Appalachian Trail 3

This story is copyrighted 2007 by Kaereni, may not be excerpted, reprinted, reproduced, or reposted in any form without the express written consent of the author. Visitors to this web site may read or temporarily download pages but are not permitted to modify or re-distribute them.

The story may contain sexual activities and situations that are to be read only by readers above the legal age of consent. All characters are over the age of 18. The story is not to be read in locations where such stories are illegal. If you are not of legal age, or live in the wrong place, please do not read.

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June had been saving up for this trip for years. Finally, the day arrived when she took an extended leave of absence from the police force, had all her mail forwarded to her parents, and set up all of her bills to be paid by her bank. Ever since reading "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson she had become obsessed with the idea of hiking the Appalachian Trail or AT as it is known by its hikers. The AT runs for just under 2,200 miles along the ridge of the Appalachian Mountains from Maine to Georgia and this year, June was determined to join the elite ranks of the few who have completed the whole trip nonstop.

It was early march when June stood at the trail head, her 55-pound pack resting easy on her back. Though everyone had recommended that the max weight for a pack and supplies should be one quarter of her 128 pounds, June did not have the option. Even if she removed her clothing from the mix, the food, tent, backpack, sleeping bag, mat and basic camp supplies came in at 47 pounds. Looking up the trail that led to the top of Springer Mountain and the beginning of the AT, June smiled and said, "This is the day!"

Hiking up the feeder trail to the start of the AT June felt the temperature drop. Though spring was in full swing in the valley, the trail was in the icy grip of winter. She was slightly winded when she reached the summit of the mountain and the official start of the trail. Off to one side a small stand held a logbook. Flipping through the pages, she saw names and short inscriptions from people who had preceded her. Turning to the last page she wrote, "The beginning of a new day, June Sparrow. PS: See you in Maine!"

As June hiked, the miles crawled past slowly. Though she only made twelve miles by four pm, she did not mind. The crisp cool air and the breath taking views filled her mind with wonder. Other then the evergreens, every limb was bare and the leaves crackled under her feet. Reaching the first of a series of shelters, she stopped and looked at it. There seemed to be a group of boy scouts who had already taken up residence in it. Though the shelter was a good twenty by twenty, the ten or so boys and leaders had spread out. Oh well it would be good to sleep in the tent away from everyone, she thought to herself.

Setting up camp was quickly done and as she sat making Raman noodles for dinner other hikers showed up. The first was a father and son, both looking fit and trim. She wondered how long the boy would last as they expertly set up off to the far side of the shelter. Next a couple hiking together came in, while the man set up camp the woman stood around looking so much like a lost child June had to stop herself from going over and offering assistance. Finally, a single woman showed up, like June, she looked in disgust at the boy scouts and set up her camp over by June.

As she ate her noodles she wondered who, of this group would be the first to fall out. The boy scouts were only doing a section, a day or two and they would disappear. The couple could well be the next to fall, then it was between the father and son and the other woman. Not once did June consider herself as a candidate for quitting. If she was able to make it into the SWAT team, then she could tackle anything nature threw at her.

The next morning broke cold and cloudy. The world looked as if it were bathed in cotton candy. With the elevation being so high, June found herself in the very clouds. She had heard her grandfather talk about the air smelling of snow. She never understood that line until that day. It was going to snow, and soon. Breaking camp quickly she hit the trail in a rush to get as far as she could before the snow hit. It was her hope to make it the twenty-one miles to the next shelter before the snow hit. However, the weather had other plans, by nine AM it was snowing, the small flakes drifting down and covering the ground quickly.

Even though the snow made the footing treacherous June did not mind, it made the mountain seem even more beautiful then it had been the day before. It was pristine; hers were the first footsteps in the snow. She was sitting on the side of the trail taking a break and enjoying the silence when the sounds of footsteps reached her ears. With the fog like thickness of the cloud, she could not see who it was until they were up on her. It was the father and son; with a friendly nod they passed by her. Behind them, somewhere down the path, she heard the voices of the boys calling out and playing.

