Michaelishious - Vol. 2019

Dec. 6th: Mountain man

I'd been hiking in the mountain all day. As the matter of fact, I'd been walking six or seven hours every day for over a week. And I felt absolutely awesome! Except for the blisters on my feet, of course. But I'd never felt freer and calmer than I was right now, in my entire life, and it felt like every single step I took was a step further away from the stress and annoyance that usually hung over my head 24/7.

It all started earlier this year, when I felt so sick and tired of the chaos at work, living in the hectic city life in Boston, that I decided to go somewhere I didn't have to meet people at all. And since I'd always wanted to go to Europe, I started to search for alternatives to a rather unusual kind of vacation; as isolated and deserted as possible, safe enough to travel alone, warm enough to not freeze to death, and finally, big enough so I didn't have to stomp around on the same spot.

Iceland was my first thought. But since the tourist guide mostly spoke about horseback riding, I decided not to, because I was terrified of horses. And even though it would be great to swim in The Blue Lagoon, I knew I would get restless after only a day or so. The next alternative was Svalbard, famous for the Northern light in the winter, and the midnight sun in the summer. But! There were Polar bears there, so that was a clear no. Then there was Russia, that definitely had enough uninhabited areas. But there were also lots of dangerous grizzlies there. So, no. I had to find something else.

I ended up going to Switzerland. There was a low risk of meeting dangerous animals, and the people were really nice. The few I met anyway. And the nature was just amazing. Who needed TV and social media, when they could wander through such a beautiful scenery? Not me. I didn't even bring my phone. Only my backpack with food, clothes and a tiny tent, big enough to fit me. Only me. Because I wasn't planning finding anyone, and much less share my tent. So when I suddenly stood face to face with a man with wild, black curls and large, dark brown eyes, I gaped. And to find that he was American like me, was even more surprising. But neither of us were especially keen on talking, and quickly said goodbye to continue our lonesome tracks.

The sun was playing low above the mountains when I decided to camp next to a little lake. I put up my tent like a pro, then ate a quick meal while I contemplated whether to go for a quick swim or not. But when I smelled my feet after taking off my shoes, the answer was clear. I needed a bath. So I stripped down to just my panties and sports bra, and ran into the water with a little squeal. It felt so liberating I could cry. So I let out a scream of joy, then looked around to see if anyone had heard me. But of course, I was alone as hermit on a deserted island.

Or so I thought...

Suddenly my eyes caught sight of a person standing on the riverbank, not very far from the tent. And I felt my blood boil when I saw who it was. It was him. The man with the messy curls and large, brown eyes. And he was staring at me. How rude!

So I got out of the water and stomped over to him, trying to think about what to say that didn't include a lot of cursing. I didn't even bother to get dressed, since he probably had seen women in their underwear before anyway.

"Are you stalking me now?" I hissed.
"I think I told you I wanted to be alone. That's the whole reason I'm out here in the wilderness! Alone, do you hear me? And I also think I remember hearing you had the same plans. So get lost!"

I glared at him, feeling even more angry since he kept staring at my breasts.

"Hey! Eyes up here, dude!"

He finally shifted his gaze, and focused on what he was doing. And it was first then that I saw that he was fishing. But instead of answering or even defend himself, he just ignored me.

"Aren't you gonna say anything?" I asked, even more annoyed than before, and I fought against an instant urge to push him out into the water.

"You're scaring the fish," he said dryly. And since that was all I got out of him, I scoffed loudly, and marched straight back to my tent, gathered my belongings, and found another place to sleep.