Chapter 2

Sunday, January 3, 1988 – Thirroul Beach, Wollongong, New South Wales

Each troop in Subcamps Four and Five took buses down to Wollongong around 9:30 that morning. The half hour trip was hot, but at least the old school bus’ windows opened so we could get some air. Scouts speculated if the rumors they heard were true. Australians could go topless at the beach. Turn right when you hit the beach and head down to the southern end of the beach if you wanted to see some titties. I wasn’t sure if the rumors were true, but I wouldn’t mind if Tess, Mila, Mark and I checked the rumors out. I could only imagine what Tess’ pert titties might look like.

Aussie volunteers slathered zinc oxide on everyone’s noses and tops of our ears as you got off the bus. Our hosts didn’t want us to end up sunburned. Every troop staked out an expanse of beach as their own. The smart troops, including mine, brought dining flies from camp to set up for shade. Dale McKeown, our senior patrol leader, told everyone to be back at noon for lunch. Otherwise, remember the buddy system in and out of the water. Have fun.

Mark and I intended to. We found Tess and Mila’s troop further south of us. We hung out with the Dutch Scouts most of the morning. We alternated sunning ourselves, taking a dip in the ocean waves and then catching some shade before repeating the process. Tess and Mila made sure we were well covered with sunscreen. The girls allowed us to slather them up too. I actually got a bit of a feel of Tess’ titties while I rubbed the sunscreen into the exposed parts outside her skimpy bikini.

Mark and I both had full hard-ons by the time we finished buttering up our girlfriends. Our erections went down during a dip in the ocean. Tess and Mila looked just as stunning as Mark and I expected in their bikinis. I am sure the other guys in our troop were jealous of us walking around, holding hands and hanging out with two beautiful girls.

Three other guys in our troop had managed to get girlfriends since the start of the Jamboree. One hooked up with an Aussie girl in our subcamp. They were like Mark and me, holding hands and wishing for more privacy among the 1,500 Scouts and leaders on the beach. The other two guys hooked up with a couple French girls from Subcamp One. Their girlfriends weren’t here today.

Mark and I headed down the beach to Troop 522 and our girlfriends after lunch. We hung out a while before taking another dip in the ocean. When we got out, I suggested, “Want to go for a walk?”

“Sure, why don’t we,” Tess agreed. Mark and Mila agreed too. I started heading up the beach towards my troop and the north end of Thirroul Beach. “Let’s go this way,” Tess suggested as she steered me towards the southern end of the beach. Did she know what we might find?

It turns out the rumors are true about Aussie toplessness at the beach. If you didn’t want to wear your top, head to the south end of the beach. Compared to where we had been, this section of beach was pretty deserted. Half a dozen grown-up couples were down there. All the women were topless. Another half a dozen Scout “couples” found their way south too. Four of the more daring girls pulled their tops off, to the delight of their boyfriends.

I am sure the other two guys were trying to convince their girlfriends to follow the Aussie customs. Would Tess? I didn’t need to wait long to find out. We spread our towels on our patch of beach. Tess turned her back to me and casually commented, “Could you untie me, John?” I pulled the bow holding her top together. Tess pulled the small garment off and turned to face me. She shook her chest, causing her orange-to-grapefruit sized titties to jiggle.

“This feels so much nicer,” Tess gushed as she jiggled.

“God ... you’re so pretty,” I stammered as I stared unashamedly at her titties. Tess put her hands around the back of my neck and pulled me into her. We kissed, sharing our tongues. My cock came to attention instantly. I could feel her nipples press into my chest as we deep kissed. When we finally pulled apart, we found Mark and Mila deeply entangled, kissing too.

Tess’ titties weren’t white, like I expected. They were tanned with a hint of a lighter shade where she wore her bikini top. This must not have been the first time she went topless.

“Do you need sunscreen?” I offered. I knew which part of her body wasn’t oiled up yet. I was willing to help if I was needed.

“I bet you would be happy to do me, wouldn’t you?” Tess laughed. She squirted a little sunscreen on her hand and slathered her own tits. I still got turned on watching her massage the protection into her titties’ light skin.

I wished I could retreat to the ocean for a couple minutes to chill down and lose my erection. I couldn’t. The swimming area on an Aussie breach was usually in the center, between two flags. Their lifeguards were fanatical about swimming safety. Swim only between the flags. Don’t go out past the breakers lest you are swept up by an ocean current and pulled out to sea. We were a quarter mile south of the swimming area, so we could only talk and sunbathe down here.

