Arizona Freehiking Week

Here is a report I wrote about a freehiking week I sponsored in 2013:

A small group of hardy naturists from around the country gathered for the first ever Arizona Freehiking Week, June 4-10, 2013.  Participants came from Arizona, Utah, South Dakota, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut for this unique event.  Tuesday four of these hardy freehikers trekked naked about three miles around the Black Canyon Trail loop, just north of Phoenix.  Afterwards, several of these hikers enjoyed a Chinese food lunch at the Shanghai Club in Anthem, AZ, then returned to Shangri La to soak in the pool.  On the second day, three freehikers drove 20 minutes north of Shangri La to Badger Springs.  The Aura Fria river had shrunk to large pools, without running water, so it was easier to hike downstream.  Naked boulder hopping is the best way to traverse this rugged, trail free canyon.  After several hours of freehiking we reached and dipped in one last large pool, and hiked back.  Day three was a day to escape the record desert heat and visit Sedona.  Six freehikers, including the ladies, drove north to enjoy the cooler weather in this beautiful red-rock tourist area.  Several of the group decided to stay overnight and freehike the cooler high mountain areas around Flagstaff.  The rest of the group returned to Shangri La and enjoyed sunning and soaking on the forth day.  Sycamore Creek, east of Phoenix, was our destination on the fifth day.  This is a popular nudist area so the hikers were able to strip at the car and head down the trail.  We reached some wonderful desert pools.  All enjoyed skinny-dipping in several of the refreshing pools in this beautiful desert canyon.  The plan for the final day was to freehike the Cave Creek area, but the record heat finally got the better of us, so we decided to just relax in the sun and pool at Shangri La.  Still, this was a great week; Walt summed it up well: "The freehiking week was fun!  I enjoyed hiking with seasoned freehikers and it was a great learning experience.  Thank you for organizing the event."