Fiction - The Hike

PROLOGUE

This story is an experimental departure from my normal subject matter. Those who have read my previous stories will know that they have all been autobiographical, changing only the names. One morning over breakfast recently, my wife Audrey suggested that I try to write a fictional story with no basis in our day-to-day lives. My sister Wendy, overhearing the conversation, was intrigued by the idea of what fiction I might be able to come up with and seconded Audrey's suggestion. What follows was written primarily for Audrey and Wendy's enjoyment, I hope that other readers also find merit in it.

*** The Hike ***

"Don't forget to wear layers." Suzi said as Ken's train came rumbling into the station killing all chances of conversation for at least the next twenty seconds or so.

Suzi and Ken had worked at the same company for many years. They were in different departments, but had worked together on enough projects to have developed a cordial, yet professional, relationship. Apart from the occasional office party, Suzi and Ken did not really socialise. From time to time, they'd end up at the local sandwich shop at lunchtime or, like today, encounter each other heading to the railway station at the end of their day.

"Layers. Right." Ken said as he boarded his train among the throng of other commuters.

"Seven o'clock in the trail head parking area." Suzi reinforced.

"Seven." Ken confirmed as the carriage door closed in front of him nodding through the window at Suzi.

Ken watched as Suzi and her fellow waiting passengers receded from view before taking his seat. Ken fumbled through his bag until he located his earbuds, inserted them one by one before flicking on his phone. Selecting a suitably themed podcast, the then went into his messaging app.

Ken -> Nick: Hiking with Suzi tomorrow, 7am.

Followed about 45 seconds later by.

Nick -> Ken: OK ☺

Ken sat back and listened to his podcast accompanied by the clickity clack of the rails beneath him.

***

Suzi watched Ken's train pull away from the station and waited patiently for the indicator board to change. Her train was up next in about three minutes. Excellent timing.

Getting the day off tomorrow came as somewhat of a surprise, and at rather short notice too. Trading shifts was normally only approved when circumstances warranted it. What really helped, however, was when it was your boss who instigated the trade so that she could have a needed day off next week. Suzi chalked up a few mental brownie points for her future self.

At first, Suzi was not sure how she would spend her unexpected new free day. Bumping into Ken (somewhat literally) in the elevator on the way out, however, had serendipitously solved her problem. Ken had his head down staring at his phone as he ploughed right into her. After apologising profusely, they finally got to chatting and it turned out that Ken was rostered off for the next three days and that he was thinking of doing a day hike tomorrow to avoid the crowd.

Suzi thought that a day hike sounded wonderful and by the time the two of them had reached the railway station, their plans had been finalised.

***

As Suzi pulled her car into the parking area, she saw a male figure emerge from the only other vehicle present. As she brought her car to a standstill, the figure approached. As she opened her door, looking at his watch Ken said "I thought that I was about to be stood up."

Although she recognised his voice immediately, it took some time to equate that voice with the man that stood before her, devoid of his normal suit and tie. The same went for Ken. Normally, he saw Suzi in corporate office attire: skirt, blouse, jacket, stockings, heels and makeup.

This morning, however, Suzi's face was totally absent any makeup and her hair was pulled back into a purely functional bun. She was wearing a light fleece top and some nondescript track pants. She had also wisely traded her heals for a pair of reasonably sturdy looking hiking boots.

"Sorry," Suzi said starting her apology, "I got stuck behind a slow truck on that first windy uphill bit just after you turn off the highway to head up here. It seemed like forever before it could pull over and let me pass."

"Not to worry, the day is still young." Ken replied smiling before adding, "Shall we set off?"

"Just let me get my backpack." Suzi replied as she reached in to collect it from the front passenger's seat, locking the car door she said, "Let's go."

With a small skip in their step, Suzi and Ken headed off towards the trail head proper. It was single file for the first several hundred metres so Suzi took point. After exiting a narrow path between two massive boulders, the trail opened up enough for Suzi and Ken to finally walk side by side.

"You've never hiked up here before?" Suzi asked making casual conversation.

"I have a vague recollection of my parents taking my sister and I to somewhere a bit like this when we were much younger, but I can't say where it was for certain." Ken replied.

"I thought that being a kindred avid hiker that you would have heard of this place." Suzi commented casually.

"I've certainly heard of it, I simply don't recall ever having hiked here before. That's all." Ken responded.

