Take a Hike

He took up hiking after his wife left him. Her wanting a divorce had taken him completely by surprise, so he went for a walk to clear his mind. Walking helped. So, he took up hiking, and the more he got into it, the less the break-up hurt. He started doing day hikes, and that led to visiting stores that specialized in outdoor recreation and equipment, and that resulted in buying hiking and camping equipment.

Adam found clubs to hike with, which led to overnight hikes, which culminated in the Appalachian Trail. When the club announced walking part of the northeastern trail, he was excited, but after a week, he'd had enough. There were too many people. The free shelters for overnight sleeping were crowded, and when you could find a place in one, you had to listen to people snoring and farting, you had to contend with rodents, and the spread of illnesses that caused vomiting and diarrhea. The actual hiking was nice, the scenery amazing, but no thanks to the rest.

This had Adam looking for less crowded hiking trails. He felt that he was now skilled enough to go alone but was hesitant. And then, his divorce was final. That was the final impetus he needed to begin planning his solo excursion. He'd heard talk in the club of the Tour du Mont Blanc. The Tour du Mont Blanc (TMB) was a 170 km (105.6 mile) trek through France, Italy, and Switzerland, circumnavigating Western Europe's highest mountain, Mont Blanc. Club members said it was one of the world's classic multi-day hikes and was on every serious hiker's bucket list. He began his planning.

Adam's research showed that during the summer there were a fair number of people on the trail, but with the You Tube videos he watched, it seemed one could walk long distances without encountering anyone. Where there would always be people was at the refuges. These were various types of overnight accommodations for hikers. Some were quite comfortable, others not so much, just a place to rest one's head for a night. Meals could also be had at these refuges. The downside was that the refuges must be reserved months in advance.

For someone like Adam, who didn't want to wait months, the solution was tent camping. That would require a heavier load and bigger backpack, but he was okay with that. He would need to carry a one-man tent, sleeping bag, inflatable bed pad, camp stove, and freeze-dried food, most of which he already had. However, the TMB passed through several small towns with restaurants and stores where he could have meals and obtain provisions. Camping would enable Adam to travel at his own pace, whereas booking refuges would require him to make certain progress each day.

The decision was made for him.

Within a few weeks, Adam was on a plane to Geneva, Switzerland, and then, a bus to Chamonix, France. He spent a day and half there to overcome jet lag and acclimate himself to the altitude, particularly since the hike would take him to high elevations.

After a good night's sleep, on his first day in Chamonix, Adam decided to walk down to Les Houches, south of Chamonix, where the TMB actually started. He stepped up to an intersection and glanced around to admire Chamonix. On the other side of the street, a woman had stopped also, causing him to glance that way. She was looking down at her phone, but he could see that she was a very attractive woman. She was wearing a short skirt and a tank top, adding to her beauty. Not wanting to be creepy and caught staring, he was about to turn his head forward when she looked up and twisted her head toward him.

She was gorgeous. And she offered him a dazzling smile. Though that surprised him, he had the presence of mind to return the facial gesture with slight nod.

And then, of course, off she went.

Being in no hurry, he decided to stop a block away at a sidewalk cafe for coffee and maybe a croissant. Several minutes later, he was sitting at a small table sipping his cafe au lait, an image of the gorgeous woman still vibrant in his mind.

"May I join you?" a female voice asked.

Looking up, he was stunned to see the woman he had been fixated on. "Of course," he said without thinking. He looked her up and down quickly before she sat. She was indeed very attractive up close. Her tank top was only low-cut enough to reveal an inch of cleavage, but its snugness hinted at nicely rounded breasts. Her moderately short skirt rode up to show a respectable amount of shapely leg when she sat.

"So you don't think this is creepy," she began with an accent, "I didn't know you were coming here, and all the other tables were taken, so I hoped you might not mind the company."

"The company is welcome, particularly with your explanation."

"I'm Catherine, by the way." Her accent sounded French.

"Catherine by the way, I'm Adam." He held out his hand.

She chuckled at his introduction, took his hand, and shook it. "You are American?"

"Yes. You are French?"

"Belgian."

"I've never been to Belgium."

