Pernilla Does Padjelanta

Author's note: This story has no sex. The descriptions of Padjelantaleden are reasonably accurate, the rest is a fantasy written for my enjoyment and hopefully yours.

--

It had been quite a while since I last went hiking. My girlfriend Jenny didn't like hiking and I hadn't wanted to go without her. Maybe I could get away for a couple of days while Jenny was at a conference I thought.

While I was looking for a suitable trail my cellphone beeped, an MMS from my friend Roland. He often sent me short amusing film clips but this time I was less than amused. This clip showed Jenny dancing with a man whose tongue was down her throat and whose hand was up her skirt. Twenty minutes later a second clip arrived, similar to the first but with a different man.

I wasn't in shape for a long hike but something longer than just a couple of days seemed like a good idea, something a bit off the beaten path, somewhere where I could be by myself and think. Then it came to me, Padjelantaleden. That evening I emailed the videos to Jenny, I wanted to hear her side of the story, although I couldn't imagine what it could be. The next day I made all the arrangements and flew to Luleå

The day after I took the bus from Luleå to Ritsem and then the ferry over to Akka. Most of the passengers continued to Vaisaluokta leaving just a young girl and I to take the rocky path up to the cabin. A couple of germans who had arrived the day before were in the cabin when I arrived but their English was as bad as my German. Padjelanta National Park is beautiful but few swedes visit it, making it a perfect for a man like me who wasn't looking for much conversation.

It is only about a kilometre from the dock up to the cabin but I had plenty of time to drop my pack on a bed and sit down on the veranda and contemplate Akka before I was disturbed. I heard her first and then she came into view, not the vision of grace that she was used to being I guessed, tall and slender, more of a dancer than a hiker.

"Hello," she said, "my name is Pernilla."

"Michael"

"This is the first time for me, it's harder than I thought." When I said nothing she continued. "That obvious huh. Do you think that you could help me?"

The solitude was gone and I didn't have anything better to do.

"Padjelanta is an easy trail but not so easy that you can't get hurt. You shouldn't try it alone, the best way I could help you is to send you back on the boat tomorrow. Other than that I can help you repack your backpack properly."

"I didn't plan to be alone, my boyfriend was supposed be with me but we broke up. I had my heart set on this and I wanted to prove that I didn't need him. Dumb I know but I've always found that I can rely on the kindness of strangers."

"Pretty girls usually can. Let's see about that backpack."

I emptied out her pack and it wasn't the worst I'd seen. Her equipment was good quality, probably more clothes than she'd need but the main problem was that the weight balance was wrong. I took everything out and then put it back in the right order. When I went to put a plastic bag filled with her panties into the backpack I noticed that they were similar to the thongs that Jenny usually wore. Many times I had slipped them down her thighs, I wondered who would be slipping them down tonight. I was finally drawn out of my fugue by the sound of a zipper.

"Maybe this pair is more interesting?"

I zipped her trousers up again.

"My girlfriend usually wears these, I was just wondering who is going to take them off her tonight. Ex-girlfriend I guess. You really should wear something more comfortable than these while you're hiking."

"I find them comfortable, it's men that they make uncomfortable."

I could well imagine that and rather than admit it I continued with her packing. After that we cooked dinner and then ate in silence. She sent me out to contemplate Akka while she washed up as thanks for fixing her backpack. I tried to grieve for my lost love but I couldn't. Nor could I get angry, I just felt numb. After a while she came out and sat beside me.

"Would you like company on the trail? I would. I am safe with you aren't I?"

"You're safe enough, I don't eat little girls."

"That's good because I'm not a little girl anymore and I do so love to be eaten."

"Jenny is still my girlfriend and I'm not going to play around behind her back. I guess that we'll break up when next we speak but that won't be until we reach Kvikjokk at least. You're a very pretty girl Pernilla and if I were a few years younger I'd be interested in eating you until you begged me to stop but I'm not and I can't. OK?"

"If you insist. It's a pity though, pensioners have always turned me on."

I laughed, maybe having her as a companion wouldn't be so bad.

"We'll see how you feel about pensioners when we reach Kissuris."

