Joe Herbst was out of bed early, before 6 a.m., had a nourishing breakfast at the motel where he had spent the night and was at the trail head before time to meet the rest of his group for a five-day mountaineering trip to a high country cabin. At 7 a.m., before some of the 15 members of the party had arrived, he donned his skis and started up the trail. The packed snow made easy travel and he moved with minimum effort up the trail. The dull, gray, overcast day did nothing to deter his high spirits.
Half an hour later he looked back through an opening in the evergreen forest to see other members of his party starting their ascent and felt a momentary sense of pride that he was breaking trail. An hour later the temperature suddenly dropped and gale force winds developed from ahead on the trail. Soon after snow fell an fell side wise in the wind. Then, visibility was measured in yards and finally in feet.
Joe knew that his situation was perilous; if he should lose his way or sustain a disabling injury he would surely perish under the snow where he might not be found till spring. This was not the first time that he had faced perils in the mountains and here was no panic; only, a careful consideration of all the facts relative to the situation. He adjusted his goggles and clothing for the deteriorated conditions and sought the trail markers as he moved steadily forward.
It was just noon when he arrived at his destination and Joe felt a relief at having reached haven of safety. At the door he stomped the snow off his feet in the mud room and removed his boots; then, entered the cabin. Once inside, he found all in readiness and in minutes there was a roaring fire in the fireplace; hot water in the well at the end of the wood range and the running water was turned on. Only then did his hunger assert itself and he sat down to eat his lunch. "The others should be arriving." he thought.
But they did not arrive. Finally at 1:30 there was a stomping of boots in the mud room; then, silence. Joe went to investigate and found a woman, near exhaustion, collapsed over the mud room floor. He struggled to lift the woman and carry her into the warm cabin..."She must weight at least 150 pounds," he thought.
Inside he removed the woman's outer garments and made her comfortable on the sofa, near the fireplace. Next he made a cup of hot tea to overcome her dehydration. As he worked, he talked to the woman and found out her name was Elke Werner-Hobbs. She had left her friends on the trail a mile or two back and was concerned for their safety.
It was then that Joe realized the gravity of their situation. There may be people stranded on the trail, or more than likely, they had returned to the trail head. He went to his pack and removed his cell phone to call 911, emergency as the call went through without a hitch. The operator took the information about the two who were safe. They agreed to save the cell phone battery and that Joe would call at 5:00 p.m. at which time the 911 operator would report the latest status.
By late afternoon, Elke was asleep under two sleeping bags and Joe had cinnamon rolls prepared. He had checked the pantry and found that food would be no problem for several weeks. At 5 o'clock he called the emergency operator and was relieved to find that the rest of the party was accounted for...two were in the hospital with frost bite. The blizzard was the front of a storm front that was expected to last for several days.
Total darkness came early and Joe had the kerosene lamps lit before the telephone call. In the kitchen he began to prepare dinner...
Quietly, out of the darkness of the living area, Elke emerged into the light of the lamps in the kitchen. She looked tired and drawn as Joe gave her the news that the rest of the party was safe. Then she brightened and began to assist with the household chores. "Go get a hot bath and rest while I fix dinner," he said. "Thanks," she said and disappeared from the kitchen with one of the lamps.
Minutes before dinner was prepared, Elke returned. Freshly showered and primped she no longer looked beaten and disheveled; rather, she presented a rather stunning appearance as Joe appraised her slowly.
Joe was taken by surprise as he stood looking at the woman before him. At 5'-11" her blond hair, blue eyes, fair complexion and svelte figure made an imposing scene. "She's at least 150 pounds and she's awesome," he thought. Her pleasant nature and casual attitude made her pleasant company and Joe began to think that this might not be such a bad situation after all.
Through dinner and household chores they talked. Eke drew Joe's past from him subtly with a few reflective and directive questions and soon he was spilling his most intimate feelings to her. He told her of his divorce and of his ex-wife. He told her how the "ex" had decided that since she was earning four times, as a lawyer, what Joe earned as an engineer that she needed room and their marriage was no longer appropriate to her style. He told her of his deep feeling, his rejection, his perceived failure; then, turning to a life style free of attachments... one that didn't include women and one free of rejection.
