'All characters in this story are older than 18 years'
***
"Come on James, just a few more meters!" Andrew shouted.
"Come on little man, pull up like you mean it!" Chris followed shortly after.
James threw his upper body up and grabbed a rock on his right side, he pulled himself up and allowed his feet to rest in a small hole. James looked up, just one or two more meters to go and he would be on top of the cliff. He tried to pull himself higher up, but his arms were tired and his backpack was a heavyweight on his shoulders.
"A little help guys!" James shouted up, suggesting that they would pull him up on the safety cord around his waist.
"No! We got your back, but you gotta do this on your own!" Chris shouted.
James sighed, but silently admitted they were right, he gathered all his strength and pulled himself up further. James took his time to inspect the rocks above him when he saw a point he could grab he stepped a little higher and placed his hand on the rock. When he was assured of a stable position he pulled himself up with all the upper body strength he had left. He dragged his body over the edge of the cliff and landed on the soft grass, to find himself getting greeted by his friends.
"Yeah!"
"Alright! Nice job Jamesy!" his friends said while patting him on his shoulder and rubbing through his hair.
James wiped the sweat from his forehead and gave a tired but thankful smile. At that moment a large bulk of a man came towards him, "Told you that you could do it." he said friendly and patted James on his cheek.
"Thanks Troy." James said.
After a short break, Troy stood up, "Alright, troops listen up!" he shouted while everybody was gathering around, "From this point forward it is about 4 miles to the cabin, if we put our backs into it we can be there before nightfall!".
When Troy was looking at the map with Chris, everybody hanged on their backpacks again. James took off his climbing attire and put it into his backpack before hanging it on.
"We need to go North-West," Chris said, "We will go down the mountain and passed the river, after that it's just a walk in the park!"
When everybody was ready to move again, all 10 men walked down the mountain path. Troy and Chris in the front reading the map and determine the directions, while everybody was following in rows of two.
Troy and Chris were the ones who started this outdoors club. Both of them were in the military and had served in Afghanistan, now that they were currently off duty they decided to start this club for everyone who loved exercise and adventure.
During the summer months, the club came together every now, and then for a few days. They would stay in a cabin that Troy and Chris hired and have a lot of activities outdoor. They were in the forests of West Virginia, so there was enough space and lots of things to do. From hiking and canoeing to climbing and survival courses.
Troy was the man in charge, he was 26 years old, 6 feet tall, well build, and muscled from his years in the army, a man people would follow out of respect. Though he was bald, it didn't diminish his prestige one bit, he had a strong chiseled jawline covered in neatly trimmed stubble, dark deep eyes, and a beautiful smile. He only wore a tank top which revealed his masculine arms and broad shoulders, with some tattoos covering them, his hands were large and hardened, a sign of a hard-working man. His chest was broad and covered in hard muscle, and you could even see a sign of chest hair running in between the middle. He wore shorts, which revealed most of his legs and thighs, that were just as impressive as the rest of his body. Troy was calm, respectful, and considerate in his attitude, though he knew how to push everyone to their limits.
Chris, 27 years old, was Troy's buddy in Afghanistan. Now if you thought Troy was large, Chris was massive 6,3 feet in height and just as beefy, a bear of a man. Chris had piercing blue eyes, short blonde hair, and a small well kept beard covering his jaw and cheeks. Chris wore an old T-shirt and long outdoor jeans, despite that he was more clothed, you could tell he had rock hard muscles all over his body, from the way his chest went up and down, to when his biceps flexed as he lifted his backpack. Unlike Troy's calm attitude, Chris was wilder and more adventures, he was a 'get out there and get shit done' type of guy, while Troy was more of thinking things through and choose the best plan of attack. Despite their personalities were opposite, Chris and Troy respected each other deeply and were best friends.
Behind the two leaders walked Timothy and Aron, Timothy was the oldest and largest man in the group, he was 30 years old and 6,4 feet. He was a rugby player by profession, buffed up and muscled, but yet calm, like if you mix Troy and Chris. He had short brown hair, with even a trace of silver-grey running in his sideburns, and a trimmed beard walked across his strong jawline and hazel eyes. He wore an outdoor shirt, which surprisingly remained in one piece with his hulking torso muscles pressing the fabric, he carried his 20-pound backpack like it was nothing.
Next to Timothy walked Aron, a 25-year-old half Polish half American man. Around 5,7 feet in height, not very bulky but still in a good shape with lean muscle. Aron was a construction worker and a pretty relaxed, laid back guy, though sometimes a little cocky. He walked at a steady pace, toothpick between his teeth, enjoying the view. He had short black hair and was clean shaved, his eyes were dark brown and you could see traces of his Eastern European lineage in his face, due to his higher cheekbones. He also had a little accent. He wore a training vest and long jeans, he didn't wear anything under his vest, and his slightly open zipper suggested this man had an impressive amount of chest hair.
Just behind them were two other guys named Jay and Nick. Jay was truly a gorgeous man, 6 feet in height, 29 years old, he had half long dark hair and brown eyes, a light stubble covered his refined face. His body was just as beautiful, he wore a black tank top and shorts, which revealed his muscled and tanned body, he was a professional boxer, but everything seemed so refined on him. He was a nice, funny guy who liked exercising and having fun with his buddies. Jay took a few sips from his water bottle and handed it to Nick.
"Oh, thanks." Nick said gratefully as he sipped from the bottle. One could say that Jay and Nick were brothers if you had never met them before, they looked a lot alike. Nick was also quite large, 6 feet and 27 years old, he had half long, neatly combed hair and a one-day-beard and mustache, grey eyes and dark eyebrows. He was not as masculine as Jay, but still in pretty good shape, like Aron, he was a construction worker. Nick wore an old, ripped shirt while he had his vest tied around his waist. His body was decently built, with his arms and upper body tanned from working in the summer sun, a trail of chest hair walked in between his chest and his abs.
The last four guys were Ahmed, James, Andrew, and John. Ahmed was of Maroccan lineage, 27 years old, and a fitness coach. Despite that he looked somewhat intimidating at 6,2 feet, broadly muscled and with a thick, dark beard, he was a very friendly and compassionate man. He was dressed in his sports attire and seemed to do this hike with ease. Ahmed had dark hair and beautiful hazel eyes, a broad chest with a thin layer of hair on it, and big, beefy arms. He, Chris, and Timothy were always in a friendly competition with each other for the biggest and strongest male status.
