The sun was beating down on the forested hillside, baking the rock-strewn trail. John kept his attention between his footing and the view. The summer heat had cooked the top of the mountain where the main trail ran, so he had turned down a smaller trail towards the cooler and shadier canyon below.
The path ran parallel to the slope, only gradually angling down, making the walk easy. After a few minutes of hiking, John was able to leave the heat of the exposed trail and enter the protection of the dry pine forest. The tree cover provided needed shade and relief from the beating sun, the air getting cooler as he hiked deeper and deeper into the canyon.
A noise of crashing rocks and breaking branches rose up ahead of him. John froze. Two voices could be heard, one the deep rumbling and huffing of some large animal, the other a woman's shrill scream of "fuuuuuuck!"
Suddenly a woman burst onto the trail from the behind a bush. John had barely time to notice that she seemed to be completely naked, except for a pair of hiking boots. Behind her, running at a lopping gait, was a large black bear.
The woman ran past John, almost knocking him over. He had barely time to yell, "Stop running!" Before the bear was upon him.
John stood firm, making himself as big as possible, arms raised high. He started yelling and cursing at the startled bear, who came to a sudden stop. John took a step towards him, growling and yelling. The bear gave him a quick look over before deciding he was not worth the trouble and ambled back down the slope into the darkness of the canyon.
John dropped his arms and leaned on his knees, breathing deep. That had been quite a fright. He tried to calm down, willing his hands to stop shaking. Finally he straighten up and looked behind him.
The woman was standing on the trail, a dozen feet away, hands to her mouth as she watched the bear amble away. John saw that she was, indeed, naked. And pretty, a strong face framed by long black hair pulled into a loose ponytail, escaped strands falling over her ears. She was tanned, her body fit and toned and lacking any tan lines, her breasts small and perky, topped by almond-colored nipples. A neat but full bush crowned the juncture of her thighs, her legs long and strong. The hiking boots made her nudity stand out even more, highlighting what was missing.
"Oh my god," she exhaled, her hands on her face. "That was so fucking scary."
She shook her arms, releasing the tension of the previous moment.
"Oh my god!" She exclaimed, walking up to John, "that bear could have killed me!"
"Don't run away from bears," said John, who was trying to get his breath back, "it just triggers them."
"Thank you! You saved me!" She cried, throwing her arms around his neck, hugging him.
John squeezed back, very conscious of the warm bare skin under his hands. She took a step back.
"Thank you, you're my hero" she said.
John smiled, embarrassed by the compliment and flummoxed by her nudity.
"You're very welcome," he replied," Anyone would have done the same...So...Do you always hike...aaah.." He trailed off, motioning towards her naked body.
She looked down at herself. "Oh yeah."
She looked up at him and grinned.
"All the time!" She exclaimed. "But I have to get back to my camp, all my shit is there."
She bit her lip and looked at John, a concerned look on her face.
"Would you mind coming with me? That bear might be still around. It's not far, my camp is just down there by the river."
"Sure, " replied John. After all, it was an opportunity to spend more time with a naked woman!
"I'm John, by the way." He said, extending his hand.
She took it and shook it."Sue", said with a smile.
For the first time she really looked at him. Middle-aged, fit, handsome in a rugged sort of way, with a formless hat scrunched on his head holding back curling brown hair, a short graying beard on a square jaw. Deep set hazel eyes framed by laugh lines stared back at her. He, unlike Sue, was dressed in shorts and t-shirt, with a small backpack. The hiker's uniform in these parts.
Sue headed down the path for a short while before turning off and making her way through the bush to slide down the hill. She looked over her shoulder several times to make sure John was following. He was right behind her, watching the play of muscles across her legs and back, trying not to stare at the bare ass swaying in front of him in the dappled shade of the forest.
Finally they came to a thin stream that gurgled happily at the bottom of the canyon. The trees formed a tunnel above them, keeping the hard sunlight out. They walked for a few more minutes before finding themselves at a shallow pool created by a tumble of rocks blocking the stream. A tiny waterfall spilled into another pool on the other side of the rocky obstruction, this one deeper and larger. A cluster of clothes and bags were set against a rock on the edge of the stream. Sue's camp.
"Ah, shit," sputtered Sue. "That bear got into my stuff."
A few scraps of paper were scattered around, and her backpack was spilled open. She quickly gathered her clothes and shoved them back into her backpack.
'It's a good thing I didn't have much." She continued.
She turned around and faced John, smiling. "Welcome to my camp," she said, smiling and opening her arms. She leaned back against the rock, half-sitting.
"I like what you did with the place," he replied, grinning.
She smiled. "There's a built-in jacuzzi" she said, pointing with a thumb at the larger pool.
Sue pulled her boots off. "Come on, I don't know about you but I'm sweaty and grimy."
And with that, she scampered over the rocks and jumped into the pool.
John hastily threw shirt and shorts off to the side. He hesitated, thumbs on the elastic of his boxer shorts. Fuck it, he thought, she was naked so it's not like she's going to be shocked or surprised. Boots and underwear removed, he made his way over the rocks and slid into the cold water of the pool.
Sue was sitting on the far side, only her head out of the water, watching him. The pool was only hip deep, an irregular oblong, the bottom a mix of fine sand and smooth boulders. John sat in the water, letting the cold water flow over his shoulders. He splashed water on his face. Under water, their limbs intertwined, feet grazing legs.
"Feels good, right?" Sue said.
