!!!
Here’s to the coming 7th year of publication!
Waterfalls and Majesty
This is a good time to let you all know what’s in the future for The Free Range Naturist. I have now content to last into 2022. I have several articles in the works and a thought or two might pop up. We have some trips in mind this Fall/Winter. But mostly, our trip has provided us with several stories, which will probably keep me busy. Now, they are just on paper as notes and photos are in files. I’ll have to set the trip reports as beginning rough drafts and sort out a couple of thousand photos. It will be a challenge to keep it fresh enough in my memory, before final attention is given each piece.
I was told, that I should number each story about our trip as a chapter, like a book. It will appear as a series called “Naked across America.”
Naked across America is exactly what we did. This website has been from the beginning, a how to and encouragement for others to get out and practice naturism in a free range manner. We figure that most of us can somehow do similar to what we demonstrate.
There has always been an Arizona/Southwestern-centric expression of this “how to.” Part of our trip was to expand free ranging nudity to other environments, legal jurisdictions, across this vast and varied land. It works in Arizona, how about other places? What could be learned? What obstructions might there be for others living elsewhere?
We had other goals in mind. For one, we wanted to see how inexpensive, but comfortable, we could be crossing the United States. We decided to use DF’s small Honda at what turned out to be over 30 miles to the gallon. I figured around 5000 miles, but ultimately 7000 was traveled. Also, DF retired and we were able to have an open ended flexible schedule, that could change on whim, or need. We were attempting to see how a sustained, or spontaneous trip might be done on our discretionary funds alone.
We had several friends to visit and planned to spend a good amount of time hiking, or backpacking. We both prefer stars and fresh air, opposed to feeling cooped up in stuffy hotels. Continue reading →
Here we are, it’s Spring again and a first warm opportunity, a perfect day has presented itself. We were looking for a hike, to enjoy our deep tropical tans. Just over a week ago, we were in Zipolite, Mexico. Spoiled, we’re after sand, water and more of that terrific sense of liberty.
We have to stay down in the desert, because elevation makes the air much cooler up in the mountain’s trees, at this time of year. We also, want to try something new.
Redington probably has water from the recent rains. We thought of hiking the sacred mountain Babaquvari, but that is such a strenuous hike. We just feel like taking it somewhat easier. There is fresh ground up past Redington Canyon that would be new to us. We’re off.
The Free Range Naturist 