Lego bounded out of the car, eager to run off some of his endless Aussie energy. Much as he loved to ride, he loved to run even more; he chafed under the constraints of a long car trip, as did I. Now he ran around, sniffing the evidence of previous canine passersby while I changed into my boots and packed up our stuff.

We were later hitting the trail than I would have liked, but I’d had some business to take care of first. Now, in the uncrowded parking lot at the trailhead the soft susurrus of the wind in the pines combined with the scent of sage, conifers, and moisture to melt away my stress, leaving me relaxed and content, eager to immerse myself in the mountains and woods that I so loved.

One of my favorite hikes within a three-hour drive of Denver, the high peaks and crystalline lakes of the Indian Peaks Wilderness always beckoned me; mileage-wise it was closer still to the city, but part was slow, a daunting steep, rocky stretch that required good ground clearance, sometimes even four-wheel drive. It was challenging, but my Jeep handled it effortlessly.

Despite the bad road, on a weekend it would have been crowded, but today, a Tuesday, there were few vehicles. As we entered the shade of the trees the temperature dropped, the rocky trail changing to soft humus and pine needles, our footsteps now virtually silent. I was filled with a sense of peace and well-being, something I come to the mountains for as much as the beauty and the spectacular vistas.

I’d planned a long, strenuous hike, over seven miles each way, but it was late summer so both me and Lego were in good shape from earlier hiking and backpacking adventures and the weather forecast was good. The trail climbed gently for the first mile, then branched to either an old mining site, a nearby peak, or one of three lakes.

One of the lake trails, the one I wanted, climbed steeply for the next three miles, then more gradually again for over a mile until it crested an arete and dropped several hundred feet over the last mile or so into a glacial cirque, to a crystal-blue tarn, a small lake trapped in the bottom of the valley.

We paused at the trail registry where we entered the wilderness area, a few hundred yards from the parking lot, to sign in. I was pleased to see that there were few hikers, most of whom had listed other destinations. Only one, another solo hiker named L. Kelly, had failed to list a destination. As a solo hiker, I always complete the registry in case of an accident of any sort, and I mentally chastised him for his carelessness as I filled in the blanks on my line.

We made good time after that, slowing when we reached the steeper, more grueling part of the trail. We’d gain nearly 2,500 feet of elevation over the next three miles, to a nearly 10,700 foot elevation, so the climb was steep and the air was thin; still, we enjoyed it, Lego with a happy grin on his face and tongue lolling and me feeling the burn in my leg muscles and lungs, my body pumping out sweat to keep itself cooled.

We paused for water and a snack then continued on, buoyed by the knowledge of our special break spot at the top of the climb. I’d been poring over an old topographic map of the area some years earlier and, in tracing the route of this trail, had noticed a smudge of brown just off to the left, south of the trail; it was a whole series of contour lines, the lines that show the elevation of geographic features, all merging and piled on top of each other.

In the case of this old map, with fifty-foot contour intervals, that stack of lines all in one place indicated a very steep – and very high – cliff. Intrigued, I’d gone off-trail the necessary quarter-mile to check it out and been rewarded with a long, narrow tapering rock outcrop extending from the tree line, a few feet wide in some places to nearly twenty feet at its widest, its precipice above a sheer drop of several hundred feet.

The view, with the ranges of mountains, valleys, and glistening lakes and streams laid out before and below, had been spectacular if a bit vertiginous. I’d even named it – Falcon’s Nest – and it had become my own private and very special place, a powerful incentive for taking this tough hike; barring a pending thunderstorm I never skipped it.

A great spot to sit and enjoy a bite of lunch, and, on hot days, to shed my pack and shirt (and sometimes, on hotter days, pants) so that they could air dry after the strenuous uphill climb. Accordingly, when Lego and I reached the appropriate point on the trail, we veered off toward my secret refuge.

The pinewoods at this altitude were thick and mature with little undergrowth, so traveling off-trail was easy and we covered the quarter-mile, a slight downhill slope, in no time. Bushes – wax currant and chokecherry, primarily - thickly fringed the edge of the tree line where it met the rocky outcrop, taking advantage of the sunlight and making the outcrop and view much less likely to be discovered.

