Summer on the PCT

The last part of the southern California trail is through the western part of the Mojave Desert. This can be quite dangerous and water is a real concern. Some people will cache water jugs to be retrieved when they are hiking but it is dangerous to rely on such a system. If you think you have water waiting and someone else has taken your water, you could get yourself into real trouble. As a result, both Julie and I had previously planned on relying on the rare natural water sources along the trail.

As I approached the last camp before the desert, I saw several hikers including Julie camped out. As we ate, we kicked around how we would handle the next section of the trail. Although injuries can occur anywhere on the trail, this dry section was clearly one of the riskiest. We all decided we would go as a group, travel reasonably briskly, but not too fast, and avoid hiking in the heat of the day. We left well before sunrise and hiked in the cool desert air until it heated up to over ninety degrees. We rested a bit when it was the hottest and once it cooled off a tiny bit, we took off and hiked until after nine pm using our headlamps in the dark.

We managed to get across the driest section together and when we hit water, we all felt like we were well-seasoned trail blazers. After resting the night at the little spring, most of the group headed out but Julie indicated she wanted to wait a day before going on. I asked her if she was doing OK and she reassured me she had promised she would not kill herself out on the trail and would rather go a bit slower than to rush herself, get injured and have to bail out. I realized the wisdom of her decision and asked if it would be OK if I stayed as well. We spent most of the day huddled under a scrawny tree that was trying to survive by the tiny spring.

This time together gave us plenty of opportunity to get to know each other. I found her to have a wicked sense of humor and she could make fun of almost anything. More than once I was doubled over in laughter as she told me stories from her law school days and the practice. I too shared stories from my work, giving anonymous descriptions of some funny situations I had encountered in the ER. She was an only child of what appeared to be very reserved parents while I was one of three kids. My parents were old hippies and seemed to run a fairly loose household. I had had the full support of my family when I told them about the PCT while her parents tried to talk her out of it.

"Once they told me I shouldn't do it, well that sealed the deal. I was determined to show them I could," she explained to me. "I love my folks, but they don't see much beyond their country club golf games and the martinis at the nineteenth hole."

"Well, my situation was a bit different. I practically had to fight my dad off from joining me. While I would have enjoyed him hiking with me, he's got a bit of arthritis and I don't see him making the full trek. We have left open the possibility of him joining me for a week or so in Oregon where the hiking is the easiest."

"Great. Maybe I'll meet him if you haven't gotten too far ahead of me."

"You never know. I kinda like your approach of taking it slow and steady. We'll probably bump into each other a lot, don't you think?"

"Yeah, maybe. Uh, Ryan, how about tomorrow. Want to hike together a bit?"

I was certainly game for that and at four am we headed out as we wanted to get the last of the dry section behind us. For the next week as we headed slowly north, we hiked together. Usually we slept out in the open with our bags ten to twenty feet apart. We adopted the old "skirts up and pants down" program for bathroom duties: women go uphill and men go downhill. Hiking and camping together certainly breeds a bit of familiarity but I was always brought up to honor a woman's modesty. I always averted my eyes when she went to change clothes, not that she or I had many extras, or when she did her spit baths.

That isn't to say I was unaware of her good looks. Her face was attractive and her smile was dimpled. She sported shoulder blade-length blonde hair which was frequently tied up off her neck with a big clip-like device. She was fairly lithe (she had to be, hiking like she was) but still sported a nice pair of breasts, from what I could see. Her legs were lean and muscular. The nicest thing of all was her cute, shorts-wrapped ass I followed and stared at for hours as we hiked along.

Eventually we crossed Highway 58, a marker for the end of the southern desert portion of the trail. At the highway we both had supplies waiting for us and for one night we actually had a nice meal at greasy spoon, a few miles from the trail. When you are eating nothing but trail food and freeze-dried meals, anything else is a luxury, even at a greasy spoon. I took the opportunity to call my brother and asked him to tell my folks I was doing OK and to send a message to Vickie.

As we started the climb into the mountains several things became clearer. The temperature was lower and water was no longer a major issue. We frequently came upon small creeks or springs and were able to replenish easily. The downside was that the trail overall was becoming steeper in parts and more energy was needed to keep up our pace.

