Joe Herbst was out of bed early, before 6 a.m., had a nourishing breakfast at the motel where he had spent the night and was at the trail head before time to meet the rest of his group for a five-day mountaineering trip to a high country cabin. At 7 a.m., before some of the 15 members of the party had arrived, he donned his skis and started up the trail. The packed snow made easy travel and he moved with minimum effort up the trail. The dull, gray, overcast day did nothing to deter his high spirits.
Half an hour later he looked back through an opening in the evergreen forest to see other members of his party starting their ascent and felt a momentary sense of pride that he was breaking trail. An hour later the temperature suddenly dropped and gale force winds developed from ahead on the trail. Soon after snow fell an fell side wise in the wind. Then, visibility was measured in yards and finally in feet.
Joe knew that his situation was perilous; if he should lose his way or sustain a disabling injury he would surely perish under the snow where he might not be found till spring. This was not the first time that he had faced perils in the mountains and here was no panic; only, a careful consideration of all the facts relative to the situation. He adjusted his goggles and clothing for the deteriorated conditions and sought the trail markers as he moved steadily forward.
It was just noon when he arrived at his destination and Joe felt a relief at having reached haven of safety. At the door he stomped the snow off his feet in the mud room and removed his boots; then, entered the cabin. Once inside, he found all in readiness and in minutes there was a roaring fire in the fireplace; hot water in the well at the end of the wood range and the running water was turned on. Only then did his hunger assert itself and he sat down to eat his lunch. "The others should be arriving." he thought.
But they did not arrive. Finally at 1:30 there was a stomping of boots in the mud room; then, silence. Joe went to investigate and found a woman, near exhaustion, collapsed over the mud room floor. He struggled to lift the woman and carry her into the warm cabin..."She must weight at least 150 pounds," he thought.
Inside he removed the woman's outer garments and made her comfortable on the sofa, near the fireplace. Next he made a cup of hot tea to overcome her dehydration. As he worked, he talked to the woman and found out her name was Elke Werner-Hobbs. She had left her friends on the trail a mile or two back and was concerned for their safety.
It was then that Joe realized the gravity of their situation. There may be people stranded on the trail, or more than likely, they had returned to the trail head. He went to his pack and removed his cell phone to call 911, emergency as the call went through without a hitch. The operator took the information about the two who were safe. They agreed to save the cell phone battery and that Joe would call at 5:00 p.m. at which time the 911 operator would report the latest status.
By late afternoon, Elke was asleep under two sleeping bags and Joe had cinnamon rolls prepared. He had checked the pantry and found that food would be no problem for several weeks. At 5 o'clock he called the emergency operator and was relieved to find that the rest of the party was accounted for...two were in the hospital with frost bite. The blizzard was the front of a storm front that was expected to last for several days.
Total darkness came early and Joe had the kerosene lamps lit before the telephone call. In the kitchen he began to prepare dinner...
Quietly, out of the darkness of the living area, Elke emerged into the light of the lamps in the kitchen. She looked tired and drawn as Joe gave her the news that the rest of the party was safe. Then she brightened and began to assist with the household chores. "Go get a hot bath and rest while I fix dinner," he said. "Thanks," she said and disappeared from the kitchen with one of the lamps.
Minutes before dinner was prepared, Elke returned. Freshly showered and primped she no longer looked beaten and disheveled; rather, she presented a rather stunning appearance as Joe appraised her slowly.
Joe was taken by surprise as he stood looking at the woman before him. At 5'-11" her blond hair, blue eyes, fair complexion and svelte figure made an imposing scene. "She's at least 150 pounds and she's awesome," he thought. Her pleasant nature and casual attitude made her pleasant company and Joe began to think that this might not be such a bad situation after all.
Through dinner and household chores they talked. Eke drew Joe's past from him subtly with a few reflective and directive questions and soon he was spilling his most intimate feelings to her. He told her of his divorce and of his ex-wife. He told her how the "ex" had decided that since she was earning four times, as a lawyer, what Joe earned as an engineer that she needed room and their marriage was no longer appropriate to her style. He told her of his deep feeling, his rejection, his perceived failure; then, turning to a life style free of attachments... one that didn't include women and one free of rejection.
"Don't you like women?" she asked him. "Of course I do," he answered. "Probably too much."
Soon it was Joe's turn to ask. "Are you married?" he asked. "Yes," she responded and Joe began to feel the familiar feeling of rejection again. Silence followed.
Then, as if to explain her situation further, she continued, "I'm sure you've heard this story before. It's old as the hills." "My husband has a very different life style from mine. He likes boys and girls and not necessarily in that order." He is completely self-centered and considers sex a contact sport. His list of friends is made up of countless women and a few men who can satisfy his cravings. He has no capacity for love. I guess I'm a one-man woman and sex is a healthy union between a man and a woman that should not be defiled. We have become a husband and wife in name only.
Now it was Joe's turn to utilize the directive questions and he soon learned that Elke engaged in the strenuous activities to dispel the tension in her body that resulted from her relationship with her husband. She gradually explained her revulsion at being asked to participate in orgies and all manner of immoral acts...she told, quite freely, of her feelings so intimate that she had never even spoken them to herself.
As Elke spoke, she found insights into her situation which she could not see until they were actually spoken. She found herself in control of feelings which had ruled her for months. She realized that she was a healthy woman with healthy appetites and frustrated by lack of the social intercourse between a man and a woman..."Yes, Sex!" she thought.
During the course of the evening, Joe found himself bonding with the woman that he was marooned with. His unfamiliar feelings bothered him as he experienced a warm, cordial bonding along with a fear that he was becoming entangled again. He handled himself poorly...