Andrew put the rod on his roof and yanked the tie-cable tight with a grunt. He walked around to the boot, took stock, and nodded, apparently pleased, and closed the boot.
"Have fun! Text me when you get there," the lean, dark-haired woman called from the doorway.
"Okay," Andrew said with a wave, before rounding to the driver's side and slipping in.
Sun streamed through the window and glinted on his light-brown and red-tinged beard as he started the engine, returned another wave, and reversed out of the drive.
Even as he slid out onto the quiet cul-de-sac, she waved once more, but he kept his focus on the road as he drove off.
The drive was long enough, with a small stop to charge the car and get a coffee, it had taken just under 3 hours to reach the bottom of the foothills, and an additional twenty minutes to find the side road that would lead him to the location.
There were no signs on the route, but his GPS navigated to the marked sport without any problems, as he drove away from the small town and into the solid forest.
Andrew drove through the woods along a dirt track, and after one twisty bend and another, he reached a small clearing.
Perhaps 5 other cars were parked in this particular spot, and each had taken liberty to park however they'd wanted, so Andrew did the same.
It took less than a couple of minutes to load himself up with his chiller, cauldron, deck chair, tent, food, snacks, water and tent before he locked the car and trudged up the path to the location.
The sign warned anyone entering with a list of what they'd encounter, and even had a graphic image that made Andrew chuckle.
In the distance, he saw tendrils of smoke from a small fire, which made him adjust his course away to the east slightly and up a new mound. From this vantage point, he was able to see various clearings and just how thick the woods were in most of the area. The area itself was spread over quite a large distance that even the map struggled to capture.
About 10 minutes in, Andrew found his ideal location and was surprised to see it unoccupied. A small creek ran alongside a tiny clearing that gave him barely enough room for his tent and fire but he set down his belongings anyway. Within 20 minutes, his 5-man tent was setup, his little fire was on its way and he prepared his food.
The stream was less than a meter wide, certainly easy enough to jump over and cross. A man appeared through the bush wearing a security guard's uniform. When he saw Andrew, he tipped his hat and smiled, slowing enough so that Andrew could choose whether to engage.
Andrew stood and walked towards him, but stayed on his side of the stream.
"Hey, how's it going?" he asked, his light-blue eyes glinting in the late afternoon sunlight and his hair appearing more red than brown.
The guard seemed pleased with the interaction, and stepped forward with a beaming smile. "I'm doing great thanks. I'm Paul, just started an hour ago. This is the end of my first lap. Looks like it should be a good night," his eyes narrowed and his smile conveyed meaning that Andrew seemed to appreciate.
He smiled in return, and bashfully kicked a pebble into the water. "Sounds like fun. I just got here and set up. I'll probably eat in a minute then head out on a hunt shortly," he looked away as though shy, but then seemed to gain enough confidence to return Paul's gaze and smile.
Paul nodded, and began to turn away. "If you need anything, I'll be in the guard post, just over that mound and about a 5-minute walk in that direction," he pointed further to the east so Andrew could follow his directions.
Andrew nodded. "Thanks, I'll give you a shout if I need anything."
When Andrew waved him off, Paul appeared disappointed, though he smiled and bid him a good evening.
Dinner was partially prepared, which he ate while he chopped vegetables, filling the cauldron with them, and various herbs and spices, and a few litres of water from the stream.
When the fire embers were red, Andrew managed to scoop some up with sticks and put them into a hole he'd dug, then placed the cauldron over the top and put the heavy lid on it. After pushing in the sand around the cauldron, it mostly buried and secure it, with just the top and the lid exposed.
He left it to simmer and went to hunt.
Dressed in jeans, a thick shirt that was adequate for the early summer evening and hiking boots, he started exploring the location. He pressed the beacon on his phone, which flashed an acknowledgement that his tent's location had been recorded and mapped, and also gave him an overview of the mapped area. He closed and pocketed his phone, opting to rely on his own senses rather than a pre-ordained map.
Within minutes of leaving his clearing, he found a guy nearby, who seemed marginally startled by Andrew, but soon relaxed and slowed.
Andrew also slowed, and took him in. A slightly older guy, perhaps in his late-thirties, with a black beanie, chambray coloured shirt, denim jeans and black boots that went well above the ankles.
They slowly circled one another, studying each other carefuly.
But Andrew turned and moved away, with a small hand signal as though waving goodbye.
A minute later, he found a clearing in which 3 large tents were scattered around the edges. The centre tent was fairly large, perhaps a little bigger than Andrew's own tent. Grunting and moaning sounds came from the tent, which made Andrew grin, but he moved away from the tent and angled in a new direction.
Somehow, he'd found the guard's station that Paul had pointed to earlier. Curious, Andrew moved towards it and saw a small television inside, and an office desk and chair. As he got closer, he noted it also had a neat single-bed, which looked comfortable, and an okay-sized kitchenette.
Paul stood inside the kitchenette stirring a cup, while watching something on the television. Andrew ducked back as though conscious that he was spying, and moved back into the woods.
He walked as the afternoon turned to early evening, and solar-powered, low-voltage lamps came on automatically. The light from them was unobtrusive and ambient, allowing those to see along paths but also remain discretely hidden in the woods if they chose to.
As he walked up a slight incline, and stood atop a small clearing, he saw a naked man wearing chaps looking up at him. The guy was barrel-chested, hairy, a little stocky, with a black beard and bald head. When Andrew saw him, the guy turned and leaned onto a tree, then bent over, giving Andrew a view of his hairy arse.
Andrew's hand inevitably and unconsciously moved through his waistband and to his instantly-erect dick, and gripped it.
The hairy bear looked back at Andrew as though to make sure the invite had been extended, so Andrew descended the small hill and came up behind the guy.
