Redington Monsoon III
08-05-2021
Days Later:
(please, be sure to check the stories of Redington earlier in this month’s posts)
Today, there is much less water than just a few days before .
The thing about Redington Pass is that there is little norm here. The water doesn’t always flow. There are often times of drought, when only pools can be found, and then those times pools turn to puddles, when life clings on, waiting for the next rain.
We were expecting more water today, because last night there was a nasty storm on the east side of our valley out by Barb’s house. She told us that it was like a “hurricane” for hours. That’s just over the hill from where we stand.
We saw on the way here, that two familiar mesquite trees are uprooted. Sand is all over the roads where water was flooding. A concrete block wall was knocked over, creating a pond in someone’s enclosed backyard. Water rushed in, but couldn’t rush out, flooding like the entire backyard was a swimming pool.
Apparently, there was no storm here at the pass. There is no evidence of flooding.
Today, it is so much easier to climb through the waterfalls and rapids. We climb from rock to rock, attempting a challenging game of not disturbing the pristine sand with our footprints. Besides, the grit from the soles of feet is slippery on the smooth rocks. Not just for us, but the next climber.
There is another good reason to stay out of the sand. In shoes, each time, no matter what we do, our low sock tongues attract a collection of gritty particles. If we don’t stop to rinse out our footwear, it becomes uncomfortable and then our skin gets raw.
I do very much like to walk this playground barefoot all over. My feet love the workout. The plethora of surfaces and sensual stimulation delights us. The naked feet decision depends on the wetness, slipperiness, the temperature of the rocks and how far I intend to hike. It is a delight to just take off completely bare and unencumbered to explore in a completely primal sense. I feel extra freedom, abandon and sensitivity, as I walk away from everything. I feel more at one in the experience.
This day, the Jacuzzi formation is easy to use. It no longer carries us away in a mass of suds. It feels great, as we take turns to sit in the tub.
We stop frequently along our haphazard route to enjoy the water and cool off.
I mention to DF to consider what would it be like with clothes on? There would be no cooling breezes. Our apparel would be partially wet, heavy and dragging in the water. Our movement would be restricted, as we climb and hold up pants legs, knees hung up in a sling and holding the bundle of clinging coverings. All of thousands of sensual sensations would be diminished, or lost to us. We couldn’t just pop in and out of the water at a whim. Our body heat would be trapped. We would be insulated from our very being.
I imagine bathing apparel, filled with sand. This place demands naked abandonment. It is too dangerous to be pulling up a swimsuit while crawling and climbing slippery rocks. It is too easy to have a suit caught by the stream and dragging at your knees, being pulled by force, chained legs in bondage, unable to climb through the force of it all. In my bias, thought brings me to realize the fact that people have actually died because of unnecessary clothing.
On a hot day, a refresh in the cool waters and a soaking wet cotton shirt allows DF to carry that refreshment up the trail a while longer. “So that’s what clothing is for, I quip.” It protects skin from rays, too much radiation, a harmful burn… but that is because you haven’t gotten naked in the sun enough lately.
Where a waterfall was stunning, the contrast is also stunning.
BeforeAfterAnother difference is that there are now fewer people than before, when the big water was rushing through here. There is more calm and peace about.
Stopping at the rock formations where I had been tossed around like a babe in the arms of Mother Gaia, there is much less flow. This visit, I’m able to easily climb across the creek to the other side and inspect.
We rest in some shade cast from the cliff.
This was the same place before:
While I sit, a Great Horned Owl appears overhead and lights upon a rock formation that hangs out. It is unusual to see one out and about in the desert, in the daytime. …
Read further at The Free Range Naturist