I slowly and quietly shouldered my way through the thick shrubs, Lego weaving his way through the less dense lower branches until we suddenly emerged into the open sunlight, the world laid out below us. Even as I drank in the view, I heard a low gasp and caught a sudden flash of motion several feet to my right; I moved away as I turned to look, but Lego sprang toward the sound.

I realized immediately that it was a girl – a woman, actually – and that we’d surprised her sunbathing nude, or at least topless, and she was scrambling to cover herself with her t-shirt. I caught a quick glimpse of smallish but very shapely, perfect breasts, a taut tummy, and long, bare legs; my first instinct was to turn away and behave like a gentleman, but Lego, uncharacteristically, was about to be all over her!

I jumped forward, trying to grab his collar and apologize to her at the same time. “I’m sorry, he’s not aggressive… I mean I’m glad he’s not aggressive, but I’m sorry for barging in on you. He’s just…”

By then I could see that his wigglebutt and his tiny tail stump were going a hundred miles per hour, which was a relief but every bit as uncharacteristic of him as aggressiveness would have been. He’s usually a little shy or stand-offish until he knows someone, and even then, he’s dignified and reserved with his affections. Not this time, however, and as he forced himself on her, demanding attention, she struggled to fend him off and keep herself covered at the same time. Hearing her laugh, however, was a huge relief!

I was finally able to grab him around his shoulders and pull him back. “I’m sorry, he never does that. Caught me off guard, but we weren’t expecting to see anyone here.”

She smiled, looking at him before she glanced up at me, shading her eyes with her free hand. “It’s okay, I’m just glad he’s friendly.”

“Too friendly, in this case; he doesn’t usually respond to strangers like that.”

“I guess he likes me.”

“Apparently.” I was thinking, Good judgment on his part, but I said, “I’m really sorry we came blundering in on you that way. We’ll head back to the trail and leave you in peace.”

“No, it’s okay. I don’t own this place or anything, so you’re as entitled to be here as I am. I’m just surprised to see anyone else here; I never have before.”

I shook my head. “No, me either, and I’ve been here dozens of times over the years. I was beginning to think I was the only one that knew about it.”

“Nope, I come here whenever I can. I suppose we were bound to run into each other eventually.”

“I guess. Look, we can just go and let you get back to whatever you were doing.”

She shrugged. Considering that she appeared to be naked other than the shirt she was clutching across her chest, she seemed very relaxed. “I wasn’t doing anything. Just catching a few rays while my clothes dry out a little; they always get sweaty climbing that part of the trail.”

I laughed. “That’s exactly what I do, weather permitting. Why don’t I turn my back while you get dressed? I’m kinda starting to feel a little pervy here.”

She laughed again, as she had when Lego was trying to kiss her to death. I decided that it was a sound that I could really learn to enjoy. “My clothes aren’t quite dry yet, I haven’t been here that long. Alternatively, you could shed your clothes too, which should help with your whole ‘pervy’ conundrum…”

“Umm…” I was caught off guard again and had no idea how to respond to that. I could see that she had a t-shirt, as she was using it to cover up, and I saw a small pair of pale blue shorts lying on a rock in the sun. I didn’t see any undergarments of any kind, and couldn’t tell if she was wearing panties or not, the way she was sitting; if she was they were small, because there was a long strip of bare skin running up her thigh and hip and then up her side past tummy and ribs; only a small area on her hip was covered by a fold of the t-shirt.

When I didn’t answer – or move to undress – she said, “If it makes you uncomfortable to be this close to me, you could move down toward the other end of the ledge. There’s plenty of room here for two of us to have a little privacy.”

“It’s not that. I’m just surprised to hear you say that. Frankly, I’m surprised to find a woman hiking alone here, in a wilderness area; it’s not something I see a lot, and I hike a lot of easier and less remote trails than this one!”

“Does it bother you?”

