[biblio474]

The following happened on a hiking trip in August of this year:

Four of us went on a long hiking trip (about 16 miles) in a region that is mostly above treeline, leaving at dawn on our adventure. Three of us were male and one hiker was female. Although this hike was long, it was in a remote area and had relatively few bathrooms (one at the start and 2 others at 4 miles and 6 miles in - leaving about 10 miles without a bathroom). The hike organizer (call him "Chris") made it clear that this was the case - with the implication being that we would use random rock outcroppings or tree cover to "do our business." The three guys in the group had all hiked together before and were quite comfortable peeing outdoors.

The first part of the hike went as planned - we hiked from the valley to above treeline and had amazing views of all the surrounding mountains. We stopped at the picnic/shelter/rest areas at 4 and 6 miles, eating lunch at the second area (and all using the indoor bathrooms). As the day was hot, we were all drinking quite a bit.

The trail for the next several miles primarily followed the ridge with generally no cover except an occasional outcropping. Despite the fairly open terrain, I and my male compatriots made use of cover off the trail. At one section, about 11 miles into our hike, we took a rest at a rather large outcropping where we rested, ate, and Chris took care of his business.

It was at this point that I noticed "Samantha" (the name changed female member of our group) looking a bit nervous and flush in the face. It should be noted that despite multiple opportunities she never made use of the rock outcroppings. Although she was not explicitly holding herself, it seemed clear from her body language that she needed to pee. I must admit that I am turned on by seeing women need to pee (and poppin a squat), but I didn't want to my close friend to pee herself. Not bold enough to ask if she needed to pee I went up to her and said: "Is everything all right?"; I half expected her to admit her situation, at which point I would strongly encourage her to use this large outcropping. However, she responds: "I'm fine. This has been a long hike." With nothing left to say, we soon headed on, but for me the next couple of miles were awkward. I was sure she had to pee, but perhaps was embarassed to use the less covering rocks above tree line. I knew in just 2 miles we would begin to dip below treeline and if she really did need to pee, she would then.

As we continued on her body langauge further indicated her need to pee. Her thighs were squeezed together and her pace was shorter. Despite cloud cover coming in and lowering the temperatures, she was quite flush and almost had a tear in her eye. I knew she had to pee, and I couldn't understand why she tortured herself.

After what seemed like an eternity, we finally made it to the first bits of tree cover. The trail descended into a thin patch of trees about 5 feet tall, thin but extending back at least 100 feet, providing at least a bit of cover. I stopped to get some water and some food, expecting her to use this opportunity to declare "I'm going to go pee, wait a sec guys." However she didn't. It was at this point I began to doubt if I had read her body cues right.

We continued on and about 15 minutes later we stopped at an overlook just above treeline. We all sat down to rest (we were all tired at this point) and Samantha was sitting on her foot next to me. Not more than 30 seconds later she let out a squeak. We all looked over and she just grabbed herself. Looking more embarassed than I have ever seen someone look (she was bright red), she just held herself while pee leaked out onto the rock slowly. It was clear she was trying, but failing to hold back the flow.

While I felt extremely embarassed for her, I could not help but feel turned on. Her hiking shorts were rather small and tight (it looked like spandex material), and the pee was just flowing out not 3 feet away from me.

After 30 seconds of struggling, she finally got off the rock, hobbled to the side of the trail and just released a torrent of pee directly through her shorts. I couldn't help but stare the entire time. My eyes were glued to her shorts.

After this incident, nobody spoke. It was by far the most awkward situation I have been in. After about 3 minutes of silence with no one looking at anyone else, I finally said. "I'm sorry." I didn't want to blame her and say "You should have said something," although this is what I was thinking. This simple statement diffused the situation and we continued. Later on down the trail, we got to talking and she admitted that she was embarassed to say she had needed to pee. We all apologized again, and made it clear that she can feel comfortable around us even when discussing her bodily functions.

We never discussed this incident outside of our group. Everything has worked out. This weekend we went on a 6 miles hike (3 of us - me, Chris, and Samantha) and she used the forest cover about 5 miles in. None of us said anything, but I think we all learned a lesson in open communication.