The next morning after breakfast I taped Pernillas heels to prevent blisters and showed her how to fasten her waist belt properly and adjust her shoulder straps. She managed to rub her tits in my face in the process but she seemed suitably chastened when I glared at her. I have to admit that I enjoyed it though, I wasn't about to be tempted by her but a little flirting is always fun.

The first day was only about fourteen kilometres of pretty easy terrain, mainly through forest so that midges could be annoying and there was a bridge to cross. I have always hated suspension bridges, even if they are strong and stable they feel like they are going to collapse any minute.

The view from the bridge is fantastic and we were forced to stop in the middle for a minute or two to look at Vuojatätno and Akkajaure. As much as I hate bridges, they often have spectacular views. I felt Pernilla beside me and was glad of having someone to share this moment with.

We took it easy and made it to Kissuris by late afternoon. I felt great, better than I had in years. A lot of the credit goes to Pernilla, without her I would have spent the day wondering who was fucking Jenny and wondering why I really didn't care. She forced me to see things with a beginners eyes, I felt her wonder and amazement at things that I would have taken for granted. Her chatter was at first annoying but after a while it became a conversation and a bit later I began to enjoy it.

Pernilla was tired when we arrived, so tired that she didn't even accuse me of trying to feel up her tits when I helped her take of her backpack. She did complain when I forced her to stretch though. Dinner was once again silent and I washed up while Pernilla slept.

From Kisuris to Låddejåkkå is long day's hike for a beginner, twenty-three kilometres and I was concerned that Pernilla wouldn't make it in one day. She was adamant though that she wasn't going back over that bridge alone. I was glad that she felt that way because I had gotten quite used to having her around.

We spent most of the morning going through pretty marshy terrain. Fortunately we had a raised footpath to walk on. Just planks set on stumps driven into the ground but they saved us trudging through the mud and, more importantly they protected the marsh.

By lunch I was certain that we weren't going to make it. There wasn't much point in pushing ourselves and by evening we had gone about fifteen kilometres. The weather had been fine and warm all week so that it wasn't that hard to find a place to spend the night.

We cooked a meal and the I laid out my ground sheet, mattress and sleeping bag, not the most comfortable of beds but better than nothing. Pernilla hadn't packed a sleeping bag, most people don't when they travel from cabin to cabin. My sleeping bag is a bit cramped for two but beggars can't be choosers.

"You just want to feel up my tits, I know what men are like."

I studied her chest for a few seconds. "Nothing there to feel up, I was hoping for a better look at your tiny panties and maybe what's under them."

"Not likely, you zipped me up, you aren't getting a second chance."

I slipped out of my trousers and into the sleeping bag and then closed my eyes. Pernilla lay her trousers on mine and slipped in beside me. I pulled the ground sheet over us and zipped up the sleeping bag. She drew my hand over her breast.

"I'll have you know that this is a prime b-cup tit."

"You aren't cold are you?"

"No, but what you're doing isn't helping in the slightest, go to sleep."

We slept pretty well despite the hard mattress. I woke first and watched Pernilla sleep, unfortunately she woke soon after me. My watch told me it was still early but it's hard to tell when you're above the polar circle in late summer.

"I was sure that you were going to have your evil way with me last night, I was quite looking forward to it. You aren't gay are you?"

"No, it's just that cute young blondes with prime b-cup tits and incredibly tight arses don't excite me."

"Are you sure? Something's poking into me and I don't think it's your finger."

"That happens every morning."

"It didn't happen in the cabin, I peeked."

"You just want me to tell you that you are the sexiest woman that I've ever woken up beside."

"Only if it's true."

I turned away and said softly, "It's true".

"In that case you don't have to close your eyes this time."

I didn't and she was certainly easy to look at, I got to see her thong, her long legs and her firm buttocks. As you may guess I wasn't in a hurry to see her dress. Would I have a chance with someone as young and lovely as Pernilla for more than a brief fling? I didn't think so but these two days had shown how much fun I could have been having with a woman. It was then that I decided that I deserved better than what I had with Jenny and she probably deserved better as well.

I brewed some coffee and then we set out. We arrived at Låddejåkkå just before lunchtime, the last half kilometre is very steep and downhill, I was glad we hadn't tried that while tired and in poor light. After dropping our backpacks we had a combined breakfast and lunch on the verandah.

