Backpacking Adventure
All characters in this story are over 18
Sunday
The Pre-Orientation Experience was a chance to bond with other incoming freshman before the official start of college. Even though I had never been backpacking or even camping before, I chose the Extreme Mountain Adventure - a six-day, 60-mile hike through the mountains of Colorado. I figured it was a chance to get out of my comfort zone and meet some cool people. I was in great shape after four seasons of cross-country running in high school so I was up for the challenge.
My girlfriend was mad that I was leaving for school a week early. I tried to reason with her, explaining that I wanted to branch out and broaden my horizons, and that we'd see each other in October. She said I was being a selfish jerk. I was torn. Ellie was smart, fun and we had been having great sex all summer. I hoped we could stay together even though we were going to different schools on opposite sides of the country, but I went anyway.
I arrived at my dorm on Sunday afternoon and met up with my group at dinner. There were 5 guys and 6 girls, along with Noah who was going to be our guide. Noah was a senior, President of the Outing Club and majoring in Recreation Science. Even though he was only 21 he had already led groups on Outward Bound trips, guided river rafting expeditions, taught rock climbing and was an all-around cool outdoorsy guy. He seemed to know everything about running a backpacking trip. Noah was good-looking and fit, with brown scraggly hair, a sandy beard, blue eyes and a deep tan. He was about six feet tall and probably weighed 180lbs of solid muscle.
After dinner we went back to the Outing Club barn where Noah gave us a slide presentation about the trip. He didn't sugarcoat anything. It was going to be rigorous with lots of steep hiking and rock scrambling with heavy packs. We would have to carry all our clothes, sleeping bags, tents, equipment and food for the entire six days. We would be in bear county and would have to hang our food from a tree every night and carry bear spray.
When I looked around the room I saw a lot of worried faces. Two of the girls and two of the guys asked Noah if they could talk to him. I couldn't hear what they were saying, but I saw a lot of nodding and eventually the four of them walked out.
"OK," Noah announced, "we're down to eight. There's no shame in bailing - I wanted to give you all an honest presentation so you know what you're getting into. Those four decided this isn't for them, and that's totally OK. If you're not up for it, step out now because once we're out there you can't go back. Think about it."
The seven of us sat in a circle, looking at each other. Two of the guys - Joe and Tom - were whispering together, laughing and smiling, totally relaxed. They looked like real mountain men - big, burly guys with beards and well-worn hiking boots. It was obvious they were experienced at this sort of thing, unlike the rest of us.
"You only live once, dudes," Tom offered. "I'm totally in."
"Me too," Joe agreed. "YOLO. Stoked."
Two of the girls looked at each other, exchanging a frightened look. "Ummm, I think maybe this isn't exactly the right trip for us?" one of them said, the other shaking her head, dejected. "I think we're going to go, OK?"
"No problem," Noah responded. "You know you."
"We all good?" Noah asked the five of us remaining. He paused, letting us think it over.
Three of us nodded tentatively, but Joe and Tom were emphatic, "no doubt! Let's DO this!"
"OK, then," Noah said as he began to pull equipment from shelves. For the next few hours Noah fitted us with backpacks and sleeping bags and tents and headlamps and everything else we would need, courtesy of the Outing Club. We sorted the food and group equipment like the stove and water filters into piles so everyone could carry their fair share.
"We lost six people so far," Noah pointed out, "so the packs are going to be a little heavier. We'll each have to carry a bigger share of the group gear, OK?"
"No problem," Tom responded.
"Bring it on," Joe added. Those two didn't even need Noah's equipment because they had their own. Tom was from Maine and said he hiked the entire Appalachian Trail during high school. Joe was from Oregon and had hiked almost the entire Pacific Crest Trail. Like Noah, they were big guys, around 6' tall, in great shape. They looked like they could carry 100lb packs all day long. They had long, wild hair and full beards. Tom's hair was dark brown while Joe's was reddish-brown with a red beard. Along with Noah they could have been in an ad for lumberjack recruiting, or maybe chewing tobacco. They were the personification of rugged outdoorsmen.
While the rest of us sorted our gear, Joe and Tom traded stories with Noah about 20-mile days on the trail and encounters with bears, which definitely put a chill on the rest of us. Their banter gave me doubts, but decided I wasn't going to wimp out. I wanted to challenge myself and get out of my comfort zone, and this trip was
definitely
going to do that. I was nervous, but at the same time excited to live new experiences, to do things I had never done before.
Who knows? Maybe I'll find a whole new side of myself...
