Stopping on the trail to look back, Sera sighed with a mix of relief and fatigue. At least she wasn't lost anymore - or at least, she was fairly certain this was the way back to camp.
No, she was certain; this was definitely the path back to the campground. As she gazed back the way she came, the river valley and the wilderness around her was breathtakingly beautiful. The trees were finally thick with fully open leaves, and the foliage looked like a layer of carpet over the rolling folds of hilly land.
She had been out here for hours, hiking with a backpack and a big thermos filled with filtered water. Fortunately, she was a seasoned hiker and had everything she needed for a day of exploring this small (30 acres?) patch of wilderness near home. The campground was familiar to her, as her family and friends had used it nearly every summer for most of her life. She had a tent and a camp kitchen set up and waiting for her to make a small dinner when she got back.
Since she had packed a lunch and eaten on the way, she wasn't quite ravenous... but being a little disoriented on the trail earlier in the day had cost her more time than she intended to spend. Now it was late afternoon and she'd be lucky to get back to camp before twilight set in. Heavy clouds had also begun to gather as she walked, and she was acutely aware of the possibility of rain. All the more reason to keep pushing toward camp. She adjusted her bag and turned to continue up the sloping trail out of the valley.
The heat was oppressive, each breath felt thicker than the last and she had slowed her pace over the last few hours to conserve energy. Maybe it was the humidity and the slowdown that made her feel as if someone was watching her for the last mile or so. Of course, the darkening clouds didn't help. The forest around her had always been a place of comfort, but this particular hike had left her feeling as if she was not alone anymore. That was unusual for her.
Cresting the top of a ridge, she could see the path ahead was level and the trees were closer together. This was a relief, but also meant that she was on the right path - and would have no more uphill punishment for her already-burning glutes and thighs.
Sera wasn't particularly athletic, but she had been working out for the last year or so and despite her soft body and full curves she knew she was stronger than she'd ever been. This hike had felt glorious, and all she could think about was how fantastic the cold camp shower would feel. Tonight she would lay in her clean dry pajamas on a soft padded sleeping roll and listen to the rain on her canvas tent. Bliss.
Her reverie about the night's rest was gently pushed aside as she became aware of an opening in the dense woods. Up ahead, to the left of the path, a huge gnarly old Oak tree spread its branches over the forest floor. Everywhere else on this trail, the tree trunks varied in thickness and grew just a few feet apart from one another. Somehow, the canopy of this oak had sheltered the ground around it and had prevented the smaller trees from packing in so tight.
Sera loved huge old trees, as they reminded her of fairy tales and fantasy novels. She stopped to admire it, and as she did so she felt the first few drops of rain begin to fall on her bare shoulders. At the same time, she realized she REALLY had to pee. Looking around, with scattered drops of rain falling through the forest canopy, she realized there was probably no one else around for miles. Shrugging off one shoulder of her back pack, she scanned the woods around the huge tree, and decided this was as good a place as any to take a break. She certainly wasn't going to make it back completely dry, so there was no sense hurrying.
Stepping off the trail, Sera made her way over to the ancient tree and stood with her hand on it's trunk for just a moment. She set her backpack down near the knobby roots at it's base, and took a long drink from her water bottle, draining it completely. Setting it down near her back, she took a few more steps past the tree and found a stand of evergreens growing close together - maybe ten feet further into the woods. She had always been overly modest, paranoid even, about being seen in a compromising way. This would be a good spot to cover her just in case someone came walking up the trail while she was squatting. This was a county forest preserve, after all.
Behind the stand of evergreens, she felt even more like someone or something was watching her. Her cheeks got warm, and she shook her head in embarrassment and frustration.
"Stop it, dummy. There's no one here, just do what you need to do and get back," she muttered to herself under her breath as she unbuttoned her denim shorts and pulled her light pink tank top up out of the way. She'd worn the shortest shorts she owned, thinking they would keep her cooler but also because she wanted to get some sun on her legs.
As she finished up, the rain started coming down just a little bit harder - not a soaking, exactly, but the scattered drops became more consistent. Her tank top was beginning to get soaked through and the lightweight cotton sports bra she wore underneath was now plainly visible. Stepping out from behind the evergreens, she resigned herself to another half mile or so (she hoped) back to camp in the cool showering rainstorm.
She was about halfway between her bathroom spot and the oak tree when a soft rumble of thunder in the distance caused her to smile. She absolutely loved summer storms, and this one was likely going to pass over the valley, leaving the campsite damp but safe from the worst of the wind. Just as the goosebumps raised up on her skin she realized that she wasn't alone under the spreading branches of the tree.
There was a man, leaning with one shoulder against the trunk. His hands were in his pockets and his head was tilted to the side as he looked at her calmly. The hint of a smile on his lips was the only thing that started her heart again; it had stopped cold the moment they locked eyes. He was familiar... she had seen him moving around the campground while she was setting up her tent alone. She relaxed only slightly.
Her eyes darted to her backpack sitting on the ground; he had moved it closer to the tree and it was leaning up against a small bushy plant. Instantly, she realized the bag would not be visible from the path and her mind began to work.
"You okay out here?" he asked. He pushed off of the tree with his shoulder, straightening to full height in one smooth movement. "I thought you may have gotten lost..."
He hadn't taken a step or moved other than to straighten up. He wore an army green t-shirt and blue jeans that looked like they had seen plenty of summers in the woods. His belt was black, some kind of woven canvas or fabric, and his hands were empty as he pulled them out of his pockets and wiped them on his thighs.
Sera realized she had frozen in place and took in a calming breath. This was the camp host, he had piled her firewood for her this morning after she got her site set up. They had exchanged smiles a few times while she worked, and she had appreciated him giving her distance at the time. He hadn't even attempted to help her set up the tent, but when another camper walked over to offer she thought she had seen him chuckling at their exchange.
As the other man had walked back to his site with an awkward wave over his shoulder, she had continued working alone. She liked to do things herself, and rarely accepted help from strangers anyway.
"I was... lost for a few hours earlier today. I'm just on my way back to camp now." She looked nervously up the path, the way she thought was back to camp. It was still gently raining, but she was pretty sure this looked familiar...