Hike

Paul and I recently took the boys on a family hike, and it was on that hike that we saw the topic of today's discussion.

It was the strangest thing. As we were pulling onto the quiet road that led to the remote trail, I saw this dude off in the distance. "I think I just saw a naked man," I told Paul, rubbing my eyes. Because that sight was basically no different than all the other days of my life.

But it turns out that yes, it was a naked dude. As we were gearing up to hit the trail, the baby loaded in the carrier, water bottles ready, the seven of us just getting onto the path, the dude runs by again. This time, everyone saw him. We sort of stood there in amazement, again wondering if our eyes deceived us. He looked like a seasoned runner; he had a runner's gait and a runner's build. He was huffing along, wearing running shoes and nothing else.

Of course we talked about him on and off for the rest of our two-hour hike. "Remember Naked Man," someone would say, like it had happened years ago. Yes, we remember, I'd say. How could I forget.

In the end, we never did anything about it. My theory is that this dude got overheated and pulled off his shorts (he was carrying something in his hand). When I was telling a few girlfriends about it recently, they were confident he was a perve and they told me they would have called the police. Is this not the craziest topic EVER?

I wonder if because Paul was with me I just wasn't worried about the dude. He really seemed harmless. He didn't even look in our direction -- he just literally streaked by and was on his way. Was he an exhibitionist? A running enthusiast? In some nudist running club? Hopefully, we will never know.