De Anza springs nude hike under quarantine: More ghost townish than usual

[jaybirdsen]

This post is from early last May during the first shut down in California.

I recently went for a couple of hikes out at De Anza Springs after finding out that they were open for hiking and camping at reduced rates since the pool area and other amenities were closed

I met another hiker out there who had reached out to me about hiking in the area.  He suggested that due to his age he no longer felt comfortable hiking alone and also was not familiar with the trails around De Anza.  It was interesting to get such a request as I myself was feeling the same way.  Anyway after confirming with the office that they were indeed open for hiking we made arrangements to meet for a hike.  The only admonishment from the office was that one needed to wear a mask when checking in at the office.

Midweek at De Anza can seem like a ghost town at times yet under quarantine De Anza seemed even more desolate than that.  Strong winds were predicted yet coming from the wsw I thought that the chimney trail in Carrrizo Gorge would be protected and it was yet in the parking lot the breeze was cool with a few pretty stiff gusts. Not unusual for a late spring day.

I arrived nude and after parking strolled across the lot to the office where I was immediately admonished by the nice lady at the check-in desk that I needed a mask to enter.  I'd forgotten it in the truck so after properly attired and hoping I didn't develop a face mask tan line, I returned to check in.

While getting my waterpak ready my new friend who had been walking around the resort came up and we introduced outselves we took off on our hike while keeping a proper social distance.  We didn't feel the need to wear masks on our hike so they were left behind.

We headed north through a residential area as I searched for the Squaw Mtn. trailhead that would intersect with Peyote trail that would lead to the Chimney trail above Carrizo Gorge. As we passed a mobile home with a screened in porch we were accosted by a small pack of chihuahuas and other small dogs barking and jumping against the screen.  A very friendly woman came out to check on the commotion and politely pointed us to the trail just ahead.
Judging by the reception we got from the dogs i would say that due to the quarantine we were probably the first thing they'd had to bark at for weeks.  They're yapping broke the breezy desert silence and they were still going at it as we ascended the trail into the small hills surrounding the resort.

We reached the ridge and connected with the Peyote trail heading west toward Carrizo Gorge.  The breeze was a bit stronger on the ridge yet the sun was warming it nicely by now and as all nude hikers know the dry air wicked all moisture from our bodies as we walked.

We headed north up into the gorge and almost immediately lost the strong breeze and instead were treated to a perfect sunny hike which eventually warmed up nicely to the mid 70s.  I mused as we walked that it was just about the perfect nude hiking weather. Beautiful bluebird sky framed by the desert hillsides of the gorge  The wildflowers and cactus were in bloom and it just made for a perfect day.  My friend had never been in the gorge so I pointed out the railroad  tracks and trestles below us from the impossible railroad built over 100 years ago. I spotted a rock cairn and narrow side trail up the gorge and we took it so I could show him the chimney that is all that is left from the cabin the railroad workers lived in who serviced the water station for the train. There are rusty old cans strewn down the hillside as I they didn't have trash pickup.

We hiked along the beautiful trail past a couple of tunnels until the trail descended down to the tracks.  Normally we would hike back along the tracks yet the lady in the office had warned us that a new company was re-starting the rail operation and were ticketing trespassers on the tracks, so we turned around and followed the same trail back.

Normally this could be kind of boring yet this area of Jacumba is such a mish mosh of geology with old volcanoes, the stream in the gorge and all the giant eroded granite boulders of the batholith punctuating the trail and covering the hillsides it is quite amazing. One part of the gorge is even a bit like the grand canyon's reddish rock..

As we returned to the resort parking lot (resort???) I don't know JB, De Anza Springs is many things for many people yet resort never seems to make sense to me. Another planet or plane or reality maybe. Uniqueatorium would make more sense.  Any way the strong breeze greeted us as we returned yet the day had warmed up nicely and the dead quiet other than sound of the wind in the trees still seemed very ghost town like. The silence eventually broke when a nude couple pulled up in a dusty old golf cart to go in the office to check their mail box.

My new friend and I parted ways and agreed to meet the following week for another hike. Report to follow.

[jbeegoode]

Accosted by a pack of toys! I've got a vicious pair of chihuahuas across the street and a pair of shitzus next door. The high pitched yap might be dangerous to the ears.

 Years ago, my folks had a summer house in the mountains, with a Malteze and a Pomeranian. As a joke they put a "Beware of Dog" sign out back for the passing golfers. It was on the dogleg of the 10th hole (Lots of foul language and muttering). Quite a few balls landed out of bounds there in the yard.

I brought my black doberman up to visit, who liked to chase balls, any balls. I went out back to find some poor guy standing sweating looking at my playful, sissy, loving dog. His golf ball was between those lovely choppers that Dobes have. I handed him his slimey ball and instructed my dog to not fetch any more.

Still, sounds like they couldn't cite a hiker, with no signs, if they happened to be out on the tracks in that remote place. I don't carry I.D. Is the train wreck still there?
 Jbee

[jaybirdsen]

Sorry for the late post as this hike was a year ago during the shutdown and De Anza was only open to the public for nude hiking.