“What? No, of course not! Just surprised is all.” Even though she seemed a little defensive, challenging my assumptions, I was realizing that I found her very attractive. She wasn’t classically pretty or beautiful in any standard sense, but there was something about her…

She seemed a little larger than the average woman – not heavy, just wider of shoulders and with well-muscled, sleek arms and legs rather than skinny little upper arms or toothpick wrists. My impression, despite her reclining position, was that she was tall, an impression reinforced by those forever legs and a long, lean, whipcord-taut torso.

Feature-wise, her lips were full over a wide mouth, and I’d already seen that her grin was quick and authentic, showing white, even teeth. Her nose couldn’t be described as petite, or pug, or even pert; rather, it was perhaps a bit large on her face but proud and aquiline, gracefully shaped. Noble, even.

Perhaps her best features were her hair, long and wavy, light brown with red highlights that shone copper in the sun, and her pale grey eyes, the beautifully shaded irises huge relative to her small pupils, contracted against the bright sun.

What I really found captivating, however, had little to do with her looks. What was holding my attention and making me long to have a chance to know her better was the healthy, vital glow that seemed to emanate from her, her body vibrant, fit and full of life, and her devil-may-care, almost cocky attitude. She radiated a calm but powerful self-confidence which, to my surprise, I found very sexy.

I sensed that she felt very comfortable in her ability to take care of herself, a confidence that was likely well-founded. A complete non-sequitur, I asked, “Are you by any chance L. Kelly?”

She seemed very surprised, and suddenly uncomfortable. “What? How did you know that?”

“Relax! I checked the trail registry is all, saw that name. I figured it was a guy.”

“Oh. Of course. Jeez, way to freak a girl out! Lara Kelly, yes – and you are?”

“Robert Cooper – my friends call me Coop, or maybe Rob – not Robert, and definitely not Bob, who's my grandfather. You really should fill out a destination when you sign in, Lara, in case you have an accident or something.”

“Well, Coop – I like that name, by the way, so Coop it is – as you pointed out, I’m a woman hiking alone, which I enjoy; leaving a destination in the book is maybe not a great idea. I’ve told friends where I was heading.”

“Oh. Well, that’s good; I like hiking solo too, so forgive me for preaching. I suppose that’s also why you use a first initial rather than filling in your name?”

She nodded. “Do you think that’s fair, that women should have to take those precautions?”

“Fair? No, but it’s probably smart. There are some real dirtbags out there.”

“But you’re not one?”

“God, I hope not! Look at that dog – would anything so sweet love me if I was a scumbucket?”

She laughed and called him over. “That’s a good point. What’s his name?”

“Lego.”

“He’s precious.” As she ruffled his ears and he panted happily, fawning over her, she unwittingly allowed her t-shirt to slip down, exposing her breasts. My first quick impression had been correct; they were small but spectacular, perfect for her lean, toned body and capped with rosy pink nipples, rigidly erect from either arousal or the cool breeze. I was pinning my hopes on the former.

Lego, a beautiful red merle Aussie with markings resembling chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream, was always a good icebreaker, but today he was going above and beyond the call of duty as my wingman, literally charming the clothes off the object of my attention!

She looked up at me. “So are you going to strip down too, or have you become comfortable with being a lecherous perv?”

I laughed. “No, still not comfortable – and you’re very beautiful, by the way – but I’m not sure gettin’ nekkid will make us more comfortable; it might just make me a naked lecherous perv.”

She gave me another of those throaty, fascinating laughs. “We’ll never know till you try, and it will make me more comfortable – and besides, your clothes are still wet and sweaty.”

“Valid point.” I dropped my pack and stripped my wet shirt over my head, then sat on a rock about five feet away from her and Lego while I stripped off my socks and boots. When I stood, wearing only my shorts, I realized that I should have left my boots on long enough to walk back into the shrubs and empty my bursting bladder. “Well, crap…”

“What?”

“Um, I have to take a leak. Shoulda kept my shoes on, but if you’ll turn your back, I’ll sneak over here by the bushes…”

She smirked and inclined her head toward the edge of the cliff. “Go ahead.”

“What?”

“Go ahead and pee off the cliff; isn’t that what you usually do when you come out here?”