It was on the third day into the mountains that we came upon a small lake just off the trail. Much to our surprise Eins and Zwei were in the water swimming and splashing. When they saw us, Eins (or was it Zwei?) yelled out to us, "It's wünderschön. Come in!"

After weeks in the desert and smelling like a pig, I knew I wanted to go swimming. I peeled off my pack and as I walked to the lakeshore Eins got out of the water on the far side of the lake and hopped up onto a granite slab. He was absolutely naked, yet it seemed totally natural and expected. I quickly stripped off my clothes and went running to the water and did a shallow dive. The water was so cold that I came up sputtering and yelling.

"Whoo-wee, damn that's cold!" I screamed.

"Ja, but you get used to it," one of the Germans yelled at me.

"I sure hope so. Hey, Julie, come on in," I shouted to her. She looked a bit embarrassed so I added, "We won't look, I promise." I turned around and dog paddled out to the middle of the lake before I heard a big splash behind me and her subsequent scream.

I turned around to see her treading water, facing me and laughing. "You guys are cruel. This water could freeze the tits off a witch!"

"Maybe, but it's the first bath we've had in weeks. I love it!"

We swam around a bit and though we never totally got used to the cold, it became a bit more tolerable after a few minutes. At one point, Zwei called out he had some biodegradable soap so we could actually try to clean ourselves. I swam over to their sunbathing rock and was handed the small bottle. Standing in shallow water I quickly washed my face, pits and crotch and then dunked under the water to rinse off. I turned around to Julie and offered her the bottle. She swam up to me, took the bottle and quietly requested that we guys turn away while she washed herself.

After a few minutes she thanked Zwei and gave him the bottle before turning to swim back across the lake. I waited with the Germans until she reached the other side and, I admit, I peeked as she left the water to go to her pack. Due to our time hiking together, I had a generally good idea as to how she looked, but to see her totally nude backside as she left the water was a sight for sore eyes. She was absolutely stunning. I turned back away and let her have some time to get dressed and then I swam back over to my pack. I noticed as I got out of the water that she looked away as well. I put on my cleanest dirty shorts and crawled out onto another slab of concrete to dry off. She joined me there as we snacked on our trail mix.

"Feels nice to get a little bit clean, doesn't it?" I asked.

"Oh, definitely," she answered. Then she went on, "And thanks for looking away. I'm a tiny bit shy when it comes to things like this."

"Oh, no problem, but if you must know, I have to confess that I peeked a tiny bit."

"You rat," she laughed as she playfully slapped me. "When?"

"Just as you were getting out of the water. The vision is now burned into my brain."

"Well, that's where it's gonna stay," she laughed some more. "Anyway, I saw you when you stripped before you jumped in, so I guess we're even."

"Hey, it's kinda early to knock off hiking, but I'm perfectly willing to stay here for the night. What about you?"

"Oh, I wanted to get in another few miles, but you're right: this is just too nice to rush away from."

We began to set up camp when the Germans decided to head up the trail a bit more. A relaxing afternoon after the long hikes was a luxury. I dozed off for a while and when I woke up Julie was walking through a meadow looking at wild flowers. As evening came, we ate and then snuggled halfway in our bags while we watched the sun set and the stars come out. We both saw a couple of shooting stars before we decided to turn in. As I snuggled down into my bag, I realized she was wiggling her way in her bag over next to me.

"This has been the best day so far," she whispered.

"Yeah, nice. Good hike, wonderful swim with beautiful scenery," I joked, "And really good company."

"I like the company," she whispered as she leaned over me and gave me a sweet, brief but sensual kiss. "Good night, Ryan."

I was surprised but was able to respond, "Yeah, night, Julie. Sweet dreams."

In no time I heard her breathing regularly but I had trouble falling asleep. The kiss had been totally unexpected but it told me she had some feelings for me. Up to that point I had considered her a good hiking companion, one who was nice to look at, but I had no plans to make a move on her. Now suddenly I was wondering whether the kiss was a promise of something more or just a 'thank you' kiss for being with her.

The next morning dawned brisk and bright. We got up, had a breakfast and packed all without any comment about the kiss the night before. I kept looking at her trying to figure out what was going on but it was as if had never happened. We made our way ever higher into the mountains over the next few days and the kiss was never repeated nor discussed. Finally, I decided it was a one-off and tried to forget about it.