Tess and I laid out our towels so the edges overlapped so we could be closer as we sunned ourselves. I laid down with my aviator sunglasses on. Tess had some stylish shades too. We laid side-by-side close together, my right arm under Tess’ neck and her left arm under mine. We were the epitome of ‘80s style. We’d look good too when we got back to our wintry homes. I could regain some of my bronze color that had faded since my farm work over the summer and early fall. My classmates would be jealous, except for Mark, who would be as bronzed as me. He and Mila were sprawled on towels on the sand, enjoying the sun’s rays too.

After fifteen or twenty minutes, Tess called for a sunscreen break. She rubbed the lotion all over me. I did her in turn. This time, she allowed me to slather her titties too. That turned me on. It must have turned her on too. Tess and I rolled closer on our side to face each other.

We stared at each other for a moment before I wrapped my arm around the back of her neck and drew her face closer to mine. I leaned in and gave her a kiss.

Tess moved her left arm across my side as we made out. She began caressing my side as we deep kissed. My right arm was trapped between our bodies. I knew what I wanted ... to feel up one of those gorgeous titties inches from my fingertips. Did I dare?

Tess silently answered by sliding her hand down my side and slipping it under the waist band of my swim suit. She felt my ass cheek. My hand went immediately to her titty. It was soft, pillowy and a handful. “Mmmm...” Tess purred as I fondled her. Her hand massaged my butt cheek as I felt her up.

Of course, I ended up hard from this incredibly sexy scene. I tried to keep Tess from discovering my condition as we made out. She seemed to crave more contact with my body. After a couple times scooting my crotch away from her while we kissed and felt her, Tess hoisted a leg over my legs and snuggled in closer to me. I felt my boner press into her belly. She had to know what it was. Tess didn’t seem fazed by my lump. As a matter of fact, she continued bumping and rubbing against my boner.

How far were we going? This beach was public and much too open for how intimate we were getting. Tess must have sensed this too. She pulled away from me and looked towards the southern end of the beach. “We need somewhere with more privacy.”

“Yeah...” I gasped as I caught my breath after our lip lock.

“Over there, below the road,” Tess panted. She was as breathless as me. We hopped up and jogged over towards the southern end of the beach. The beach ended with twenty-foot-high bluffs, with the roadway at the top of the bluffs. Brush was growing up along the base of the bluffs. We made our way behind the brush, where it would hide us from people on the beach while the bluffs would hide us from anyone above.

I spotted Mila and Mark jogging after us. Mark’s boner was tenting his suit. My buddy was getting some make-out time too. I smiled before Tess pulled me into our hiding spot. There wasn’t any where to sit or lay down. We embraced and went back to making out. We hugged our bodies together as our tongues dueled. Tess continued bumping and rubbing my boner as we made out and I felt her up.

I don’t know how long our make out session lasted but I had a bad case of blue balls by the time Tess pulled away from me.

“It must be getting late,” Tess sighed as we parted our heads. “We don’t want to miss the bus back to camp.

“No...” I sighed. “We don’t.”

Tess allowed her belly to rub my boner again. “Can you get this thing tamed?” Her hand reached down and rubbed my erection.

“uuMMMMmmm...”I squeaked.

“I’ll help you,” she added.

“Uh ... uhhh ... Tess?” She ignored me as she reached inside my swim suit and untied the strings holding it up. Her hands went in my suit on each hip. She peeled my suit down, exposing my manhood ... well boyhood, I guess.

“Mmm ... you’re big,” Tess purred. I’m not sure she was correct. I looked average compared to the other guys in the locker room before and after gym class back home. My erection measured a fraction of an inch over five inches long. I knew full grown men averaged more like six or seven inches, but I was still growing. I guess, if you haven’t seen a boy’s dick before, I might seem big.

One hand wrapped around my boner as she began to stroke me. Oh God, Tess’ touch was perfect. I couldn’t be the first boy she gave a hand job to. Maybe she was serious about my cock’s size.

The feeling of someone else stroking my rod was mind blowing. I had never had anyone touch me this way. I might have lasted a minute before I felt my balls churn, warning of my come. Tess, sensing my eruption, stepped aside as she stroked me three more times to finish me off. She just managed to get out of the way as I squirted.

“Did you like that, John?” Tess asked, grinning at me.

