I would envision an open space for at least ten minutes before I pulled into the small parking lot at the Echo Canyon trailhead. I learned the technique about 30 years ago and it seems to work most of the time. I simply visualize an available space-which typically presents itself seconds before I arrive. It has to do with putting a strong suggestion out there for someone else to consider as an option. A person might vacate a slot moments before they intended to or they may pass up a space for an unknown reason because they had a "feeling" they should. It works...and it worked on this beautiful Saturday morning in September.
This hike, which would take about 35 minutes as a solo workout, or an hour if done casually, is rigorous at a minimum. I had a routine. Pull in, tighten my shoes, sling on my hydro-pack, secure the hat or bandana, and hit a button on my watch as I passed the first step of the trail. I could fit this fantastic workout into an hour and a half- door-to-door. I often visualize meeting a beautiful woman on this trail.
The scenery is what makes it fantastic. First, the Swiss-cheese-like formation of red sandstone is also layered and marbled with granite. Next, the 360-degree view at the top of Camelback treats you to a full panorama of the suburbia, the airport and downtown buildings. There are spectacular mansions spreading out from the base of the mountain and a near complete circle of mountains 10-30 miles away.
But the real motivating scenery has to do with the other hikers. The people who do this as a workout are human body enthusiasts in the middle of one of the wealthiest neighborhoods of the country. They are often the hottest people on earth. Men are handsome and fit of course but the hot athletic women wear the smallest, thinnest, and tightest clothes they can get away with. The trail is mostly single-track and often only a footprint wide with steeps that require most to use the railings and chains. Hikers are often either passing or being passed by a woman in a tight wet outfit. Muscled legs, tight Asses, and ripped midsections are primal motivators for me.
As I exited my truck I heard a voice ask "Sir- would you happen to have a coat hanger?" I turned around with a smile to greet the woman, "Sir?... I'm a Sir to you?- you can call me Jay." She apologized "I'm Liz- sorry to bother you- I locked my keys in my car." Like most men would, I immediately consulted the archives of car access techniques, assessed our current environment and current time elapsing and considered the possibilities in the universe of Liz and me. Within a few seconds, my unquenchable yearning to connect with the opposite sex assessed this amazing woman and the probability of consummation. It was low. I smiled "Weirdly- I DO have a coat hanger and I think I can help you. Have you ever used a wire hanger for this before?" "No", she said, "but I've locked my keys in the car before and have seen it done."
The second weird thing about this situation was that she had placed her single loose car key on the left armrest of the car door as she readied herself for her hike. When she was ready, Liz pressed down the door lock and closed the door. The loose key then moved just enough to extend the hole of the key over the edge of the arm rest- just shy of falling off the ledge and into the void to the left of the seat. As I snaked the hanger wire into the top of the door molding - Liz asked if I was going for the door lock itself. She was close and watching every movement. I inhaled the aroma from the skin of her exposed shoulders, her shoulder-length highlighted straight hair and her sweet breath before I answered. The hooked end of the wire caught the hole in the key and we were done in about 60 seconds.
This totally amazed both of us and she gripped my arm as she thanked me. A shiver went through me as her hand lingered. I answered her gratuitous repayment offer by insisting she join me for a coffee the next morning. My schedule was committed, and this was the soonest and most benign counter offer I could think of. She quickly agreed but said she couldn't meet until later in the week. My heart sank, but I made her commit to meeting as she wrote down her number on a piece of a road map. I could hardly expect more after knowing her for about five minutes. Then it occurred to me that she was starting the hike as well. It seems bizarre now that I was serious enough about this particular workout to leave her as soon as I had a coffee date lined up. I apologized with mixed messages of intense interest in her and a preference to commence sweating. I pressed the button on my watch and took off.
I proceeded to do a lot more visualizing. A former girlfriend of mine had a girlfriend who wanted to meet me. We met her at this same trailhead one afternoon. She wore small black knit shorts and an inappropriate thin silk crop-top. As I hiked and climbed with these two exhibitionists it was difficult to keep my erection in check. I preferred to be behind them following their form as they moved but occasionally looking down on them ascending behind me was as pleasurable. They were putting on a deliberate and very sexy show for me and for everyone else- it's just who they were. There are lots of women like that who frequent this mountain. It's a work out to be sure but the swollen muscles, sweat and nipples pressing against wet fabric were always a wonderful treat. We had some epic sex later that day and much later a sex party...the idea of which originated during this hike...but that is another story.
I've been on this trail so many times my body goes into autopilot. I can look back and have no recollection of foot placements and handgrips over the previous 100 vertical feet. I must be solving a lot of problems during this separation of mind and body. This time of course, my mind was on Liz. I looked back a couple of times and caught her watching my movements. She had obviously been on this trail a few times. Her somewhat stiff body movement was like that of an athlete who hadn't worked out in a year.
Liz was about 5'8" and she moved and flowed with purpose in her black yoga pants and bra-top tank. I lost sight of her halfway up the mountain and decided to wait on the summit. I would normally descend after a minute on top but figured that I had got most of my heart-pounding workout done and I had some work yet to do on Liz. She was smiling as she summited, and she was conscious that her much-earned perspiration was changing the way her outfit accentuated her breasts, waist and ass. She embraced it- she knew she looked good and she knew I noticed. We took five minutes at the top and headed down together. Liz agreed to run the flats with me, which was awesome for a few reasons.
By the time we hit the parking lot - my attempts to upgrade the coffee date resulted only in a solid commitment for Thursday morning- and it was sealed with a long hug.