About two weeks later we, or that is I, had a near-catastrophe. The snows had been melting quite a bit but at the higher elevations we had to cross several snowfields perched on hillsides. At one of them the trail was hidden and there were several small boot tracks across the snow, but no deep, reliable trough. I volunteered to walk ahead of Julie and went to stomp the snow down, making it easier and safer for her to follow me. I was about half way across when my downhill boot plunged through the soft snow, throwing me off balance. In an instant I found myself sliding headfirst down the slope. I didn't have an ice-ax to stop the slide so I stuck out one hand and dug it into the snow. This caused me to spin around so I was sliding feet first. I frantically started to dig my boots and elbows into the snow and eventually slowed myself to a stop about twenty feet from the rocks below.

Above the sound of my pounding heart I heard Julie screaming my name and yelling she was coming down to me. I turned and yelled back up to her that I was fine and she should stay where she was. There was no sense her risking a fall as well. After a minute or so I struggled up to standing and began the long trek back up the snow field. I angled my route so I could reach good-old dirt quickly and work my way up to the trail while Julie carefully finished walking across the snow.

Once we met at the trail, she launched herself into my arms sobbing with relief. "Ryan, oh God, I thought you were going to hit the rocks!"

"Yeah, you and me both," I stuttered. "Let's sit down for a few minutes, OK?"

We sat there for at least thirty minutes until her crying eased off and my jangled nerves settled down. Eventually she released her hold on me and we decided to have a snack before heading up the trail. For the rest of the day I was in a daze and my mind kept going back to those few seconds when I was sure I'd hit the rocks and probably die. Every once in a while, Julie would turn back to me as if to make sure I was still there.

Camp that night was subdued. I think we both realized how close I had come to tragedy and how precarious things can get out on the trail. Before we crawled into our bags, she sat next to me and reached around to hold me.

"Don't you ever, ever do that again," she whispered in my ear.

"OK, I've crossed it off my bucket list."

"No, dammit, Ryan, don't make a joke about it. I was sure you were dead. And though I wouldn't want to see anything like that ever, I really don't want to see anything happen to you." She paused a few seconds before adding, "You're getting to be kinda special...."

"Yeah, you too," I answered as I felt her tugging my face to hers. I looked down as she raised her lips to mine. After a gentle peck she backed off a second and then came back for more. We sat there with our lips exploring and our arms wrapped around each other. After a bit I looked down and in the fading twilight I could see her with a sweet little smile on her lips.

"Thank you," she whispered. "Nice."

"Yeah, nice. And I'm sorry I made a joke about it. I don't think I've ever been so close to, uh, death as I was today. I'm still feeling dazed."

"Here," she replied. Pull your bag next to mine. I want your arms around me when I fall asleep."

Fortunately, it wasn't too cold and I was able to keep my arms around her as she drifted off to sleep. At some point later in the evening I too drifted off.

I was wakened by Julie stirring next to me as she got up to go pee. Once she came back and slipped back into her bag, she wrapped her arms around me and dropped for a kiss. It was a sweet and tender meeting of our lips that led slowly to a deeper, more erotic kiss. After a bit she broke away and said, "Morning, Sleepyhead. Sleep OK?"

"Umm-hmm. I did. Nice way to wake up, too."

"Glad you liked it." She paused a bit before going on, "We've got a long day today, so we should get going. OK?"

I agreed and the spell was broken as we got up, grabbed a bite to eat and broke camp. The day was a long one as we tried to make up for the shortened day of my fall. It was quite late when we set up camp and prepared our freeze-dried meals. The weather was threatening so we each pitched our tents. It rained lightly during the night but we stayed dry without trouble. I have to admit I missed sleeping close to her. A larger tent for both of us sure would have been nice.

After a few more days on the trail we came to another resupply stop. This was at a "trail angel" camp. Trail angels are people who live near the trail and hold shipped packages for the through hikers. There are frequently showers available and at this stop there was even a tiny store with all kinds of items for sale. We each picked up our packages and we decided to buy some canned stew, whole wheat bread and canned peaches for dinner. I know, I know, it doesn't sound very good, but for us it was a feast. After dinner I went over to the outdoor showers and stripped down and got thoroughly cleaned for the first time in weeks. It felt so good to be well fed and clean. In the shower I also quickly washed and rinsed two of my shirts and a pair of shorts.