"I think you'll like it, I've hiked this trail many times over the years." Suzi said.

"It's certainly brisk this morning." Ken commented.

"It will warm up fairly soon." Suzi replied.

"Hence the layers." Ken said smiling.

"You got it." Suzi started, "I normally shed the outer layer by the time that I reach the first rest stop. We're currently shaded from the rising sun by the hill, however, when we crest the next rise and round the corner, we'll soon be in full sun."

***

Suzi and Ken carried on an amicable conversation for another hour or so before reaching the first rest stop. True to her word, they were now in full sunlight feeling the warmth that accompanied it.

"That's breathtaking!" Ken exclaimed.

"That's nothing." Suzi responded, "Wait until we get to the lookout."

Suzi was feeling very relaxed around Ken. They had bonded well chatting as they hiked along the trail.

"I think that I'm going to shed my outer layer now." Suzi said looking at Ken smiling.

"Yes, things are warming up." Ken agreed.

Suzi walked over to a nearby rock, removed her pack and placed it on the rock. She unzipped the sides of her track pants and slid them down over her boots before placing them in her pack. Next she stood and removed her fleece top and placed that into her pack as well before closing it.

"That's better." Suzi said stretching her arms skyward.

Ken was staring at Suzi in amazement. She was wearing a very tight set of yoga shorts and a somewhat skimpy sports bra. Suzi's yoga shorts were quiet brief and somewhat tight at the front, clearly revealing her feminine contours. Adding to that, her substantial breasts were barely contained by her top. Suzi's ample cleavage unashamedly on display. For her part, Suzi seemed not to care or even notice.

"Do you always dress like that when you hike?" Ken asked.

"Not always, it depends on the situation." Suzi replied as she looked down at her own body.

"It looks good." Ken responded.

"Thanks. Listen, I wouldn't normally tell anyone else this," Suzi started hesitantly, "but I trust you to keep my secret."

"What is it Suzi?" Ken asked somewhat concerned.

"When I reach the main lookout, and if there's nobody else around, I normally do the hike down to the lake and back naked." Suzi confessed.

"Nude? As with no clothes on?" Ken asked.

"Unless there is some other kind of 'naked' that I am unaware of, yes silly, without any clothes on." Suzi confirmed.

"No, um, I just didn't expect you to be a nudist, that's all." Ken replied.

"Actually, I prefer the term 'naturist', it sounds less sleazy. Anyway, there far more of us at work that you might think." Suzi revealed.

"Yeah! Like who?" Ken asked.

"Well that's not for me to say really. I've heard that a few people at work are still pretty prudish about those sorts of things. I'd prefer to protect peoples' privacy. Are you prudish about those sorts of things Ken?" Suzi asked.

"I guess not. I've been skinny dipping a few times I suppose. I just don't go gallivanting around nude in public, that's all." Ken replied.

"I can assure you Ken, there'll be no 'gallivanting' here today." Suzi said placing emphasis on the word 'gallivanting', "Just two consenting adults enjoying the outdoors without any clothes on, that's all. And I wouldn't really call this public either."

"I see." Ken said.

"Would it make you uncomfortable if I hiked naked Ken?" Suzi asked.

"Probably not." Ken responded.

"And what about you? Will you be joining me?" Suzie asked.

"Naked!" Ken replied hesitating somewhat, "Um, maybe, um, I don't know. I'll let you know when we get to the lookout.

***

The conversation on the trail on the way up to the lookout had somehow turned to naturism. It seemed that Suzi's revaluation had piqued Ken's interest in the subject.

"So do you do anything else in the nude?" Ken asked curiously.

"Well, at home, I'm naked pretty much all of the time. Except when I need to go outside for something, that is." Suzi responded.

"Even when you have guests over?" Ken asked.

"Only if they are naturists like me. But almost all of my friends are, so the overwhelmingly vast majority of parties that I attend are naturist events." Suzi replied.

"I bet you all end up having sex." Ken commented.

"That sort of comment is fairly typical from culture that equates nudity with sex, one does not automatically beget the other. And for the record, no, we don't all end up having sex at those parties." Suzi responded sternly.

"Never?" Ken said raising an eyebrow.

"I didn't say 'never'." Suzi commenced, "Like with any party, you may meet someone interesting and end up taking them home for a more discrete interaction, but a naturist party should never be confused with an orgy. Besides, there are often kids present, anything other than purely platonic behaviour would be inappropriate."

