It's been years now since they vanished, but I still miss the Craigslist personals. Sure, they were filled with fakes, phonies and pic collectors. Even if you managed to hook up through one there was no guarantee that you'd actually have a good time.
Once in a great while, though, answering an ad could lead to a unique, unforgettable encounter. The one I'm about to tell you about happened years ago, but I remember it as if it were yesterday.
It was a warm October evening in Texas, a typically dull weekday. I was scrolling through the M for M ads to entertain myself. The pickings were as slim as usual. Sometimes it seemed as if the same half dozen trolls posted their ads every day, not bothering to change their copy, their pics or even what day they were looking to meet.
This ad, though was different. I was sure I'd never seen it before.
"Camping Naked. Waiting for You."
I clicked on the title, intrigued.
"I'm spending tonight in a tent somewhere on my hundred-acre property next to Lake M—-. I've built a fire and stripped buck naked. If you're interested in joining me..."
That much was followed by the usual request for stats and a photo. There were two photos posted in the ad. One looked like a satellite shot from above, showing the lake and dense green woods surrounding it. An arrow pointed to a spot that I assumed was the campsite. The other was a blurry snap of what looked like a lean and hairy male torso. It didn't show much, but it was enough for me.
Short and to the point, and the guy looked decent, assuming he had actually posted a pic of himself. The thought of doing it outdoors was a definite turn on—I'd always had a wild streak. So did he, if he was telling the truth. Why not?
I clicked the "Reply" button and sent my stats and a pic that revealed just enough. I wasn't expecting a response. Most of the time I got nothing back at all, since I was past a certain age and told the truth about what I looked like. I'd gotten used to it—being ghosted was better than wasting time on e-mail or text conversations that ended up going nowhere. Still, there was always the hope that this time it might be different.
The reply came back within a few minutes.
"Nice pic and stats. U serious?"
I typed a reply.
"Very serious."
"Got GPS? Will send directions."
Minutes later I was driving on the freeway going north from the city. His next few messages had been brisk and businesslike—giving me his number so we could text each other, asking me to let him know when I got off the freeway.
I exited where the GPS told me to and pulled over to tell him. Then I began to drive westward. This was unfamiliar terrain to me, but the roads were clearly marked and the countryside was pretty.
I was heading for an address that wasn't his location, but some random house in a cul-de-sac near the lake. According to him I would see a dirt parking lot nearby. I was supposed to leave my car there, slip through an opening in the fence, and start walking down the hill.
The sun was low to the horizon and the light had turned golden by the time I got to the address he had given me. Everything was as he described it. There was just one vehicle in the dirt parking lot, a battered green pickup truck facing the chain link fence. A sign warned: "Private Property. No Trespassing." It sloped downward, following the overgrown terrain behind it.
It took me a moment to find the narrow gap, partly hidden by a tree. The trail was clear, following the fence, but bumpy and irregular. I made sure I had my phone and started clambering down the hill, occasionally grabbing the top of the fence for support.
At the bottom the woods thinned out. Long ago someone had cleared away the trees and they had been replaced by vines and other tangled growth. Looking ahead of me I could see the blue waters of the lake. Although much of the property around it had been developed with residences, I couldn't see any structures on the opposite shore from where I was. Even though I was just a short walk from civilization it was as if I were lost in the wilderness. Meeting a naked stranger was a fitting thing to do in such surroundings. I felt my cock harden inside the flimsy khaki shorts I had on.
The chain link fence I was following came to an end, and soon after that the trail I was on ran into another, larger path. I turned to the left as I had been instructed and sent him a text.
"Watch for stone house on right. Should come to it in a few minutes."
The early evening air was warm and still. There didn't seem to be any living creatures around, not even mosquitoes, for which I was thankful. I stripped off the t-shirt I had on and stuffed in my waistband as I continued to hike.
The minutes ticked by as I walked along the trail. No house came into view and I began to worry. Paranoid thoughts began to flash through my mind. Was this all some trick, or even an ambush, set up to trap a horny, gullible gay guy?