As I got out of the shower Julie was coming back from the store. She told me she was window shopping and dreaming about eating another decent meal at the next trail angel camp. She went ahead and hopped into the shower and reemerged looking absolutely beautiful. Her hair, which like mine had gotten quite grimy, was full and shiny. She had put on a clean T-shirt which was in her package and I noticed immediately the absence of a bra.

"Uh, you look fabulous. Doesn't it feel great to get clean?"

"Oh, you know it does. Look, Ryan, seriously, I want to ask you a question. We've been hiking together for quite some time and I want to know if we'll keep doing it. If so, maybe we can share some equipment and lighten our loads, maybe even get something special for the trail."

"Like what?"

"Maybe a tiny can of fruit cocktail. Or how about a small plastic bottle of rum? We can add a bit to our lemonade mix or even to our hot chocolate."

"So, if you're asking me if we can ditch the smaller tent and one stove and take some rum and goodies with us? Absolutely. I'm all in."

"Oh, good. Somehow I was nervous you'd think I was being too clingy and slowing you down too much."

"No way. I like our pace. We should do just fine and finish in late-September or early-October and there's no reason we shouldn't treat ourselves to something nice now and then."

"Oh, Ryan, thank you," she said as she came up to me and wrapped her arms around me. "I do like you a lot and being with you on this trip has been extra nice." I could feel her nipples poking me through my thin shirt.

"Yeah, sure," I mumbled. "We're a team now. Erdoc and Wonder Woman."

"No one will think I'm Wonder Woman if I'm not doing the hike alone."

"Hell, I do. There just aren't that many women out here and you, you're doing great. Here, let's clean up and hit the sack. It'll be ten days before our next trail angel stop, so we need to get up early and hit the trail."

That night we slept out in the open as did most of the other hikers who had stopped there for the night. Our 'good-nights' were sweet, tender kisses and hugs. We got up early, ate a bit and hit the trail, leaving the rest of the sleeping hikers behind us.

Several days later we found ourselves hiking along a high ridge in the streaming sunshine. It was getting quite warm and I was sweating more than usual. I wanted to cool off so I stopped and took off my shirt before putting my pack back on. It was some bit later when Julie turned around and saw me.

"No fair. You get to cool off and I don't."

"Look, Julie, if you want to slip off your T, or even more, I promise I won't stare. There's no one else around here."

"K, I think I will. You won't stare, promise?"

"I promise. You stay ahead of me and it shouldn't be an issue."

I turned around until I heard her announce it was all clear and then started to follow her up the trail. Then I saw it: Tied to the top of her pack was her shirt and sports bra. She was hiking topless right in front of me! My mind started to run wild. I kept hoping someone would come from the opposite direction and she'd be forced to turn back to me. But for the next hour no one came and my dreams of a cheap thrill were dashed. At the next rest stop she kept facing away from me as she drank her water and ate her trail food.

I was half dozing when I heard her say, "Ryan, keep your eyes closed. Promise?"

"Uh, sure," I answered as I closed them. I heard her moving about and then I felt her breasts on my lower chest as she reached around and hugged me.

"Wha...?"

"Oh, I know it must have been torturing you to follow me, knowing I was topless. And you've been such a gentleman. So, here's your reward," she said as she reached up for a kiss. The kiss was nice and sensual and, along with her breasts rubbing into me, seemed to create a swelling below my waist. I tried to pull away but she slipped one hand down from my back to my butt and pulled me close.

"You know, I kinda feel the same way," she whispered. "Walking topless, knowing you were right behind me got me kinda excited."

"Well, good," I laughed. "It's nice to know someone else is suffering."

"Umm-hmm. Now look, I'm going to back away slowly. You don't have to turn away your eyes. I want you to look at me."

She did exactly as promised and once she was a few feet away, she looked up at me and smiled. We all know guys are such visually stimulated creatures and to look at a time like this was so sweet, so rewarding, so fulfilling. I looked down at her chest. Her breasts were beautiful. They weren't particularly big, but they stood out nicely with slightly puffy areolas and tiny, beaded up nipples. God, she was beautiful, shirtless in the full sun, smiling at me.