“Uhhh…”

She laughed. “I knew it! Boys will be boys; I knew you wouldn’t be able to resist sticking your dick out over the edge and marking the world as yours.”

I laughed too, nodding. “It’s really more the sense of power that comes from being able to piss for 500 feet or more. That’s like a hundred times more than I can usually manage!”

She smiled. “Cool. I’d do it too if I was appropriately equipped. It is what you always do when you come here though, right?”

“Not always. Sometimes the wind is coming straight up the valley at the mountain and then there’s a serious updraft.”

She laughed again. “The mark of a true outdoorsman; know your environment.”

“Damn straight – plus, you only make that mistake once.”

“You didn’t…?”

“Only the once; I’m a quick study.” I was kidding, but she found it hilarious and I was rewarded with her laughter again.

When she caught her breath, she said, “Drop trou and go pee – I’ll sit here and admire your ass while you answer nature’s call.”

There was that confidence I found so sexy, her ordering me to get naked and go pee; rather than argue, I accepted that I still found it very attractive and followed orders, dropping my shorts to the ground with my back to her (I wasn’t wearing underwear) and proceeding to the edge of the cliff. With my bare toes curled over the lip of the rock, gazing out at the magnificent view, I let down and began to launch a long stream out into space.

I sighed, grateful for the release of pressure; truth is, I’d held it till I got there for this very opportunity. Boys will indeed be boys, but as a result, finally cutting loose was a huge relief. I was so into it that when her voice came from right beside me, I nearly jumped off the cliff!

“Wow, you really can pee 500 feet, very impressive… and nice cock too, by the way!” She was standing at my elbow, leaning out and peering down to watch the tiny waterfall disappear below, but she also had a full view of my exposed junk from her ringside seat.

“Jeez, Lara! I thought you were going to admire my ass.” I felt myself beginning to blush with embarrassment; naked is one thing, but I’m not in the habit of having anyone watch me piss.

“I did, and then it was time to see what else you had – and stop blushing; you have nothing to be embarrassed about, trust me!”

“It’s not that…” I glanced sideways at her, shocked to find us almost eye-to-eye. I’d had the impression that she was tall, but she was only a few inches shorter than my own six-foot-four height; she was easily six feet tall, maybe an inch over.

“Then what?

“I’m not used to having an audience for pissing.”

She shrugged, and I watched her fine breasts rise and fall. “Everyone does it.”

“Not for an audience.”

She laughed and squeezed my ass. “You’re cute.” She glanced down, where I was finishing up, squeezing out and shaking off the last few drops. “You all done there?”

“Yes, and thanks for your concern.”

She grinned. “Sure! If you shake it more than three times, you’re playing with it.”

I stopped suddenly. “How many was that?”

“Four.”

“Damn, you caught me!” I was enjoying her quick wit, and our wordplay was a fun game. I was also enjoying seeing her, all of her, long and lean, taut as a bowstring and thoroughly spectacular. I’d have never guessed that I would have found such a tall, lean, fit, athletic body so powerfully attractive, drawn as I usually was to more petite girls with softer, more classically feminine figures.

Lara was special, though, from the tips of her toes on her appropriately largish feet all the way to the top of her head, and everything in between. She had boyish hips, small and narrow, but a very fine, tight, womanly ass. Her small breasts on her long torso, their rosy caps erect, just begged to be sucked and licked, and her shallow oval navel between her ridged abs and the small landing strip on her mound led the eye to the slight, plump protrusion of her pink inner labia just below.

Everything on her just worked, all of it coming together to make her incredibly, bewilderingly, overpoweringly attractive, and I could feel my body beginning to respond, my cock thickening and filling.

She’d been watching me take inventory of her body, and she held her arms out to her sides. “Well?”

“Well, what?”

“Go ahead and say it.”

“Say what?”

“That I’m too tall and too skinny, and that I have tiny tits and a boyish figure and a big nose, and…”

It was the first crack I’d seen in her cool confidence, and it was about her body image of all things! Surprised, I interrupted her. “You’ve got to be kidding! I mean, look at you – you’re spectacular!”

