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Pawford Ch 2: A Camp Story copyright 2011 comidacomida

I got to spend more time with CJ over the course of the next few weeks. Despite working overtime while coming to understand the expectations of the city for my new position, I somehow managed to work in some relaxation time with my new friend. As it happened, CJ lived less than two miles away; it was easy enough for us to hang out. Sometimes I'd meet him at his garage for lunch, which was practically down the street from city hall, and sometimes he'd join me at the old Stevenson Place for dinner... usually pizza or hot dogs-- I have to admit that I've never been much of a cook.

The position for me in Pawford was a large deal for such a small town; I was the only one in my office, but I guess it made sense considering their small administrative budget. It turned out that CJ calling me the city planner really wasn't that far from the truth; the things they had planned for me went way beyond the standard job description for a civil engineer. Regardless, I found myself loving the position-- it challenged me and it seemed like I was learning new things all the time.

From my first day there right through the beginning of July my days were full of projects, planning, and meetings. Sometimes I think the only reason I got a break after that was because city hall closed for July and August. I'm not exaggerating either... the WHOLE of city hall. The administration was kind enough to tell me about it two days before the building closed. Mayor Chase, a rotund, jovial, easy-going black lab was the one to tell me himself. "So what'cha have planned for vacation?" he asked me.

"Vacation?" I was understandably confused, "I just started a few weeks ago."

"Office closes down for awhile during the summer." that was the simplest explanation I'd ever received as to why I was going to suddenly have eight weeks of free time on my hands. Almost every last staff member in city hall had two months off; it was a cost saving technique they had used since the great depression, apparently, and it remained in place due to tradition. A few city employees still continued to work from home, but that was less than one tenth of the work force (four people, incidentally... which, out of 42 employees really IS less than 10%). It was certainly a first for me, but to the residents of Pawford it was the way of life.

So, like any workaholic might due when suddenly faced with a large amount of time off, I panicked. CJ got a call from me that night; apparently I made enough of an impression during the twenty minutes on the phone that he decided something needed to be done, so he showed up at my office at lunch time the next day with a greasy paper bag from Roy's Burgers and we ate right at my desk as he began to lay out a very comprehensive plan, "We're goin camping." Okay... so not THAT comprehensive.

We went over the specifics during the rest of my lunch hour; CJ had a selection of camp sites he liked to frequent a good distance from town. Since I had moved to Chicago the only kind of camping I'd heard from people usually involved a paved campground, an RV, or both. CJ preferred the old fashioned tent-and-campfire style of camping... the kind I used to do with my family. It had been years since I'd last had the chance to escape into the wilderness so, without anything else to occupy my time, I said yes.

CJ scheduled four days out of his garage; he had Locker promise to look after the place for him while he was gone and came by to pick me up the first Monday of my time off. He was relatively secretive about the spot he'd picked for us, but the only hint I got was a comment he made about the sleeping bag I'd packed along, "That's a real crummy choice of a sleeping bag." he chided.

"It'll be fine." I answered, patting my rolled-up sleeping bag, "It's not like we're camping in Alaska during the winter... it's summer."

"Heh." was all he answered.

It was late afternoon by the time we'd arrived at a gravel parking lot on the side of the road. There were no particular signs identifying what the place was and no other tents in sight. The only modified, distinguishing feature of the untamed land was an unpacked dirt trail leading into the tree line. I took in a deep breath and slowly let it out, "Oh yea... now THIS is camping."

CJ chuckled, "Not yet it isn't... first it's hiking." the rottweiler slid on a framed backpack that looked like it weighed as much as me, and he started off immediately down the path. I followed after him for what was the start of a two hour hike.

It was starting to get dark by the time CJ called a halt to our cross country trip. While I'm not exactly out of shape, I am willing to admit that the rocky hills gave me a solid workout. CJ took off his backpack and began unloading several key components for the tent, a dome-shaped structure that he put together with the ease of someone that had plenty of practice. While the rottweiler was assembling the shelter I took the opportunity to get the fire started-- I had been an expert at it when I was younger and I was glad to find out that apparently I still had a knack for it; I had a pan set atop a makeshift grill, hot dogs already sizzling away by the time Cj had the tent completed.