"There it is." Suzi said pointing ahead, conveniently changing the subject.

"There what is?" Ken asked.

"The lookout. We're here." Suzi replied.

As they rounded the corner and crested a small rise, Suzi and Ken were greeted with a spectacular view of the valley below.

"See down there." Suzi said pointing.

"Where?" Ken asked.

"There, just to the right, next to that outcrop of rocks." Suzi replied flicking her index finger to the right.

"OK." Ken responded slowly, still not really knowing what Suzi was pointing at.

"That's the lake that we're hiking to naked from here." Suzi announced.

"All the way down there?" Ken asked.

"It'll only take about an hour to get there. Are you still going to join me naked?" Suzi asked detecting some hesitation on Ken's part.

"Yes of course!" Ken said, adding, "I wouldn't miss it."

Suzi took off her backpack, placed it on a rock and opened the top zipper. Without hesitation, she whipped off her sports bra and placed it into her pack. As she did so, Ken watched in fascination has Suzi's liberated breasts jiggled and jostled back and forth with her slightest movement.

Without warning, Suzi next put both of her thumbs into the front of her yoga shorts and then moved them around to her hips. She quickly lowered her shorts to her ankles revealing her spectacularly hairy bush and shapely buttocks without a tan line in sight.

Suzi set about guiding each leg of her shorts over her hiking boots one by one before stuffing them into her pack. She turned to see if Ken was ready to head out, however, all she saw Ken, his mouth agape just staring at her. Suzi cleared her throat subtly.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I haven't seen a vagina that hairy for years." Ken said regaining his composure enough to speak.

"Vulva." Suzi said absent-mindedly as she rearranged the contents of her backpack.

"Pardon?" Ken asked somewhat confused.

"You can see my vulva, not my vagina. The vagina is the opening down underneath where the penis goes in and the babies come out, the outer parts that you can see are best described as my vulva." Suzi explained patiently pausing to look Ken in the eyes.

"Oh sorry." Ken replied smiling.

"That's OK, it's a common mistake. Women do it all the time too, don't worry about it." Suzi replied looking Ken up and down waiting for him to disrobe.

"What?" Ken asked.

"You're still wearing clothes." Suzi said.

"Oh, yes, sorry." Ken said as he started to untuck his shirt.

"So apart from mine, who's was the most recent hairy vulva you've seen?" Suzi asked Ken as she re-stuffed her yoga shorts and sports bra into the larger void that she had created inside her back pack.

"Ummm", Ken said as he looked away, trying not to stare at Suzi's magnificent breasts adorned with their semi-erect nipples, "Probably my mother or my older sister, I don't remember exactly. I would have been just a little kid."

Suzi was now growing a little impatient as she was used to a quick strip and then on with the hike. Technically nudity like this was not a criminal offence, but she did not want to risk encountering unsuspecting members of the public all the same. Ken was taking forever to fold his shirt neatly before placing it into his pack.

Suzi had not anticipated that Ken would be this nervous. Perhaps his previous responses contained slightly more bravado that actual enthusiasm. It was still fairly early and a quick look around suggested that they would still have the lookout to themselves for the foreseeable future, Suzi decided to take a few photos while she waited for Ken.

"Woh! What are you doing with that?" Ken exclaimed when he saw Suzi remove her digital SLR from her pack.

"Relax, I'm just going to take a few photos from the rocks over there." Suzi said pointing off along the path.

"OK great. I'll catch up with you in a minute." Ken responded.

Suzi put on her backpack and covered the twenty or so metres to the rocks in no time. Climbing higher for a better view of the valley below, Suzi fiddled with the settings on her camera taking a number of shots as she did to assess each adjustment in turn.

Hearing Ken's arrival, Suzi turned around to face Ken squatting down in order to be closer to his eye level. Unfortunately, squatting down with her knees wide apart brought her crotch directly in line with Ken's face. Looking down at Ken, she immediately realised what was happening as she followed his gaze directly to her hairy vulva.

For a brief moment, Suzi considered adjusting her stance to a slightly less provocative one. There was no shame involved on her part. She was female and it was natural that she should have female genitalia in that area. On second thought, perhaps Ken was a little more bashful than he let on, maybe she should go easy on him.

"Sorry Ken, I didn't mean to flash you like that." Suzi said as she stood.