I felt in need of a good wash, Pernilla agreed so we went upstream from the cabin until we located a secluded pool. I went first while Pernilla stood guard, the water was cold so I jumped in, hopped out and quickly washed myself then rinsed off quickly. It was a real pleasure to feel myself relatively clean and put on clean underwear. Pernilla followed suit and I got the chance to see her completely naked. She was clearly a woman but lacked the full ripe curves of Jenny.

"Did you peek?" I nodded. "Good, I like it when you look at me. I peeked as well."

That night Pernilla hopped into bed with me and we slept nestled together. Last night this had seemed nearly a forbidden pleasure but tonight it seemed normal. When I awoke I wondered how long it would be before I couldn't sleep without her.

The trail to Arasluokta is only thirteen kilometres though there is a pretty steep climb at the beginning followed by a steep descent after a short pass. The view out over Virihaure from the pass was magnificent and we stopped there for a break. For me it was heaven, the view and the company made me reluctant to continue. I began to realise that I had fallen for this girl and I knew that it could only result in heartache for me.

Arasluokta is in a delta, lots of moist ground and shrubs, perfect breeding grounds for midges and we could see black swarms of them as we approached. The camp there is unusual in that they have six small cabins instead of one large one. We commandeered one and hoped that no-one else would come, our luck was in. As we lay spooned once again Pernilla took up our future.

"What happens next?"

"Tomorrow we hike to Staloluokto. I have to be back at work next week so I am going to take the helicopter to Kvikkjokk and then the bus to Luleå and fly home. We can fly to Kvikkjokk together if you like so we can be together for another day at least."

"That wasn't what I meant and you know it. I want a lot more than another day. Of course I'll fly with you but what happens after Kvikkjokk?"

"I'm nearly thirty and you're nineteen or twenty, how can we have a future? A young girl like you shouldn't be tied down. I'm not so old that I can't remember being twenty."

"What's the magic age then, if I was twenty-two would it be different? Twenty-six maybe? How old is Jenny, that worked out really well didn't it. Do you love me?"

"Yes."

"Do I love you?"

"You haven't said anything and I haven't really thought about it but, yes, I believe that you do."

"I fell in love with you when I first saw you sitting on the veranda at Akka, you looked like a little lost boy. It isn't every man that gets to see my panties I'll have you know. In the four days since I have come to trust, admire and like you as well. I think we make a good team and we'll make an even better couple."

"I was in a dark mood when I met you, I wouldn't have enjoyed this hike anywhere near as much as I have without you, I would have obsessed over Jenny instead. Instead these few days have been a joy, a memory to cherish."

"No, the memory of this hike will be one to laugh over, how we slept together completely chaste, ignoring our passions. The memories to cherish have yet to be made."

I couldn't answer that, I didn't plan on making any more memories with her but I didn't want to spoil the mood. I was going to regret our parting, I was sure of that but better now than in a few months. Sleep came as I tried to memorise the feel of her body next to mine.

The trail to Staloluokta was easy and we arrived in the early afternoon. There were seats available on the next mornings helicopter so I booked two. The rest of the afternoon was spent wandering around the camp. I don't remember much of that afternoon, my attention was reserved for Pernilla.

We found some smoked charr for dinner and almond potatoes that we boiled. We even bought a two cans of beer. Maybe it was the days of freeze dried food, maybe it was the company, whatever the reason that remains one of my favourite meals.

That night I asked Pernilla to sleep without her bra and I fell asleep memorising her breasts. Like most men I like breasts and I guess that I have always felt that bigger is better. These weren't that big but they felt big, it was as it the very essence of enormous tits had been condensed into two compact orbs of joy. When I awoke Pernilla was in a playful mood and her nipples were rock hard.

"Just like a man, get a girl horny and then leave her high and dry. You are such a pussy tease! Now get out of bed before I ravish you."