We sat and chatted and ate our dinner, talking about everything and nothing, as we were prone to do. I marveled at the fact that I had an unexpected two months off and he casually laughed at me for still dwelling on it. He commented on how quickly I got the fire started and I complimented him on his tent; it'd been so long since I went camping (for real) that I was used to the non-dome tents... the old-fashioned triangular ones from my childhood. CJ promised to make a modern camper out of me at that point, and said he'd start by laughing at me when I had trouble sleeping with my 'ratty little sheet of a sleeping bag'. I told him to shove it, and we shared more laughs and toasted marshmallows.

The sun had already gone down well before we had gone to bed. The mountain air was growing far colder than I had expected, but I said nothing. CJ glanced at me a few times, occasionally making idle comments like "Hmm... starting to get a bit cold." or "Yea... no ice yet, so it's gonna get colder.", always with a smug grin. We moved into the tent after curbing the fire, and stayed up for a few more hours talking quietly. I can't remember exactly what we discussed-- just those not-all-that-important stuff that friends talk about when interacting is more important than having a specific topic.

Before going to bed, CJ unrolled what looked like a foam mat and placed it under his sleeping bag-- one of those 30-below tested arctic ones; I laughed at how over-the-top it was. The night might have been a little chillier than I'd expected, but it was SUMMER! Wishing the dog a good night, I climbed into my own bag and squirmed out of my jeans. I pulled them out from my sleeping bag and set them aside. CJ let out a yawn beside me, likewise undressing inside his bag-- the yawn was infectious, and I couldn't help but issue one of my own. Wishing one another a good night, we both fell asleep.

I woke up at 3:30 in the morning-- I knew it was 3:30 because my watch was sitting right next to me on the floor of the tent. It was a watch Elizabeth had given me for my birthday. At that moment I remember feeling as cold on the inside as I felt on the outside-- the sleeping bag I brought obviously wasn't up to the task of the Montana mountains, even if it was the summer. My sigh escaped before I could stop it, and about that time I heard the heavy form beside me shift.

"What's up?" CJ asked, his voice holding just the faintest hint of fatigue. Had I awoken him or was he having trouble with the cold too? I was pretty sure he wasn't being kept up with thoughts of an ex-fiance, unlike me... the lucky Dog.

"It's a little colder than I thought it would be." I admitted, choosing the easy answer instead of having to explain Elizabeth.

"Heh... told you that sleeping bag'd be a bust." he chuckled, and, a moment later, I felt a large arm fold around me. Before I knew it I was pulled closer against CJ's body, "Shoulda brought a mat to sleep on... that flimsy thing won't keep the ground from sucking the warmth right outta you."

I was moved as easily as a rag doll, which was enough to give me time to pause, but what really got me was the sudden rush of warmth against the back of my head when he spoke. His breath still had the minty-sweet scent of the toothpaste he'd borrowed and, despite the fact that he was practically hugging me, I found it hard to escape-- that warmth just felt so good. "I'll remember that for next time." I finally managed to comment.

"You doin better, Derek?" he asked, rubbing my arm through my apparently too-thin sleeping bag.

"Yea... I think I'm using a Dog as a mat right now." I offered.

CJ chuckled in response, "Yea... well I DID warn you."

"I'll remember for next time." I promised, and slowly closed my eyes, feeling a little self-conscious for enjoying CJ's warm breath against the top of my head. Though I was still shivering I realized that I'd hopefully be able to get some sleep. I was fighting against wakefulness, just barely unable to win when I heard the sound of CJ's sleeping bag unzipping.

"Huh?" I asked, squirming in his grasp.

"You're still shaking like crazy." CJ announced and the Dog's sleeping bag opening up the whole way. An aura of warm, welcoming heat radiated out, almost unbelievable in the otherwise cold tent. I've always known since health class in high school that Dogs have a warmer body temperature than humans, but until that moment I didn't realize how big a difference it made.

"I'll be fine." I offered, not wanting to sound like a complainer.

"Yea... well I won't." he countered, "Having you shivering like that all night's gonna keep ME up." He dragged me an inch closer and his paw went to the zipper of my sleeping bag.

"What-?" I asked, "What ARE you doing?"

"Well..." he explained, letting in a huge amount of cold air into my sleeping bag as he continued to unzip it, "You're still cold, so we're going to share mine."

"What?!"

"Yea... and yours will work out well enough as a mat between us and the ground." he explained.