"Um, err, yes, um, sorry." Was all that Ken could manage to say.

"Seriously?" Suzi thought to herself. "It's just a pussy. Why do men always freak out when they see a pussy? They don't freak out when they see a penis. Society's got a lot to answer for!"

"Let's get going then." Suzi said as she stood before making her way down the rocks until she was back on the path standing next to Ken who was now totally naked apart from his boots.

Ignoring Ken's semi-erect penis, Suzi asked, "How's that feel?"

"A bit odd, I suppose." Ken responded honestly also doing his best to ignore the swelling in his recalcitrant manhood.

"Don't worry, after a short while, you'll forget they we're naked and just enjoy the hike." Suzi said trying to reassure Ken.

"After you." Ken said extending his arm indicating for Suzi to take the lead.

"Thanks." Suzi said as she headed off to the other side off the lookout

***

For some time, Ken lagged behind Suzi. True enough, this part of the trail was narrow-ish, but not so narrow that it mandated walking single file. No, Suzi thought that Ken was either checking out her arse or trying to get his penis under control. Whichever it was, he tried to hide it by continuing their conversation.

Finally, after about ten minutes of talking back over her shoulder, Ken moved up next to Suzi and continued the hike side-by-side. Sneaking the occasional glance when he was distracted by some scenic point that she conveniently pointed out, Suzi saw that Ken's penis was, at least for now, back under control.

"I hope that you don't think that I'm being rude." Suzi said in preparation for her upcoming question.

"I don't follow." Ken said somewhat puzzled.

"I'm sorry, but why don't you have any pubic hair?" Suzi asked Ken directly.

"Nobody has pubes these days." Ken said somewhat dismissively as he continued to walk.

"I've got pubes." Suzi said as she held her hands open directing Ken's gaze towards her gloriously hirsute pubic mound.

"I can see that, but no women these days do." Ken responded.

"None?" Suzi asked.

"Every girlfriend since high school has been perfectly smooth." Ken said adding, "All of my male friends that I've seen naked are too."

"Well I hope that my hairy pussy doesn't offend you too much." Suzi said.

"I'd best describe myself as being 'unaccustomed' rather than 'offended'." Ken replied before continuing, "Theoretically, I know that pubic hair exists, I just don't ever see it, that's all."

"Fair enough, I suppose." Suzi responded empathising with Ken's position.

"Have you every considered getting rid of it?" Ken asked.

"Ahm. No! That hair's goin' nowhere thank you very much!" Suzi replied quickly.

Suzi was seldom uncomfortable when talking about society's more salacious body parts. However, the implication of what Ken's was saying, that is, that she should remove her pubic hair, left her slightly ill at ease. Time for another scenic highlight to hopefully change the subject lest he comment on her underarm hair too.

"The lake that we are heading for is not a natural lake, it's actually man-made." Suzi announced.

"Really, who built it?" Ken asked.

"Well nobody 'built' it per-se. When constructing the road up here, they needed some fill." Suzi said.

"OK", Ken responded.

"So the workers made a bit of an impromptu quarry and used a stream bed to access it. Once the road was finished, the quarry was abandoned and eventually filled with water." Suzi explained.

"Is it very deep?" Ken asked.

"For the most part no, only a few metres, however, there is a slightly deeper spot just next to a big rock that we can jump off." Suzi said.

"Sounds like fun." Ken said enthusiastically.

"It can be, but we'll need to check the depth first just to make sure it's safe." Suzi added.

***

Suzi and Ken continued to walk for another forty-five minutes or so. Chatting as they went, Suzi was grateful that Ken's attention never returned to the subject of her pubic hair. He mentioned nipples once, but only in reference to the ones used for lubricating the mechanical components of his father's vintage car collection, not the ones attached to her mammary glands.

After the trail turned onto the banks of a gently trickling creek, Ken thought that the lake would not be far away. Sure enough, within about seven minutes, they found themselves at the old quarry and the body of water that had collected there.

"The lake seems to be at a good level." Suzi commented.

"Really?" Ken asked.

"Yes, I've seen it much lower, especially at the tail end of summer." Suzi responded removing her backpack and placing it on the ground.

Ken watched Suzi as she lifted one leg onto a nearby rock undoing her boot lace before swapping to the other leg to repeat the process. With the laces loosened, Suzi kicked off her boots and slid off her socks.