June hurriedly got up, the last thing she wanted was to have her trip ruined at the start by a bunch of kids. She hurried off following the man and boy's footprints and making sure she kept on the trail. That is all she needed, to get lost up here in a snowstorm. Eventually the sounds of the boy scouts faded in the distance, and she could catch sight of the father and son hiking ahead of her. Instead of stopping for lunch, June pushed on while munching a couple handfuls of trail mix.

The snowfall had not let up and by the time June decided she had to have a break; it was well over six inches deep. Pulling out her map, she figured the shelter was still at least six of seven miles a head. She had to keep going, she told herself. At least the pair ahead of her were breaking the trail so she did not have to.

She was just getting back up when the single woman hiker came into view. She stopped for a moment leaning on her walking stick and took a sip of water. "You broke camp so fast this morning I didn't get a chance to say hello," she said with an easy smile. "I'm April by the way," she added holding out a hand to shake.

June smiled and replied as she shook the woman's hand, "I'm June, all we need is May."

The woman replied, "May will be along in a few days I expect." She laughed before adding, "Mind if we walk together a bit?"

June had been enjoying the solitude, though company would be nice at least for a little while. If nothing, April would help pass the miles faster. "Sure...Ready?" June asked. April nodded and without speaking, led the way. One of June's fears was that April's pace would be too slow and she would be forced to slow down. Luckily, this was not the case. She found that the other woman walked a tad fast on the up hills and a bit slow on the down hills. Therefore, overall she was able to keep close.

Once they had fallen into a steady hiking rhythm April asked, "Section or through?"

June knew what she was asking, section hikers took a section at a time and hiked over a period of years, through hikers, on the other hand, did it in one massive effort. "Through," she replied. After a few minutes she asked, "You?"

"Through... I hope," April replied. "I have been prepping for this trip all year, getting everything ready."

"Really? Me too." June said feeling a kinship with the woman ahead of her. "I guess everyone does who wants to tackle the whole thing."

"Yea, I reckon so."

With April's company, June made it to the shelter with a few hours to spare. Once there, she found that the man and his son were already there and had staked a claim to part of it. She hiked up and said, "Got room for a few more?" She really did not want to set up her tent tonight. The snow was really coming down heavy now and looks like it could reach a foot before morning.

"Sure thing," the man replied, "You didn't happen to bring along a heard of brats did you?"

April laughed, "NO... It will do them good to set up their own tents tonight."

June smiled, "I'm June, and this here is April," she said as she shook the man's hand.

"Glad to meet you June, I'm Tom and this is Bobby, my son." He replied.

With the direction of the blowing wind, the open-faced shelter was not much good. The four set up their ponchos to make temporary walls to close out the blowing air. As darkness fell, the man and woman, Jerry and Beth, couple joined them and set up inside the shelter. Between the six of them, they were able to enclose sections of it, making it into three bedrooms. It seemed only natural for June and April to share a space while the other two couples did the same.

As the six sat together sharing their supplies over dinner, the boy scouts finally showed up. They looked tired and worn out. When they saw that the shelter was taken they grumbled and set up their tents. The two leaders, Jay and Frank respectively came over to chat as the boys set up camp. June learned that they would be leaving the trail tomorrow so they could return to work and the kids to school the next day. It turned out that Jerry and Beth were section hiking and would be leaving the trail in a few more days. Tom, and Bobby, on the other hand was in for the long haul, like June and April.

As June lay in her sleeping bag with April's soft breathing next to her and Tom's or Jerry's snores coming from across the shelter, she thought about April. It was strange how out on the trail April had taken the lead and stopped for breaks when she felt it was time. However once here, she had been passive all evening. She let June do all the talking and only nodded and sat close to her. When one of the leaders, June could not remember which was which, had hit on April, she felt a tinge of jealousy, before April had turned him down cold. After he left, April had said softly to her, "That's all I need, a one-night stand with a married man in the wilderness."