“That was wonderful,” I managed to say, still stunned that she had jerked me off. I gave Tess a passionate kiss, with tongue. She pushed me away.

“That would be fun,” Tess said, “ ... but we need to get back to our troops before the buses come.” Calling out louder, “Mila, get moving. We don’t want to miss our bus to camp. Cataract Park would be a long walk.”

We jogged back to our things. I helped Tess put on her top again. Mila and Mark appeared out of the bushes by the bluffs. Mark had a dazed look and no boner. I suspect he also received a hand job back there. Cool.

We walked back towards our troops. Monique, one of the girls in Tess and Mila’s patrol came jogging up to us. “Luuk is worried. We are about to leave,” she announced. “John and Mark better hurry. A scout from their troop stopped by our troop to ask about them. Their bus is here.”

“We’ll see you after dinner,” I announced. Mark and I sprinted for where our troop had been. Jim Marshall, our assistant patrol leader was standing there, looking impatient.

“Mr. Smucker is pissed,” Jim announced as he pointed us towards the buses lined in the parking lot behind the beach. The three of us ran back to rejoin our troop. I expected to be chewed out. Mr. Smucker gave us a stern look and looked at his watch. As he turned away, a caught a hint of a smile as he shook his head.

After dinner Mr. Davis distributed tickets for activities for tomorrow. Phoenix Patrol received the tickets for a trip to Sydney, as we requested. Mark and I headed over to Tess and Mila’s campsite. Their patrol was heading for Sydney too. Tess, Mila, Mark and I agreed to meet at the Opera House when we got to Sydney. I warned the girls to pack their swim suits. I wanted to visit Bondi Beach. Maybe we could take a walk down to the south end of the beach again and see our girlfriend’s perky tits. That would make the day perfect.

“You asleep, John?” Mark whispered to me. I was half asleep but his question roused me.

“No,” I sighed.

“Do you think Tess will let you go all the way?” Mark asked.

“No idea,” I answered quietly.

“Mila is really into me,” Mark said. “She told me she isn’t a virgin. She’s gone all the way with a couple of her ex-boyfriends. I think she might allow me to score too. How far do you think Tess will allow you to go?”

“I hope I can get to third base,” I answered.

“Will you try for more?”

“I’m a guy,” I answered. “I’ll try for whatever I can get.”

“Did you bring protection?” Mark asked.

“This is a Boy Scout Jamboree,” I answered. “Why would I bring rubbers? I didn’t even realize there would be girls here.”

“I know,” Mark agreed. “Would you risk getting Tess preggers if you convinced her to do it?”

“I won’t get her pregnant,” I answered honestly. “I could pull out before I come.”

“If Mila allows me in her pants,” Mark added, “ ... I’ll do it. I’ll probably pull out too, if I manage it. If not ... well, by the time Mila realizes she’s knocked up, she’ll be back in the Netherlands.”

“True,” I agreed. I was surprised at Mark’s cavalier attitude about the consequences if he knocked up Mila. Could I risk that if I convinced Tess to allow me to score? “Let’s get some sleep. Reveille is too early tomorrow.”

“Yeah,” Mark agreed. “It sucks to be the service patrol.”

“Yeah, it does,” I agreed. “Good night.”

Monday, January 4, 1988

Our elaborate plans to meet up with the girls in Sydney proved unnecessary. Their patrol was in line for the buses to Sydney about a dozen people ahead of our patrol when we joined the line. Mila and Tess came back and joined us while we queued for our bus ride into the city.

The bus dropped us off in front of the Opera House. Everyone got maps of Sydney and a bus schedule. The driver said the return buses would be running from 6:00 to 8:00 PM that evening. We should make sure we were back at the Opera House pickup point by 7:30 PM. Mark and I wished our Patrol well when we took off from the rest of our group. We were expected to follow the buddy system but we didn’t need to stay with our whole patrol for the day.

Tess, Mila, Mark and I strolled downtown, window shopping for an hour in the morning. The girls did a little shopping for gifts for their family back home. Mark and I had finished that task before we arrived at the Jamboree site. Tess talked us into having lunch at a sidewalk bistro. Our bag lunches would be saved for dinner.

We took a bus from the Circular Quay, the ferry, bus and rail station not too far from the Opera House and downtown. The bus dropped us off in Bondi, about a seven-minute walk from the beach. We strolled down to the beach, each couple holding hands.