The flight to Kvikkjokk was uneventful and we checked into the lodge there. I had sent a bag with a few clean clothes there so I could change. Unfortunately Pernilla wasn't aware that you could do so and hence had only her trail clothes with her. After a shower she borrowed a t-shirt of mine which worked pretty well as a mini dress, I liked it anyway. I could see that she didn't have a bra on and she was so careful with her movements that I believe that she had run out of clean panties as well but I resisted the urge to check. Once her clothes were washed and dried she changed into them which disappointed me no end.

My cellphone was at home but I had packed my telephone book for emergencies. It didn't help though as Jenny didn't answer her phone. I left a message asking her to get in touch with me when I got home.

Pernilla said, "I suppose that that means no sex."

"I have to tell Jenny that our relationship is over first, I don't want to cheat on her. Well, actually I do very much want to cheat on her but I'm not going to."

"So I get to remain frustrated because of your high ideals, that doesn't seem very fair."

I couldn't argue with that so I didn't try. It wouldn't have taken much to get me to forget my high ideals that night but thankfully Pernilla left the decision to me. Maybe she understood that I would have felt bad about it afterwards. We slept as before chaste but intertwined.

The next day we caught the same bus towards home. Pernilla was to get off at Jokkmokk and take the Inlandbana to Östersund and visit her mother for a couple of days while I continued to Luleå and my plane home. I had expected a tearful parting but such was not the case.

"You can have my telephone number if you want."

"It's best to make a clean break."

"I disagree, what is best is for you to come begging for my forgiveness after the shameful way you have treated me. You might even get it after ten or fifteen years of grovelling!"

I laughed, we kissed and Pernilla got off the bus. She waved me good-bye as the bus pulled out, happy as a lark. I felt sad, I missed her already, we had only spent a few minutes apart since Akka and now I had to face the future without her. I was glad as well as upset that she could be so happy at our parting.

-----

Jenny came round to visit me on monday evening.

"I suppose you'd like an explanation?"

"Yes, if you want to give one. I tried to be angry but I really couldn't keep it up."

"I wanted to go to that conference alone to try and work out how I felt about you. I mean, I like you and the sex has been pretty good but did I really want to invest any more years in this relationship? That night I got drunk and you saw the results, I am pretty sure that I got fucked that night but I don't remember it and there was no residue in the morning so I guess that he or they used condoms at least. When I saw your email I realised that I didn't feel all that ashamed of what had happened, we don't have that sort of relationship anymore I'm sorry to say. Even if you hadn't found out I like to think that I'd be here telling you. I'd like to remain friends, I think we can. I'd even like to share a bed once in a while but nothing more permanent."

"Thank for your honesty. I came to a similar conclusion out on the trail. We can stay friends I'm sure, there isn't enough passion left for the breakup to hurt."

Jenny went around my flat collecting her things, she stopped at a pair of panties that Pernilla had sneaked into my backpack. She looked at me questioningly and I told her all about Pernilla. She laughed and laughed.

"We stayed together much longer than we should have and then you let someone that you obviously have a chance of happiness with just walk away? Did you hit your head on a rock or something and loose most of your IQ? You pride yourself on your intelligence, what happened?"

"It seemed like the right thing at the time."

"Only if you want to spend the rest of your life alone and pining for her! Seriously though, how are you going to find her when you don't even know her surname?"

"I wasn't planning on looking for her."

"Well you'd better start planning because I'm going to nag you until you do."

Jenny was still chuckling when she left. She had a point.

-----

On thursday evening Jenny called and asked if she could see me the next evening. She had something to discuss with me but didn't have the time right now and it needed to be in person. I had nothing planned so I told her that she was welcome.

Friday evening saw me sipping a beer when the doorbell rang. Jenny I thought, perhaps she's thought of some way to find Pernilla, I hoped that she wasn't just horny. When I opened the door I found Pernilla instead. She looked glorious, on the trail in her hiking clothes she looked beautiful but now in a short skirt and little top she was a dream come true.

"Aren't you going to invite me in?"

"Come in please, how did you find me?"

"Oh, that was easy, I just made a note of Jenny's name and telephone number when you called her. She seems quite nice really and she was more than glad to help me. I had to promise her an invitation to our wedding though."

"I've missed you so much, I didn't know how I was going to find you, I wasn't even sure if you wanted me to, you seemed so happy in Jokkmokk."