"Don't you like women?" she asked him. "Of course I do," he answered. "Probably too much."
Soon it was Joe's turn to ask. "Are you married?" he asked. "Yes," she responded and Joe began to feel the familiar feeling of rejection again. Silence followed.
Then, as if to explain her situation further, she continued, "I'm sure you've heard this story before. It's old as the hills." "My husband has a very different life style from mine. He likes boys and girls and not necessarily in that order." He is completely self-centered and considers sex a contact sport. His list of friends is made up of countless women and a few men who can satisfy his cravings. He has no capacity for love. I guess I'm a one-man woman and sex is a healthy union between a man and a woman that should not be defiled. We have become a husband and wife in name only.
Now it was Joe's turn to utilize the directive questions and he soon learned that Elke engaged in the strenuous activities to dispel the tension in her body that resulted from her relationship with her husband. She gradually explained her revulsion at being asked to participate in orgies and all manner of immoral acts...she told, quite freely, of her feelings so intimate that she had never even spoken them to herself.
As Elke spoke, she found insights into her situation which she could not see until they were actually spoken. She found herself in control of feelings which had ruled her for months. She realized that she was a healthy woman with healthy appetites and frustrated by lack of the social intercourse between a man and a woman..."Yes, Sex!" she thought.
During the course of the evening, Joe found himself bonding with the woman that he was marooned with. His unfamiliar feelings bothered him as he experienced a warm, cordial bonding along with a fear that he was becoming entangled again. He handled himself poorly...
Near midnight, they spread their sleeping bags on adjacent cots, banked the fire in the fireplace, did their evening toiletries, turned out the lamps and retired for the night. Neither of them slept soundly as they considered the events of the previous evening.
With morning came responsibilities. The fire was stoked in the range and the cinnamon rolls were baked. Wood was shagged in from the woodpile. Kindling split and lamps refueled and wicks trimmed. The blizzard continued unabated. Lunch was simple and the afternoon was free of responsibility.
Soon Joe and Elke were half sitting, facing each other, on the sofa near the fireplace with their stocking feet drawn up next to each other's bodies for warmth. It was a nice, cosy arrangement with their sleeping bag thrown over them for warmth. They talked...about casual things! Each was afraid of further bonding that might result if they talked more intimately.
A few minutes later, they were engaged in intimate conversation and "spilling their guts" to each other like lovers might do. Old animosities were spoken, examined and put to rest. It was when Elke got up to make a toilet stop that Joe noticed her long, well shaped legs and trim body. When she returned he took note of nicely shaped breasts and a flat belly. The titillations brought an immediate response which He could not subdue.
Once unleashed, this power of eroticism could not be contained as it fed on itself to generate more powerful feelings, etc. Suddenly, Joe was aware of two sexy, erotic feet between his body and the back of the sofa. His own feet reveled in the warmth of her body next to his feet. Finally, again aware of long forgotten feelings, his body responded and he became erect. Thankfully, the sleeping bag covered him is a manner that hid the hardened muscle from Elke.
What Joe did not know, was that Elke was also aware of the feelings Joe was experiencing. Perhaps it was body language, or perhaps it was something in the tone of the voice. It could have been anything. It had been so long since she had experienced the pure feelings that were generated between them. She knew she would love him when the time was right...perhaps this very afternoon!
As the couple experimented with their feelings and talked about their insecurities their feelings became stronger and each sought the other for comfort. Each denied those feelings to themselves. Then it was dinner time.
Dinner was prepared, chores completed and wood prepared for the fires. They bathed and cleaned themselves with extra care as though preparing for something they would deny to each other was even a possibility. More importantly, they denied the possibility even to themselves.
Joe wanted Elke. He wanted to possess her and be possessed by her. He wanted to feel the warmth of her body against his. "Animal instinct," he would call it but in reality it was much more. In the torment of his mind Joe both denied and sought the sexual union that his emotions had encouraged.
As Joe lay in his sleeping bag Elke came out of the bathroom in her panties and sleep shirt to present a most enticing view. It wasn't planned, but both were immediately aware of the electrifying effect that the scene had on Joe. With the lights out and both of them in heir sleeping bags, sleep did not come.