After our first hike about 10 days before, I didn't want to get dressed so stayed nude for part of the drive home.  I always like to drive around a bit before leaving De Anza to look at the Rvs and mobile homes to see if any are for sale.  It is my dream to one day have at least a part time getaway there.  Earlier at the beginning of our hike we had passed a place with a for sale sign so I drove over by it.

I got out of the truck and was looking at it  when an older gold sedan zipped up and stopped quickly.  I could hear a woman's voice from inside saying " Are you looking to buy? Best place in the world to quarantine"  It happened so quick and as she got out of the car  it took me a second to realize it was an acquaintance,  Nancy who I hadn't seen in a while. Nancy and her husband live at De Anza and I've never seen them wear shoes. Even when we went for a hike through the Carrizo gorge and then back along the rail road tracks. They are the poster couple for nude desert living. Lean fit and bronzed, they are a testament to outdoor natural living.  After giving socially distant greetings we chatted a bit, and she offered to show me the trailer. Her husband is representing the seller.  I begged off as I'm really not ready to buy and didn't want to waist their time.
 
There was a weed eater laying in the open trunk of the sedan and Nancy said they are doing the landscaping now for the resort. The wildflowers and weeds were popping up all over everyone's lot and she was off to start at the last home in this section. Nude weed eating, now that is something for the nude bucket list.  It would seem very odd indeed except in this twilight zone of a desert ghost town in Jacumba. Here putting on clothes to garden or landscape would seem a bit peculiar.  Yet nude weed eating? I'd have to think about that. My shins have plenty of scars from using one wearing shorts.  To barefoot and nude Nancy though, not even a second thought. It's just normal here.

I mosied thru the rest of the neighborhood and headed out toward I-8 carnuding a bit until around Campo.

About 10 days later around mid May my friend and I met again out at De Anza Springs for another nude hike. The weather was perfect this time with very little breeze and mild sunny temps.  It is always wonderful to just leave your clothes in the car and with nary a thought of having to cover up, just head out nude into the desert.  this time we chose the other side on a trailhead for Temple mountain which oversees the resort.

After continuing past the fork to ascend Temple Mountain we continued straight east and southeast on what turned out to be the mystery mine trail. The mystery being we never found the mystery mine as we didn't know we were on the trail until I checked the map in the rec room after the hike. The trail if one could call it that in places was in need of some maintenance or better yet more foot traffic as we were by now on BLM property where active trimming is verboten..  It was a beautiful day and we side hilled up a few hills on narrow trails where being nude as we were the almost too close encounters with the jumping cholla bordering the trail in places was pretty dicey to say the least.  One misstep could lead to very painful results.

There aren't as many boulders on this side of the resort and we hiked amid thick shrubs and bushes as the trail wended through and around them up hill and down through draws until we reached a plateau just above Hwy 8 a few minutes walk away.

We could see a pretty clear path down to the interstate via the next draw where we could have walked along next to the highway on level ground back to the resort yet as we weren't wearing clothes and had none with us we decided to head back the way we came.  I looked at some trail maps in the main bldg. activity room on our return and learned we were on the Mystery Mine trail and had actually hiked passed the side trail leading to the mine yet we didn't know better and stayed on the very narrow main path.

De Anza Springs has changed hands recently and the new owners are said to be younger and are doing more events. I haven't been out since the turnover yet hope to get out in the next couple of weeks.

[jbeegoode]

New owners! Never thought I'd hear that one. Maybe we'll get out that way, if they get something fun going. We always liked the live music and TNS Gatherings.
Jbee

[jaybirdsen]

Something called the

  lovemachineretreat.com/?fbclid=IwAR2Jmpuh4eAzsCL2hGm-Q1G0RPvS63tvLyi6CvQ8W1NMJQrjZzhITSQb3yY

is going on at the end of the month.  They had a CW band Nitro Express over the weekend and some sort of rave party earlier as well as the Booze Fighters MC annual bash.  These are found on the friends of de anza fb page.  The official website shows no events.

[jbeegoode]

Love machine and health looks like some of our favorite culture. Too bad timing, we're headed in the opposite direction at that time. We had drum circles, didge, fire dancers (Very fun look done nude), yoga and story telling around the fire at the hot springs last time..

That would draw some younger people to experience resort naturism and introduce them to old school nudism and naturism. That would help keep the place alive. Young people will hike nude. Looks like these are opening up to alternatives instead of catering to the usual customer demographics. Sober bikers naked doesn't sound like a big group. I wonder how that turned out. They can be fun. I went to one years ago.

We went up to a function at Mira Vista, a Blues Brothers theme. We got dressed up with thin ties and hats with sunglasses. We got psyched up. I showed up shouting, "Elwood!" They played a couple of Blues brothers tunes, nothing else from the genre and then went back to the same old tired usual nuevo Country Western music. We stripped off our regalia and went to sit in the conversation pool, disappointed.
Jbee