“I’m too tall.”

“I like tall – and besides, professional models are tall. Plus, those long legs probably just eat up the trail miles, don’t they?”

“Yeah, but for everything else, I’m too tall and skinny and my legs are too long.”

“How can they be too long? I mean, they reach from your ass to the ground, so I’d say they’re just right.”

She snickered but ducked her head. “I hate my tiny tits. I wish I had bigger boobs.”

At this point, I wasn’t sure if she really felt bad about herself or was just fishing for compliments, but since complimenting her came easily, I continued. “C’mon, Lara, they’re perfect on you. In fact, I was thinking how great everything came together on you to make such a beautiful, sexy woman.”

When she didn’t respond, I continued, “Really, Lara, I’m not bullshitting you; no lie, I think you look spectacular.”

She favored me with a small smile. “I know you’re not lying, Coop.” Her eyes dropped to my groin. “You have a built-in lie detector.”

She was right; my cock had become almost fully erect as I’d continued to admire her even as I was trying to reassure her. In fact, it was still rising the last few degrees to the full upright and locked position. I felt myself blush. “Yeah, I don’t have a lot of control over that, unfortunately, but you’re right, it’s a response to you.”

She laughed. “Thanks. And thanks for being kind, and a good guy, but you know you’re not going to get laid, right?”

“What? No, of course not! I never expected I would.”

“One part of you obviously did. We only met fifteen minutes ago, Coop. That kind of shit only happens in fantasies and erotic fiction. You know that, right?”

“Of course.”

We stood there awkwardly for several seconds, my cock throbbingly upright between us as she openly and unabashedly checked me out. “You’re big and really hard.” I wasn’t sure if that required a response, or what it should be, so I said nothing. She went on, “I’m aroused too, you know; I’m totally wet if that helps.”

I snorted, “Hah! Oh yeah, that’s a big help! Thanks for that mental image, it should really help solve my problem.”

She laughed. “C’mon, let’s go have a snack and something to drink. We can relax and you can take your mind off it.”

“Worth a shot, but FYI, doing calculus problems didn’t work. Obviously.”

She laughed again. “None of the usual tricks, huh?”

“Nope. You’re just too hot.”

“Sweet talker. You’re still not gonna get laid, though.”

“Damn!”

She just laughed and shook her head.

We sat a few feet apart and Lego inserted himself between us, where he could accept adulation from each side. She fawned over him and he ate it up, and talking about him was a good icebreaker – to the extent any ice remained. We found ourselves conversing easily and naturally, despite our nudity, but my cock stayed stubbornly hard the entire time.

In fact, aided by her getting up and bending over to get something from her pack, her fine ass toward me and her pink pussy peeking at me from between her legs, I may have gotten even harder. She was only a few feet away when she did it, and I could see that she’d been truthful about being aroused. She glistened wetly, and her large clit thrust out from the little pink fold I’d seen at the front of her cleft. I couldn’t be sure she was erect without touching it, but the effect on my sex was electric. I throbbed with arousal, my cock straining upright.

Eventually, she said, “It’s not going away.”

“I’m aware of that.”

She grinned. “Are you going to be okay?”

I laughed. “I’ll probably live.”

“Only probably?”

“Time will tell.”

“You’re still not getting laid - not even a blowjob - but if you need to jerk off, I’d be happy to watch.”

I was shocked. “What?”

“You know, relieve the pressure.” She shrugged. “I love watching guys masturbate, I think it’s very hot, very erotic.”

“Jeez. You’re amazing. I’ve never met anyone like you, so direct, so....”

“Uninhibited?”

“Yeah, that.”

“Is that a good thing?”

‘Very. Very sexy, very attractive.”

“Will you jerk off for me?”

“Oh, I dunno… I was embarrassed when you watched me pee.”

“You do masturbate though, right?”

“No, never.”

She laughed. “No, of course not. Me either.”

“You could go blind.”

“Mmm, worth the risk.”

She’d inspired a thought. “Okay, I will if you will.”

She smiled. “I was already planning on it. I couldn’t watch you do it and not; I’d die of arousal.”