"Back where I come from we don't usually share sleeping bags... at least, not with guys." I noted.

"And where I come from you don't let someone sharing your tent freeze to death." he countered.

"I'm not going to freeze to death." I challenged.

"well your teeth're still chattering like crazy, so if you don't freeze to death I might have to beat you into unconsciousness or I'll never get some sleep." due to the darkness I couldn't see his expression, but I hoped it was one that identified him as joking.

"I'll be fine." I argued.

"Sleeping bag with me or possible permanent scarring... your choice." he stated, and I saw a faint glint of tooth that identified a grin. That made me feel a lot better... well... a little better.

My teeth started chattering even more as I quickly scurried out of my sleeping bag. I was only in a t-shirt and boxers, so I felt every last bit of hair on my body stand on end and, for a moment, I contemplated what CJ might look like if he ever had a goose-bump moment, but that consideration only lasted a moment before my mind was occupied by other things; as I slipped into his large sleeping bag I realized that I felt bare fur against the back of my legs.

"CJ?" I asked.

"Yea?"

"You're... not wearing anything, are you?" I questioned.

"Nope."

"Oh." was all I could think of to say. ~Don't make this weird.~ I thought to myself, but it was already too late.

"Better?" he asked, and I actually felt his voice through his chest against my back as much as I heard it through my ears. He reached across me and zipped the sleeping bag up, enclosing us both... together... really close.

"Yea." I confirmed, but my voice came out an octave too high.

"At least you're not chittering like a woodchuck anymore." He pointed out, and I heard him rest his head on his pillow, the end of his muzzle brushing against the back of my head. Due to the close proximity to the large Dog occupying most of my mind the fact that I didn't feel cold in the least went unnoticed until he pointed it out.

"Heh..." I couldn't hold the chuckle back, "Yea... I guess you make a good electric blanket."

CJ huffed against the back of my head, "Don't make this weird." To this day, I still don't think he realized why I laughed so hard.

It took a few minutes for me to get comfortable (not that I actually ended up comfortable considering sharing a sleeping bag with a naked male Dog), but, after I realized that I was PHYSICALLY more comfortable than when I'd been in my bag alone I lost any option of not going with the flow. Letting out a deep breath I laid my head down on the pillow and closed my eyes.

CJ pulled me just a little closer, wrapping his arm around me. Once my self-consciousness passed I had to admit that I didn't really mind... CJ was my friend, and this was just another one of those things. For a moment, one of the deeper parts of my mind brought up Broke Back Mountain, a movie Elizabeth HAD to take me to see; I quickly ejected it from my thoughts. Unfortunately, the next thing my mind latched onto was thoughts of her. I almost missed thinking about gay cowboys in comparison.

I'm not sure how long I laid there in CJ's arms listening to the sound of the Dog's breathing, feeling his chest brush against the T-shirt on my back with each breath, and the tickling of the fur from his legs against the back of my thighs. As the dark hours continued to slowly pass the feelings and sensations bothered me less and less. CJ was my friend, and he was a good one. Alone with him in the woods I was actually able to enjoy myself with him... we were sharing a sleeping bag, that was it. Despite myself, I could admit that it felt good being so close to someone without them making demands or trying to manipulate me. I fell asleep a little while later.

Light was showing through the tent when I awoke, completely enveloped in the warmth of a big Dog's embrace, both of us still surrounded by the sleeping bag. I stretched one of my legs; my calf and foot had fallen asleep with CJ's leg draped across my leg just below the knee. He inhaled deeply and blasted another hot breath across the back of my neck and, despite myself, the sensation made me shiver... just a little. It was about that time when I realized that something long, broad, and hard was pressed against the small of my back.

It was innocent enough... it had to be. Things like that happened to guys in the morning. I felt a little ill-at-ease about it; being in the grasp of a 200-plus pound rottweiler sporting a case of morning-wood isn't something that most people can just shrug off. I remember being thankful that I didn't have to worry myself over it for too long; a minute or two later CJ slowly released me and rolled onto his back, letting out a mighty yawn and stretching within the confines of the sleeping bag as much as he could manage. "Morning." he mumbled.

"You know..." I ventured, "this is the first time I ever shared a sleeping bag with another guy."

CJ chuckled, "Yea? Me too."