"I've never been to America. You are here on holiday?"

"I'm going to do the Tour du Mont Blanc."

Catherine seemed surprised at that. "Oh, well, good luck."

"Are you on holiday?"

"Yes. My friend and I are here. She recently went through a divorce, so I brought her here to get away."

"That's also one reason I am here. I've just gone through one, also."

She merely nodded.

They each took a moment to sip coffee and unobtrusively study one another. For Adam, Katherine was as gorgeous in person as she had been on the street. It begged the question, what her status was. But since she didn't offer, he thought it too forward to ask.

Catherine had thought Adam was handsome when she first glimpsed him on the street. She hadn't thought any more about him until she saw him sitting alone in the café, and as there were no free tables, she took a chance on sitting with him. She rarely did anything like this. But so far, he was very pleasant. Under other circumstances, she could have seen further interaction with him.

Finishing her coffee, Catherine excused herself. "Well, thanks for allowing me to join you."

"My pleasure." It truly was. But when she walked away, Adam also felt it would also be too forward to ask for her number.

Except that he couldn't stop thinking about her all day. Even with the little she'd said, she had the sweetest voice, and a very relaxed demeanor. She captured his heart in that brief moment. But he figured he'd never see her again.

Walking back to his hotel that afternoon, his attention was arrested by a woman running. He stopped to watch her, but when she caught up with him, what drew his eyes were the short shorts she was wearing which displayed the shapeliest legs he had ever seen: bold thighs and rounded calves. She stopped also, jogged in place, turned toward him, and to his surprise, it was Catherine. She offered that radiant smile and a wave. And then, of course, she turned back around and continued straight.

Adam watched her until she was out of sight. He turned the corner toward his hotel and cursed himself for not following her. But all he could wonder was whether she would have been happy or creeped out. Back at his hotel, and then through dinner alone, he still could not stop thinking about her. He unpacked and packed his backpack to make certain he had everything he needed for the hike.

Adam was a normal man and was not above girl watching, but he'd never been instantly smitten as he had been by Catherine today. In fact, he was so captivated, he considered postponing his hike another day in hopes of connecting with her again tomorrow and having the fortitude to ask for some contact information. But he also realized how foolish that was, so he decided to proceed with his plans. Eight or more days in the mountains would help him forget. Still, he dreamt about her, and in the morning had to again talk himself out of waiting another day.

He hurriedly hit the trail before he could consider anymore. He took his time walking to Les Houches hoping he would see Catherine, but he did not. So, at the official start of the Tour, he tapped the start post and headed on without looking back. He intended to hike twenty kilometers (12.4 miles) to Le Contamines, where he would spend the night at Le Pontet campground. He expected it to take six and one half to seven hours.

It actually took seven and a half hours because there were a couple of vistas where Adam had to stop and take photos with his phone. He'd passed through some adorable little French villages, saw French llamas, and caught a few glimpses of a clouded Mont Blanc. At Le Pontet for his first night, he chose a place to set up his tent and tiny camp stove. He went to fill his water pouch, lit his stove, and cooked his freeze-dried meal. He'd had these before and he looked on them merely as sustenance.

It was dusk when he sat on his sleep pad to eat. Two people were approaching him, but were silhouetted by the setting sun, although their outlines suggested females. When they were upon him, he could see two pairs of well-toned legs in short shorts that were slit up the sides. If it had been lighter, he was certain he would have been able to see up their pant legs.

Catherine handed him a beer. "Thought you might like this. Not only does beer consist mainly of water, it's perfect for rehydrating after a long hike, and it also provides carbohydrates which help your muscles refuel."

He gladly accepted. "Catherine. You didn't tell me you and your friend were hiking also."

"You're right. I didn't," she answered mysteriously. "This is Monique."

Thinking he heard Monique say, "Mmmm-hmmm," Adam was about to stand.

"Don't get up. More important you finish your meal. Just wanted to bring you the beer."

"Would you like to hike together tomorrow?" Adam asked.

But the two women had already turned and walked away. Even though she probably heard, she did not respond.

