I shaved while mom dressed. She left off her makeup and still looked beautiful, even youthful without it. Gwen had on a tank top, stretch hiking shorts, and low top hiking shoes. I dressed and then we drove the car to the ranger’s station, returned the key, and pulled out the backpacks from the trunk. Mom began to do a few stretching movements before putting on her backpack. She bent over to touch her toes and giving me a great view of her small butt pressed against the stretch fabric of her hiking shorts. I enjoyed the view and would have creamed in my pants except for taking care of business in the shower last night. When she was done, I helped her put on the backpack and adjusted all the straps for a comfortable fit. I put mine on and we began to hike along the trail.
We covered about seven or eight miles that day. It was a hot summer day but the trail was in dense woods where we were shaded most of the time. Mom enjoyed the hike and the many scenic views on the trail. Late in the afternoon I choose an area to spend the night. It was a small clearing that you could tell had been used by backpackers many times before us. We dropped our packs and set up the small popup tent. I began a small fire and began to fix the campfire dinner. After dinner, mom and I sat around the campfire talking until it became very dark and then just stared at the many bright stars in the clear sky which you never see in the city. Gwen was getting tired and wanted to get some sleep. I agreed and let her change in the tent first. I watched as the silhouette of my mother from the lone flashlight moved against the tent wall. It was quite erotic to see her shadow remove each piece of her clothing and then put on long t shirt. She yelled that it was OK for me to come in the tent. I unzipped the door, slid into the tent and then zipped it back up. Mom was in her sleeping bag smiling as I stripped down to my briefs and slipped into the adjacent sleeping bag.
I switched off the flashlight plunging the tent into absolute darkness. It was very quiet except for the constant background noise of cicadas. After a couple of hours, I felt this tugging at my shoulders and slowly awoke from my sleep.
“Richie” said my mother, “Wake up”
“What?” I muttered
“There is something out there” she whispered, “I think it’s a bear!”
“Mom” I said, “There hasn’t been any bears in Illinois for the last hundred years.”
“Well” she said “What is it. I’m scared!”
I listened and heard the sounds she was talking about. “Probably a raccoon or small animal, maybe a deer. Nothing to worry about.”
“Well, I am a little shook up” she said. “My hands are shaking”
I pulled the sleeping bag down to my waist and reached over to feel her hands. I groped around in the dark until our hands met and I can tell she was unnerved. I wanted to calm her down and make the trip still a pleasant experience for her. “Rest your head on my chest and I will hold you, mom. There is nothing to worry about.” Gwen pushed aside part of her sleeping bag and rested her head on my chest with her right arm over my shoulder. I wrapped my arms around her back and felt her breathing became calmer and her body began to relax. I kept one arm across her back and began to stroke her short blonde with my free hand. I heard Gwen quietly whisper “thank you” as the outside noise disappeared.