“That would be a very avoidable tragedy. So…?”

“Stand up, come stand between my feet and face me, I’ll stay here.” She moved her feet about a yard apart and slid her right hand down to her pussy. Her left cupped her breast, tugging at the nipple. I stood between her feet as directed and took my cock in hand, slowly stroking my rigid length.

Over the soft sigh of the wind I could hear wet, squelchy sounds as she began to finger herself. I watched her slip two fingers into herself, and then she held up her hand, fingers glistening, dripping with her juices. “Look how wet I am.”

“God…”

“I feel all puffy too, soft and hot.”

“I’ll bet.” My voice sounded strained.

"Very slippery too."

"Jesus, Lara..."

She diddled herself for a minute or so, teasing her clit as I stared and throbbed. She was watching my hand move on my cock, occasionally licking her lips. I was pacing myself, already edging, when she opened her legs wider and spread her pussy with her fingers.

“Do you like my clit? I used to hate it, thought it was too freaking big, but I’ve come to really enjoy how sensitive it is.” It jutted out, hard, as big as the end joint of my thumb, plump, pink, and beautiful.

I managed to squeak out, “It’s amazing.” A long strand of precum hung from the tip of my dick before the breeze caught it and pulled it loose, dropping it on the inside of her slender calf.

She stroked it up her leg with her free hand. “I love cum, so warm and slippery… oh, wait!” She leaned over to her pack and dug around before tossing me a tube of sunscreen. “Use this.”

I snared it with my free hand, feeling the slickness of her pussy juices where she’d touched it. I frowned. “I don’t think it’s going to take long enough for me to sunburn my dick.”

“That’s not why I gave it to you.”

“Oh. Of course.” I squeezed a large dollop into my palm and stroked it over my swollen cock.

“There, doesn’t that feel better?”

It did, and I nodded. We continued to pleasure ourselves, watching each other avidly. I could have come anytime but was holding back, my grip tenuous.

She said, “That has to feel a lot better with the lube, right? More like fucking a hot, tight, slippery wet pussy…”

“Fuck… If you don’t shut up, this is going to be over real soon.”

She laughed. “You’re fun. I’m going to come now, but I have plenty more.” She closed her eyes and her hand began to move faster on her sex. A low, throaty moan was followed by her thighs clamping closed on her hand, her legs trembling as she thrust her hips up, coming. Her head fell back, her mouth open as she gasped; she was so fucking beautiful!

“God, oh god! Fuck, commiiinnng…”

I barely held on as I watched her, her orgasm so powerfully erotic that it almost took me along. By the time she finished, I had a steady stream of glistening precum oozing down my cock, dripping from my knuckles.

When she opened her eyes they were smoking with lust, and I said, “Incredible. God, you’re amazing, and I don’t think I’m going to be able to last much longer.”

She laughed. “I completely understand, trust me. Come on my tits.”

“You sure?”

“Yes. It will make me come again.”

I felt the simmer turn to a rolling boil and I stepped close just as the first hard spasm shook me. The initial massive spurt caught her on the point of her chin and streaked down her neck and onto her breastbone. Four or five more big, powerful squirts followed, which I was able to direct onto her breasts as requested.

Her hand flying between her legs, she rubbed out another major orgasm as my semen rained down on her, and by the time my spurts and spasms began to slacken to smaller, less impressive squirts and dribbles, she was crying out and writhing through its peak.

We stared at each other when it ended, shocked at how powerful it had been. I soon collapsed beside her, my cock bobbing with my pulse as it slowly wilted.

She blew out a long breath. “Wow!”

“I’ll say.”

She stroked my cum onto her nipples, teasing them. “Huge load, Coop. Lovely cum…”

“Yeah, sorry. You’re a mess.”

She shrugged. “I’ll rinse off in the lake.”

“That lake, the one up the trail? It’s like thirty-four degrees!”

“Mmm, invigorating.”

“Painful. You’re crazy.”

“Skinny dip with me and you just might get laid.”

“I guess it’s not that cold…”

Lara laughed.