Adam finished his meal and the delicious beer, and then cleaned his tiny cup-like pot. It was completely dark now and there was not much activity around the campground as other hikers were retiring for the evening. He thought this might be a good time to hit the shower, so he did, cleaning himself quickly. Less than fifteen minutes later, he was back in his tent, zipped in and snug in his sleeping bag for the evening. His research had said the nights were cold.

Having not slept like this in a while, it took some time for him to fall asleep.

Sometime later, the distinctive sound of a zipper sliding on its track awoke him somewhat. This was followed by a bit of breeze entering his tent and someone crawling in. Adam's first thought was someone had come to the wrong tent. Then he heard:

"Monique is snoring like a pig, and I am cold." She felt for and found the zipper to his sleeping bag, slid it down enough to squeeze into it with him. Fortunately, it was big enough for her to fit in, though not leaving much other room.

She laid on her side, draping part of her body over half of his. It felt as though she wasn't wearing much. As strange as this was, her cool skin felt nice against him, and smelled even better.

"I thought you were very handsome when I saw you on the street," Catherine whispered. "And even more so in the café. And you were quite the gentleman." With no further explanation, she reached down and slid her hand down the front of his boxer briefs until she connected with his growing cock. She stroked it gently through the material, and with her face resting on his shoulder and upper chest, she placed little kisses on his skin. A moment later, she pressed her lips to his in a very sensual kiss as her hand found its way under the waistband of his shorts and latched onto his now erect cock. She stroked it more as though to keep him hard as any attempt to get him off.

Adam had never had an encounter like this in his life, but as he had been so mesmerized by Catherine from the moment he had first laid eyes on her, this was a dream come true. But the thought that kept playing in his mind was: was this a dream?

If she hadn't had her hand wrapped around his dick, he would have gotten an erection just from her passionate kissing. She was good. And between her lips and her hand, it was easy to simply lie here and let her have her way with him, particularly as she now stroked him with purpose. This was real jerking off.

Catherine lifted her head to take a breath. Adam felt as though he should say something, but he didn't want to ruin the mood nor change the direction this was going. When she leaned her head back down, she actually licked his lips. That made his cock pulse because it was so erotic. Instead of more kissing, she continued to duel with his tongue, even taking a swipe at his teeth. Good thing he'd brushed after showering.

With her fingers around his shaft, she pressed her thumb against the top of the head of his cock. He didn't know if she thought that would do something, but it sure felt like it did.

And then they came to her purpose. Catherine threw back the sleeping bag to expose his mid-section. That also allowed the cooler air to chill him. She then tugged his boxer briefs down his legs and off. He could vaguely see she had a light, thin strapped top on and bikini-like panties, both of which she quickly removed. Adam reached up to feel her breasts, which were sizeable. He also dragged his hand down her abdomen to her pussy as she bent over to suck his cock. It quickly became clear she was only doing this to wet him, because she then straddled his hips, grabbed his dick, and used it to rub against her pussy. He could feel her warm wetness which contrasted with the cool air. It felt amazing having her spread her labia with the head of his cock.

If only they were in a comfortable bed inside a warm room. But that didn't matter when she slid his dick inside her, and it literally almost felt scorching. She reached back to cover them with the sleeping bag as she began riding him. His cock inside her pussy felt amazing. It had been some time for him. She rested one hand on his shoulder, and in another erotic move, she gently put her other hand on his chin with her middle, ring, and pinkie fingers inside his mouth.

Adam didn't know if he should suck on them, or what. But she let them dance on his tongue.

Riding his cock, Catherine removed her hand from his face and leaned her boob down over it. He did the only logical thing and sucked her nipple. That drew a low moan from her. They couldn't make too much noise. The walls of this tent were only thin nylon.

She was really bouncing on his dick now, her goal obviously to come. This woman really knew how to fuck, and he was thrilled she had chosen him. He wanted to participate, so he sat up and wrapped his arms around her waist to hold her up. She leaned back, steadying herself on her arms, then she threw her arms around his neck and held on. Together, they had a real fuck going, each pumping to the extent their positions allowed. She grabbed a wad of his hair to position his head to press her lips to it.

After briefly kissing, she again leaned her arms back to support her upper body, and this enabled her to thrust more effectively against his cock. This also puffed her tits out, so he sucked each nipple.

