Monday, April 27, 2009

The Trail and Nudity

Jen and I have been jammin down the Pacific Crest Trail, covering over 100 miles in our first week. This is the longest hike I've ever been on, and it's only just begun! The hike has been going really well though. I strained the top of my right foot and have been hobbling with a trekking pole over the last 40 miles or so, but somehow the experience in total is a supreme one. We have been hiking with a few other hikers the last couple of days: Nina, and Jason. Jason is from the same town Jen and I are from, Arcata. So we can talk and share fond memories of different food places as we hike. Nina is from Hawaii. Just the other night she gave us an awesome little yoga instruction session after a long 25 mile hike. We look forward to hiking with them as long as we can. It works out great sharing information, gear, and keeping each other's spirits high.

Right now we are staying at Warner Springs Ranch (somewhere in So Cal). This place is fairly nice, but not so nudist friendly. They have a wonderful extra large hot mineral springs pool, which is super delightful. Unfortunately nudity is not welcome here! I went in the pool last night in a pair of boxers (ultralight backpacking doesn't afford me a swimsuit). What a ridiculous tradition, the wearing of clothing in the pool! After the swim I took a warm shower next to the pool. The sign above the shower heads read "NO PUBLIC NUDITY!". Fuck; I get pretty bummed when I see something ridiculous like that. I'm trying not to be totally absorbed in animosity towards rich folks who play golf, get massages, and go into the hot springs with clothes on. I'm sure they are wonderful people who make a difference in the lives of others each and everyday. If I got to know them maybe I would see that, but I don't think I will be getting to know them anytime soon. C'est la vie.

So far I haven't done any nude hiking. The first day I hiked with my mountain kilt, and no undies. I had planned on hiking this way a lot, since it had worked so well in Arcata. Arcata is usually in the 50-60s. Starting at the Mexican border, it was more like 80, 90, and 100! Well, it wasn't very long before sweaty genitals rubbed and chaffed against my leg. They got really red and irritated, causing me to walk like I had just gotten off a long ride on a horse. So, I had to give in and don the boxers. After about a day or so the redness went away, and my stride was no longer a funny waddle.

The only nudity so far has been in the shower, and sleeping in bed at Warner Springs. I look forward to skinny dipping at any natural hot springs we find along the trail. I also still want to try some nude hiking, perhaps in cooler weather.

Take Care everyone. More to come, sooner or later!

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

We make our way to the Mexican border, food poisoning and all!





Hello everyone.. Whew, it's been an exhausting few weeks. Ever since I had the misfortune of eating some food which gave me really bad food poisoning I've had a LOT less energy than is my usual. It's coming back, but it is taking its time.
Jen and I have made the move to Ukiah, CA. Now it is a 6 hour car trip down to San Luis Obispo, CA, where we will catch a train down to Pasadena, CA, and then from there get a car ride to our final destination (also starting point) Campo, CA. We will begin our five month hike of the Pacific Crest Trail next Monday April 20th!

The attached photo is of some tasty barley pancakes made by Jen, and some fresh mango, kiwis, and strawberries on top- delicious! We're trying to load up on healthy food while we still can; most of the food "on the trail" will be highly preserved and/or processed foods.

We will have our Blackberry with us on the hike, with intermittent service. After fooling with it for hours trying to get a photo to load to this blog, we finally decided it wasn't going to happen. So, you might see blogs without text for a while, and then a bunch of pictures uploaded once a month or so when I get into a town for a few days.

There will also be day to day photos and text at our trail blog

I will keep the posts coming. Enjoy this wonderful Spring weather!

Thursday, April 2, 2009

A dip at Finnish Hot Tubs before we hit the trail!






Jen and I made our last visit to the Finnish Hot Tubs earlier this week before we hit the PCT. We will be looking out for hot springs along the way to enjoy. Sure is nice and relaxing after a physical day.
This is the last blog made from our home computer, we're boxing it up tonight! From now on I'll be testing out the Blackberry. Not sure how it'll look, but I should still be able to post photos and a little text. Jen and I'll also have a trail blog going.
I am looking forward to many nude miles hiking along the trail over the next five months. I hope to keep you all posted of our great adventures!