Monday
When I arrived at the barn on Monday morning it was just me, Noah, Joe and Tom. "The two girls bailed," Noah reported sadly, shaking his head. "They texted me after the meeting last night. Said they were going to go on the bus tour instead."
"Their loss," Joe scoffed. Tom shook his head in disgust.
"You still up for this?" Noah asked, looking at me.
"Ummm, yeah," I responded, hesitantly. "I think so."
"Dude!" Tom declared. "It's going to be awesome! You'll be fine. Trust us."
"Definitely," Noah confirmed. "Glad you're in. We'll only need two tents now." Looking at Joe and Tom he decided, "you guys can share one tent, me and Bobby will be in the other, OK?"
"Sounds good," Joe said.
"Yep," Tom agreed.
I was glad to share a tent with Noah, supposing he would know what to do if there were bears or anything. Overall, I was super nervous but with three experienced outdoorsmen I figured everything would work out.
"With only four of us the packs are going to be even heavier, you know," Noah said. "Let's get everything squared away. The van will be here in an hour."
We spent the next hour sorting the food and gear, checking the weather, getting ready. The guys gave me tips on organizing my backpack, distributing weight, and all the technical details of camping. When I finally finished and put on my pack I almost fell over. It was so heavy! I couldn't imagine actually walking a mile with it on my back, let alone 60.
The guys saw my reaction and tried to reassure me. "Don't worry, dude!" Tom reassured me, "you'll get used to it. It always feels heavy at first."
* * * * *
The van dropped us at the trailhead late in the afternoon. Noah handed out maps and went over our route. "We'll just do a mile and a quarter today, to this campsite by the lake," he said, pointing to a blue oval on the map. "Right here - Frosty Pond. It's a nice spot."
I was grateful we were starting with such a short distance. "OK," Noah continued. "You guys can all hike at your own speed, but make sure you stick to the blue blazes. I'll always be bringing up the rear. Got it?"
Joe and Tom immediately set out at a fast pace while I did my best, struggling under the weight of my pack. Noah stayed with me, walking right behind and asking questions about high school and what I planned to do at college and stuff like that. He was probably trying to distract me from the pain on my shoulders, but he also seemed genuinely interested in me. Noah reminded me of Ellie - he was smart and funny and not stuck up at all. I was lucky to have him with me on my first backpacking trip.
By the time we got to the campsite I felt like I had walked 10 miles. My shoulders were killing me and my back hurt. I realized backpacking was very different than cross-country running.
Joe and Tom were already at the campsite and looked like they had been there for days. Their tent was set up, along with the cooking gear and the ropes for hanging our food bag.
"Dudes!" Joe hollered as we walked into camp. "This place is awesome! Colorado rocks!"
I dropped my pack and fell to the ground, rubbing my aching shoulders. The guys laughed at my exhaustion.
"Someone just lost his backpacking cherry!" Tom crowed. "Way to go Bobby! You made it! Only 59 miles to go!"
Joe whooped, "Welcome to the club!"
I groaned.
"All right," Noah called, waving us over. "Time for Bobby's wilderness baptism. Let's take a swim!"
Swim?
I hadn't brought a bathing suit, but the idea of cooling off in the lake sounded good.
"Ummm, Noah?" I asked timidly, "I didn't bring a bathing suit." The guys all laughed and started running down the trail to the lake.
* * * * *
Noah led us to a big rock with a flat top about fifteen feet above the surface of the water. "It's deep here," he explained, "perfect spot for cliff jumping."
Tom walked to the edge and looked over. "Fucking awesome!" he cried. I was shocked when all three guys stripped off their clothes and stood naked at the edge of the rock, peering over, arguing about who would go first.
Seeing their naked backs really accentuated how fit they were. They looked like a pack of bull moose, tall and broad-shouldered with rippling muscles. Their tight, round asses seemed to be chiseled from marble. They were tanned and hairy, adding to their wild aura, as if they belonged out here in the mountains. I stood behind, fully clothed, amazed at their impressive physiques.
In contrast I was lean, pale, 5'8" tall and 135lbs soaking wet. I had blonde hair, and that summer I decided to grow it long. I thought it would be a cool look for college. For the camping trip I tied it back in a pony tail that I tucked under a baseball cap. Except for that I had almost no body hair and shaved my chin maybe once a month. Gawking at them, I felt like a little boy.
After debating how far out to jump and where to land they turned to look at me. The first thing I noticed was that each of them was very well-endowed. Even soft, their penises were bigger than mine was hard. I tried not to stare but couldn't help myself.