Deciding to take charge, Adam twisted Catherine over. She wrapped her legs around his waist, and they both landed on their sides, him essentially lying on her thigh. If that bothered her, she said or did nothing except allow him to fuck her hard. She continued to emit a stream of moaning.

As they kissed again, Adam rolled her completely onto her back, ignoring the cold.

"Yes," Catherine whimpered. "Fuck me like that. I'm going to come."

So, he did until she did. He could tell by the sounds she was making that she would have loved to yell out loud, but of course, she did not. But it also revealed that it was quite an orgasm. It also stimulated him to come, as the sounds he was making suggested.

"Don't come in me," she instructed.

Adam wouldn't have anyway. Instead, he pulled out and reached to jerk himself the rest of the way, but she beat him to it, gabbing his cock and pulling on it until he rewarded her with a handful of warm, sticky liquid.

"Mmmm," she moaned, and when he finished ejaculating, she rubbed his semen into the skin of her belly. "That was marvelous," Catherine exclaimed. "Just what I needed to warm me up." She felt around for whatever clothes she came here in and quickly slipped them back on. She leaned over and gave him a quick peck on his lips. "Maybe we'll see you on the trail." And with that, she was gone.

He attempted to again ask if they could hike together, but in the dim light, he could see her walking away quickly, and he didn't want to disturb the other campers by shouting. With a shrug, Adam quickly zipped his tent back up, hurriedly put his own clothes back on, and covered himself with his sleeping bag as it was becoming cold again. Catherine's visit was just what Adam needed. He was back asleep instantly.

* * *

And not only did Adam sleep, but he also slept well, in fact, oversleeping. But that was why he had decided to tent camp; so he wouldn't be on any schedule. Today, day two, he intended to hike from Le Pontet to Les Mottets, 23 km (14.2 miles), which should take another seven and a half hours. He got dressed and ate a quick breakfast. He headed for the dining area on the off-chance Catherine and Monique would be there, but they were not. Instead, he bought a cup of coffee, returned to his tent, packed up, and hit the trail, which almost immediately went uphill through beautiful green forests.

There were a handful of others on the trail, but all were evenly spread out. None were Catherine and Monique.

As he walked, he relived his middle-of-the-night visit, which would likely end up being the highlight of his trip. So lost in that thought was he that he arrived at Refuge de la Balme in seemingly no time. He decided to have another cup of coffee with sugar (how he normally drank it), hoping the sweetener would boost his energy. He also bought a baguette and some cheese for lunch later. Other hikers had opted for a similar break. Again, neither were Catherine nor Monique.

Adam quickly finished and moved on. He found himself breathing heavier as the trail became steeper. He still made it to Col (mountain pass) du Bonhomme in the amount of time the signs indicated. He even spotted a marmotte, which was like a large ground squirrel. The view was spectacular, so he decided to sit and eat his baguette and cheese.

It turned out to be a windy spot, so Adam continued upwards along an even steeper trail toward Col de la Croix du Bonhomme, which incessantly wound through many fields of scree, otherwise known as rock fragments. But despite that, he managed to arrive at the col about when he expected to. At this point, he could continue downward towards Les Chapieux or upward toward Col des Fours. The latter would cover more distance but was also the steepest yet. However, the views would be well worth it. At 2,665 meters (8,743 feet), Col des Fours was one of the two highest points on the Tour du Mont Blanc.

From this point, the trail descended basically straight downwards. To make matters worse, the first couple hours of descent were on loose rock that became a struggle to maintain footing.

Adam became pretty frustrated with the scree and the fact that it had taken him nearly double the estimated trail time to make his way downwards, but then he came around the corner to spectacular views of gorgeous snowy mountains, making it all worthwhile. Luckily, the trail past Les Tufs started to become more dirt than rock and the gradient decreased to a more moderate decline.

His spirit was lifted when he reached Ville des Glaciers, by which point he'd made up all the trail time he lost on the initial descent. And then, to make things even better, he approached a sign showing that Refuge des Mottets was only thirty minutes away! That had him powering through the final half hour.