She lay there mostly asleep wondering why she felt jealous when April rolled over and rested her head on June's shoulder. June woke wide-awake, what should she do, roll over? Stay still? Wake April up and explain she was not a pillow? She was still pondering when she heard April whisper, "Good night June."

Resting her head against the other woman's she replied, "Sleep tight April." She wondered why she said that, she had been meaning to tell the woman she was not interested. Instead, those words came out followed by the vision of April being tied up while in her sleeping bag. Instead of sleeping, June spent the night wondering why she had thought of April bound, and more importantly, why the thought excited her.

Chapter 2

When June woke up in the morning, there was no sign of April. Since she had not slept well the night before she moved slowly breaking camp and moving on. It was not until she was on the trail that she realized that hers were the first set of footprints in the snow. Had April turned back, she wondered. If so was it something June had said that caused the woman to give up so soon after starting.

Often June thought about stopping and letting the others who were through hiking catch up with her so she would have some company. However, since Tom had blazed the trail yesterday with his son, it was the least she could do to return the favor. As she climbed in elevation, the light snowfall from the night before became deeper and made the footing more treacherous. Finally, June had to stop. The section up ahead of her involved a scramble of about 100 feet. Had it not been snow and ice covered she would have made it no problem. However, here and now, she did not dare try it alone.

April showed up first much to June's delight. She looked at June sitting at the side of the trail and the scramble that lay before them. Instead of a hello or good morning she said, "I go off to take care of my morning business and when I come back I find you had left without me."

June's joyful welcome died unspoken. She looked down at her boots as feelings of failure washed over her. She had been bad, "I thought you had left me," she said not looking up. "I should be punished," her mouth continued on its own. While June was pondering what prompted her to say that she stood and dropped her pack. All of a sudden, she knew what she had to do. She dropped her pants, pulled her panties down and bent over while holding a tree for support.

April's palm smacked into her bare ass hard and June felt a wave of excitement wash through her. With each hit of the spanking she was receiving, she came closer to an orgasm. "I'm sorry," she would say after each slap to her rump, mixed in with "More please." She heard the sounds of someone else walking up and as she looked over her shoulder she saw Tom and his son Bob standing and watching her being spanked. The idea of them watching her being humiliated excited her even further and pushed June over the edge.

She could hear Tom saying, "Now you know what happens to bad girls, Bobby," As they continued on their way.

After a time, April said, "You may stand up now."

June stood and turned to face the woman and though she was cold made no move to pull up her pants. She felt humiliated and excited at the same time. She didn't know, until just now, that she had the heart of an exhibitionist and liked to be spanked. When April nodded, June pulled up her panties and then pants. Pulling her pack on she smiled shyly and said, "Be sure to spank me more if I am bad again."

April smiled in return, "How about I spank you when you are good instead. You know you love a good public spanking."

June nodded, she did love it when she was being spanked and Tom was watching. Apparently, April saw her excitement also. She could only hope that it would not get back to the force; she would never live it down. Even though her rear burned from the spanking, June felt excited just thinking about it. It was with this heat in her loins that she followed April up the scramble and along the trail.

Though April set a fast pace and June was hard pressed to keep up, she nether spoke nor complained. Instead, she followed along as best she could. It was her place to walk behind April. There were leaders, and there were followers. June realized she was a follower and April, was her leader.

It was late afternoon when the snow started to fall. Unlike the fine snow from the day before, these were fat heavy flakes. In a matter of a few minutes' visibility declined to a few tens of feet. Stopping on the crest of one mountain, April led the way off the trail to a little clearing off to the side. "We will make camp here." She said in the manner of someone who was used to giving orders.