"Really?" I asked him, "And here you made it sound like it was the most normal thing in the world in these parts."

CJ grinned, glancing at me, "Well, to be honest, most folk kinda feel uneasy about it." he continued before I could comment on that, "Besides... it shut ya up, didn't it?"

"Are you this nice in the morning to all your friends?" I asked, feigning indignation.

"Just the ones that weasel their way into my sleeping bag." he countered without missing a beat.

"The way I remember it YOU threatened my life unless I slept with you." I countered, then paused. I felt my whole face go red a half second later once I realized what I just said sounded like.

"On that note, I think it's time for coffee." CJ generously ended the discussion. He unzipped the bag, "now get out before I have to kick your furless ass out."

I didn't need any further encouragement. I slid out of his sleeping bag and looked around the tent for my pants; getting them back on made me feel a lot more comfortable. Glancing back at CJ I saw that the rottweiler had his head propped up on a paw, his elbow on his pillow. "What?" I asked him.

"Just thinking that I can't remember the last time I enjoyed sleeping with someone so much." he gushed melodramatically. His theatrics were ended when I kicked a pillow into his face.

I exited the tent to give CJ a chance to get up and get dressed. While I waited for him I took the opportunity to go relieve myself, finding a nice quiet place just within view of the camp site. Aside from the fact that an erection in the morning is pretty much part of life, I remember thinking, considering my morning at that point, that my penis was betraying me. Thankfully, after I had a chance to empty my bladder it decided to behave again.

CJ was already out of the tent and was setting up a large metal pitcher atop a newly built fire. "That was fast." I noted, admiring his handy work with the fire pit.

"Yea..." he acknowledged, "Might not be as fast as you, but I know my way around a camp site too." he grinned. We sat across from one another while the pitcher heated up. CJ pulled out two metal cups and handed one to me. He didn't bother using a pot holder when he grabbed the metal pitcher off of the flames. He filled both cups only half way. He looked up, and I guess my expression gave me away, "What?" he asked.

"Didn't make much?" I asked, looking at the half-empty cups.

"No... there's plenty." he acknowledged, "I just figured we'd start off light... that's the best thing to do with campfire coffee." He handed one to me.

Looking down into my cup I had trouble seeing the difference between what I had in my hand and any other kind I'd had, "I don't think I've ever had campfire coffee before." I admitted after a pause.

"Really?" he asked, "You can say double-mocha-low-fat-caramel-hazelnut-latte with a straight face, but you haven't had fresh brewed campfire joe?" he held out a mug to me. Accepting it, I watched him watch me. He took his own cup and inhaled at the rim, then took a sip.

"Hmm." I shrugged, staring at the cup, "Okay..." and I took a swig. I barely managed to restrain myself as the most condensed flavor of coffee I'd ever tasted filled my mouth. Now, I admit I'm a fan of coffee, but even sugar can be too sweet if you have too much of it at once. Somehow I managed to swallow, looking at CJ who apparently liked my reaction.

He laughed a really hearty laugh and slapped his thigh, "GAWDAM, I love that!" his laughing continued as I gave him the evil eye, "Takes some getting used to, I'll admit. That stuff reminds ya of the morning after the night before, doesn't it?" he silenced his laughter with a swig from his cup.

"The what?" despite the powerful taste lingering in my mouth I couldn't help but laugh at his comment.

"The morning after the night before." he repeated, licking droplets of 'black-pain' from his whiskers, muzzle split by a broad grin.

"The morning after what?" I asked.

"The night before." he answered simply.

"The night before what?" I pressed.

"The morning after." his grin widened even further.

"And I thought the coffee was enough of a reason to hate you." I grumbled but, despite myself, I took another sip... and sputtered it out at the campfire. CJ laughed even harder.

By mid-morning I had gotten used to the powerful (POWERFUL) taste. I mentioned at some point that it tasted like the beans were just thrown straight into the pot without a filter or anything. CJ was facing away from me, but from the speed at which his tail nub was wagging I could tell he was probably smiling like a fool.

I can honestly say that our first camping trip went really well. it was my first time camping in Montana, my first time sleeping in the same sleeping bag with a guy, and my first time having campfire coffee. Even with all of the 'first times' I had during that trip, CJ still managed to find a way to top those with some even more unbelievable ones on our second time out... but THAT'S a story for another time.