We got two surprises when we got to the beach. The beach was nearly deserted. That was surprising. A week ago the place was busy with people. The second surprise was a large sign posted on the beach, which explained why no one was around.

The sign announced, “Beach Closed. No Swimming Allowed. Strong Rip Currents in Area Today.”

“Shit!” I growled.

“Well ... this sucks,” Mark added.

“Maybe those lifeguards can suggest another beach,” Tess suggested. She made a beeline for the nearest of the two lifeguards watching over the beach.

Hey ... Sheilas, the beach is closed today,” the lifeguard said as the girls approached him. Mark and I hustled to catch up to our girls.

“I see that,” Tess agreed. “Are some of the other beaches around Sydney open today?”

“We have heavy wave action today,” the lifeguard responded. “I doubt any of the ocean front beaches will be open. Maybe some of the beaches inside the headlands will be open.”

Tess pulled a small piece of paper out of her bag. “How about Cobbler’s Beach?”

“Cobbler’s?” the lifeguard laughed. “Cobbler’s may be a fair-go [a chance]. It is inside the headlands.” He laughed again as we caught up with the girls.

“You blokes are in for a good time,” the lifeguard said, addressing Mark and me. “Give Cobbler’s a go. You blokes will have heaps of fun, even if you can’t swim.”

“Thanks so much, sir,” Tess said. “Let’s go guys. Back to the bus stop. We’ll go swimming today, one beach or another.”

As we were walking back to the bus stop, I asked, “Where did you hear about Cobbler’s Beach? I’ve never heard of it.”

“The bus driver for my troop when we toured Sydney before the Jamboree told us about it,” Tess explained.

“I think you’ll like this beach,” Mila added, grinning.

“Does it have a ... uh ... section like Thirroul Beach yesterday?” Mark asked.

“You want to see me tits again, don’t you, schatje?” Mila responded.

“Um ... yeah,” Mark admitted. “What do you mean, schatje?”

“Mijn schatje means my sweetie,” Mila explained. I grinned at Mark getting called out.

“Don’t you dare,” Tess added. “You want to see my tits too.”

“Yesterday was fun,” I said.

“Yes, it was,” Tess agreed.

We checked the bus schedule while we waited for the next bus. We rode it back to the Circular Quay, where we picked up another bus to take us out to Balmoral and Cobbler’s Beach. It was mid-afternoon before we finally hit the beach.

The bus dropped us off at a traffic circle beside the Middle Head Oval, which looked like a sports field of some sort, but an oval instead of rectangular field. A trail at the end of the parking lot took us down from the headland about a hundred feet to the bottom. We were part way there when Tess and Mila stopped us.

“You need to know one thing about Cobbler’s Beach,” Tess warned.

“It’s topless beach,” Mark said. “I understand.”

“It’s more,” Mila laughed. “It’s bottomless too.”

“Bottomless?” I stammered. “A nude beach?”

“It is ... for both guys and girls,” Tess said. “I hope you don’t mind. I looked at Mark as he looked at me. We both tried not to grin too much. Mark and I are normal teenagers. Getting naked with our girlfriends was our fondest wish. Tess just engineered a visit to a nude beach where we had to get naked with them. Sweet!

“I guess I can manage,” I replied.

“I guess,” Mark echoed, grinning from ear to ear.

We followed the girls down to the bottom of the bluff, around a hundred feet below the headland. We walked through a small patch of woods before we came out onto the beach. Cobbler’s Beach was small, compared to Bondi Beach. Bondi’s crescent was about half a mile long. Cobbler’s was much smaller and much of the horseshoe shaped bay was rocky and forbidding. Here at the center of the cove, a 125 foot stretch of sand provided access to the sea. A crescent of flat grass behind the sand doubled the width of the beach.

There were about dozen people at the beach, not surprising since we were here at mid-afternoon on a weekday. One couple was getting dressed to leave as we arrived. Everyone else was naked. We found a spot away from everyone else and spread our towels out. The girls shrugged off their bikinis casually. Mark and I looked at each other and shrugged. When in Rome ... Our swim suits dropped to the ground.

“Mmm...” Tess teased. “You look nice, John.”

“Hot is more like it, Mark,” Mila added. “What do you think of a dip in the ocean first and then we can oil up and enjoy the sun?”

We did. Putting sunscreen on most all of Tess was fun. She reserved her womanhood for herself, otherwise I had my hands all over her body. I rubbed sunscreen onto my cock. Tess did the rest of me. We lay down side-by-side to tan and enjoy the sun. Like yesterday, we ended up rolling on our sides and kissing.