June nodded and broke out her tent. It did not make sense that they should have separate sleeping areas. Once she had set up the tent and placed their stuff inside, she waited as April examined the sleeping arrangements. When April nodded, she hurried about fixing dinner for the pair, falling into the submissive role as if she had been born to it. She even waited until April nodded for her to sit and eat before digging in to her cooling dinner.

As she was eating, they sat before the fire and listened to the sounds of the snow falling. After a time, June broke the silence, "It's getting thicker. Do you think we will be snowed in up here?"

April's eyes seemed to glitter like a pair of emerald fireflies, "We can only hope."

June realized that yes; she did hope they would be snowed in together. Hiking was fun and all that, but being isolated with April was much more important. Perhaps she could talk her into just staying here a few days even if they were not snowed in. She had enough supplies for another week or so before having to leave the trail to buy more.

As June did the dishes, April got up and went to the tent, "Join me once you are through."

June hurried with the dishes and then hung the food up in a tree to keep wandering wildlife away from it. She hurried to the tent, crawled in, and zipped it closed behind her before looking at April. To her delight, April lay on her back with her legs spread with her neatly trimmed bush beckoning June to come caress it. Though June had been with women before she had never gotten in to it, men were much more fun. Now though, looking at April waiting for her, the idea of a man sticking his thing in her turned her stomach.

Before June could do more then lick her lips, April said, "You have too much on."

Mumbling sorry, June stripped quickly, though it was cool in the tent, their combined body heat warmed it up enough that it was bearable. Though, if April had asked June to cook nude, she would happily have done so even to the point of risking frostbite for her. She looked down, saw her unruly untrimmed bush, and looked back at April's beautiful flower.

The look on April's face spoke volumes to June. 'How could she have forgotten to trim this morning?' June's mind wailed as she fought down a blind panic. Not looking at April she went to her pack and started rummaging through it in a futile search for a razor or at least her pocketknife to trim it. Finally, on the verge of giving up as tears of shame rolled down her cheeks, June found a small pair of scissors in the first aid kit. Holding them up as if she were a child who found a hidden Easter egg, June smiled happily at April.

June got a comb from her personal hygiene kit, combed her bush, before cutting a hunk of hair. Or rather, she bent the hunk of hair. Franticly she cut repeatedly but to no avail, the scissors were too dull. She looked up at April and burst into tears. June could not remember how long ago that she last failed someone. Now her remaining self-confidence shattered in failure. Through tears, she saw April rummage through her pack and come out with an old-fashioned straight razor. As April opened the long gleaming blade June nodded and sniffed back tears, "Of course your right, I don't deserve to live in your presence," she said as she leaned forward and tilted her head up exposing her neck.

Chapter 3

June did not deserve to live; she felt it to her very core. There were no regrets, no begging words flowing from her lips. She calmly looked at April as she bared her neck. She wanted to go to the afterlife with the memory of April's beauty fixed in her mind.

"Hello the camp!" a man's voice called out.

With a nod from April, June unzipped the door and peaked out. The snow was still coming down and standing before their dieing fire stood a park ranger wearing a small daypack. "Good evening" He said looking at June.

"Good evening," she replied, "What brings you out on a day like this?" she continued curious as to why a park ranger would be hiking the trail.

Instead of answering right away, the ranger crouched down and removing his gloves warmed his hands over the low fire. When he finally did speak he said, "There is a blizzard on the way and we are advising people to get off the trail or at least into shelters."

June felt a hand on her rump and pulling back in saw April was fully dressed once more. She motioned June out of the way and got out of the tent and walked over to the fire. "Yes we know about the storm already."

June wondered how April knew; they had just been discussing the concept of being snowed in here alone. Then she realized, of course, April could make it snow if she wanted to, she was perfect in every way after all.

"Ahh, okay. If you want I can guide you to the next shelter." The ranger said pulling on his gloves.

April shook her head, "No thanks, best I can tell, we are a little under a mile away right now." She smiles, "And unless I miss my guess, it is filled with people right now."

The ranger grinned ruefully, "Well yes there are quite a few people there."