"Nice birthday present to yourself," Ellie thought to herself. "This was really smart. Hey I know, I'll backpack 200 miles of the Appalachian trail by myself in the hottest part of Summer! You can be a real genius sometimes, kid." Ellie had started berating herself that morning after waking up on a rock with a stiff neck, several new mosquito bites, and trail rations for breakfast again. "142 miles to go and you can just go home. Suck it up buddy. You bought it, so just suck it up."
The temperatures were the hardest part. Her weather band told her it was 93 degrees by morning with 64% humidity and it was supposed to stay like that for the next couple days. On top of that, the weather service also mentioned a strong possibility of severe downpours over the 48 hours.
It was the kind of dog-day heat that sucked the life out of a person. At 30 she was in excellent condition, but the hills and weight of the pack were beginning to take their toll on her spirits. The sweat ran down her face and stung her eyes. The straps chaffed against her wet skin. The forest was silent except for her trudging foot steps and labored breath.
Her goal when planning the trip had been to cover 200 miles in exactly two weeks. She figured she could probably do 20 miles a day with 4 days left over for sight seeing, and she was determined to stay on that schedule. 2 miles to the next trail shelter, only 2 miles left today, she told herself. She pressed on.
By the time she arrived at the shelter, the sun was dimming but the temperature hadn't budged. She walked into the empty building and dropped her pack. Not caring if she lost the last of her daylight, she lay back on a bench using her pack as a pillow and closed her eyes for a quick nap before setting up camp. Still hot, but glad to be off her feet, she fell quickly to sleep.
She hadn't rested for more than 10 minutes before she heard footsteps outside the door. "Who's there?" she asked, wishing she could keep the hint of alarm out. The person stood at the doorway for a second silhouetted by the light behind him. She could see any features, but knew from the build it was a man. He appeared to be alone.
"I'm very sorry," he exclaimed, "I should have knocked before entering. I didn't see any activity, so I thought I was the only one here." As he said this he stepped back into the daylight again.
"That's okay." She sighed, "Come on in. I was just about to set up camp anyway." She glanced him up and down as he thanked her and entered. He wasn't a bad looking man; he definitely had a gym membership. She would have gauged him to be slightly older than her, mid-thirties possibly, but not 40 yet. He had dark hair, brown eyes, and a bit of grey on his temples. His face was handsome, but not in a model way. His appearance had what she thought of as character.
"Thank you, I won't get in your way. My name's Chris."
"I'm Ellie. Pleased to meet you." She lied.
"Going North or South?"
"North, 60 miles so far."
"I'm headed South, only 20 for me. Share a fire?"
She agreed and they chatted while getting the shelter set up for the evening. They pulled out the night's food and tied the rest in a pillowcase to a tree. Firewood was scarce at these elevations, so they collected together for the better part of an hour talking the whole time.
Ellie was surprised to note that at some point during the chores she had gotten over her disappointment at having to share a shelter for the evening and was beginning to cheer up from her day. For as beautiful as the forest is, it can be very isolating and he was good company. Wood gathered, they returned to the shelter to cook dinner.
As they ate, she told him about her hike so far and her dream for turning 30. He was just getting over a divorce and was "reconnecting with himself," whatever that meant. They talked together well into the night and sat close by the fire. Physical contact never entered her mind, and the evening was free of the usual lame advances men always made around her.
It was only after asking him to rub the knot on her neck that she realized she was potentially taking things in a different direction. She was shocked at herself for even asking. It was out of character for her to be so open around a stranger, but he had excellent hands. He found the root of her soreness in her trapezoids under her shoulder blades, and expertly loosened up the tension she'd been carrying the day before. To her greater surprise, and very slight disappointment, he stopped massaging her back without being told to.
As the night got late, they both stared into the dwindling fire and weariness crept into them. Ellie got up to go to bed, and bid him good night. He stood with her and opened his mouth to say something, then awkwardly closed it again.
"Good night, Ellie"
**What?** She thought to herself. **What were you going to say?**
"Good night."
The next morning they were both awakened by rain.