“Oi, mates!” a man’s voice called. Tess and I pulled apart and turned to see a middle-aged man striding towards us. We pulled apart quickly. Mark and Mila turned to look at this naked man.

“Welcome to Cobbler’s Beach,” the man said. “I can see you Sheilas may be naturists, but you blokes certainly are new to this.” I couldn’t argue his point. Mark and I were white as sheets around our torsos. We had no way to get any tan there, until today.

“Cobbler’s Beach is a family naturist beach,” the man explained. “We do not tolerate pervs who come to gawk. We also expect beach goers to observe some decorum. A little pash ... a little kissing, no worries. Giving a gobby or copping a root is right out. Do you understand?”

“Kissing is OK,” I replied. “More is too much here on the beach.”

“Good onya,” the man said smiling. “You four enjoy this beautiful beach and have g’day.”

“Thanks for the information,” Tess added as the man turned and left us.

“What’s a gobby?” Mark asked after he was going.

“No idea,”Mila said, “ ... but you won’t be getting any of that on the beach.”

“However, in the brush off the trail down here,” Tess teased. “That might be different. Gobbies or copping a root, whatever they are, might be possible.”

We went back to making out. We kept our activities G-rated ... well maybe closer to PG-13. Making out was fine. Copping a few feels of Tess’ pert titties happened but nothing more. We alternated make-out sessions with dips in the ocean. Those were followed up with lathering on more sunscreen, which led to kissing and making out. It was a vicious but wonderful cycle.

Of course, I got boners while making out with Tess, but since we were hugging, they weren’t on display to the public. I managed to tame the boners when we stopped kissing, until the third time around. My hard-on just wouldn’t go down.

“Put a towel around your waist, John,” Tess instructed. “Follow me.” I did as I was asked. Tess led me to the trail. We followed it a little until it split. We followed the left fork, the one that didn’t lead back to the parking lot and bus stop. We headed up hill about 20 yards and then we crashed through the brush to get out of sight.

“What did you have in mind to fix my problem?” I asked.

“More kissing would be nice and then I will take care of you like yesterday,” Tess replied.

“No gobby?” I teased.

“I wonder if that is Aussie for a blow job,” Tess asked before embracing me. We kissed, ignoring her question. Embracing my naked girlfriend as we deep kissed did NOT tame my erection. It rubbed against her belly as we kissed.

I was horny as any fourteen and I was desperate to get laid. I had read enough dirty magazines to know I needed to turn Tess on if I wanted to bury my boner in her belly. I knew I should rub my boner against her slot. Many articles explained that this would make her desperate for my cock. Unfortunately, I was six inches taller than Tess and my boner was too high to rub where I wanted to rub.

We probably made out for ten minutes or so. Finally, Tess remarked, “Let’s get you off. I am hot and ready for another dip in the ocean.”

“Sure ... whatever,” I agreed. She pushed me away and kneeled on the sloping ground. She wrapped her hand around my erection and began stroking. I might have lasted a minute from her hand job before I blew a big load of jizz all over the bushes surrounding us. I wiped the last drops off on a leaf.

“Let’s go take that dip in the ocean,” Tess announced. We headed back to the beach. Mark and Mila were missing when we came back. They weren’t in the ocean either. Tess and I played in the waves and washed and cooled off in the water. I saw Mila and Mark return to the beach from the same trail we had taken earlier. My buddy, who had been making out for half an hour, had a limp, spent cock, not a boner. Mila had gotten Mark off too.

Mark and Mila joined us in the ocean when they came back. The four of us spent more time than usual in the water, enjoying what would be our last dip in the Pacific for this trip. The sun was getting lower on the horizon, so Mark checked his watch when we got back to our stuff. It was a couple minutes after six o’clock. We had to catch the bus back to the Circular Quay and the Opera House at 6:22 PM. We dried off, got dressed and hiked back up to the top of the headlands. We ate our lunches on the bus as we rode back to meet our Jamboree bus at the Opera House.

We made the 7:30 bus back to Cataract Scout Park. Tess and I cuddled as we headed back to camp. I had time to think. Could I convince Tess to permit me to do more? Where could we find more privacy? I felt sure Tess would allow me to do more, if we could find a quiet place alone to do it.

We gave Tess and Mila good night kisses at the Subcamp Four Gateway around nine o’clock that evening. The Phoenix Patrol was the service patrol tomorrow, so we wouldn’t be doing an activity with the girls. They promised to stop by sometime between meals to talk.

The rest of the Phoenix Patrol caught a later bus back from Sydney. Mark and I were relaxing at our table when Neil Dunn, our assistant senior patrol leader (ASPL) returned. He was escorting a cute Aussie girl. The two hugged and did a good night kiss at our troop’s gateway. It was much too intimate for the location. I was happy for Neil. He was a seventeen-year-old Scout from Carlisle and a good guy. He seemed to have found himself a girlfriend too.

A possible answer to where I could find privacy with Tess revealed itself later that evening. Mike McLean, our patrol leader, was chatting with the rest of us after they returned from Sydney.

“You guys hear about Neil?” Mike asked.

“He’s got an Aussie girlfriend,” Mark said.

“He gave her a good night tonsillectomy tonight,” I teased.

“Rumor has it that a kiss is not all he gave her,” Mike retorted. “I heard he took her down the Adventure Trail and screwed her brains out.”

“No way,” Tim Flowers said. “There are way too many people using that trail. No way you could hook up with a girl there.”

“You know that fork in the trail after you pass the entrance to the obstacle course?” Mike asked.

“Yeah, the one that doesn’t go anywhere,” Tim answered.

“Right ... the deserted trail that doesn’t go anywhere,” Mike responded with a knowing grin.

“I heard about that trail too,” Charlie Lombardo agreed. “It’s the place to go if you want to hook-up with a girl.”

I looked at Mark and he stared at me. We both smiled. We would ask Tess and Mila to take a walk with us down that trail when we got the opportunity. Maybe after some kissing and petting, we could get further, given some privacy.

With everyone from Phoenix Patrol present, Mike reviewed our duties for tomorrow when we were the Service Patrol. We had to get up at 5:45 AM to begin breakfast. Mike expected us to be done with breakfast and cleanup by 9:00 AM. We might get a little free time during the day, if we were efficient at preparing and cleaning up our meals.

Tuesday, January 5, 1988 – Late Morning, Troop 403 Campsite

“Hey, guys!” Tess called out. John and Mark looked up from their card game under the dining fly. “Can we come in?”

“Sure,” Mark called back, grinning widely. “Be our guests.”

The girls gave Mark and me hugs and quick kisses on the cheek.

“I thought you were doing activities today.” I remarked.

“After lunch,” Tess replied. “We have tickets for archery. Can you two get away from camp for an hour? I bet you can still get tickets, if you want to come too.”

“That’s cool,” Mark agreed.

“We will have to talk to our patrol leader,” I added. “We shouldn’t be busy, right after lunch.”

“Hey, Mike, can John and I get an hour off after lunch?” Mark called out to our patrol leader.

“No biggie,” Mike replied. “Take a couple hours, as long as you are back by four. I need all hands to make dinner for the troop tonight. We have five guests in addition to feeding the troop.”

“You got it, Mike,” Mark and I both promised.

Mila, Mark, Tess and I hung out and played cards and talked until lunch time. The girls ate with us. Mr. Davis, our 1st Assistant Scoutmaster, secured two archery tickets, so Mark and I could accompany Tess and Mila that afternoon. Archery tickets were easy to get.

We were heading out to the activity area when Mr. Smucker called out, “Hats, guys! You need your hats.” Mark and I hustled back to our tent for our head protection. I had the foresight to buy an Aussie slouch hat when we were at the straw market in Melbourne. Mark was stuck wearing the pumpkin colored floppy hat the Jambo organizers gave every participant.

Tess and I and Mark and Mila held hands as we walked down the road to the activity area. The archery range had a short line, so we got to have our fun without the usual long wait for our turn. Shooting was fun. It was more fun with Tess sharing the experience with me. We finished around 1:30 PM, so we had two and a half hours to kill before we had to be back at camp to make the troop’s dinner.

“Do you mind swinging by our campsite?” I asked. “I forgot something I may need.”

“Sure,” Tess agreed. The two couples walked back to Subcamp Four with arms around each other’s backs. “What do you want to do after we stop by your camp?”

“I thought maybe we could take a hike,” I offered. I took a deep breath before adding. “I thought it might be nice to head down the Adventure Trail towards the lake.” I was afraid that Tess would shoot my idea down. That trail was known among Scouts at the Jamboree. That is where couples went when they wanted privacy.