Podcasts about Adirondack

This week I'm diving in to discuss one of the most anxiety-provoking stretch of trail in the Adirondack High Peaks—the Saddleback Cliffs.I'll give you the info you need to know and dissolve the overwhelm so you can be successful climbing this notorious High PeakJoin the next GREAT RANGE ATHLETE Team and get in mountain-hiking shape in just 6 weeks from your local gym or your house. Learn more HEREFollow on Instagram & Facebook:@46of46podcast@jamesappleton46Get my books:1.) The Adirondack 46 in 18 Hikes: The Complete Guide to Hiking the High Peaks 2.) Adirondack Campfire Stories: Tales and Folklore from Inside the Blue LineLooking for custom help to improve your both your fitness for hiking, disicpline, and daily habits? Work with James 1-on-1 to become fit for the trail and llife. Book a free strategy call with James to learn more about his 1-on-1 coaching program, SEEK TO DO MORE at www.seektodomore.com Visit my other websites:www.46OUTDOORS.comwww.46OF46.com

(Aug 26, 2025) The DEC is in its second year of an experimental motorized wheelchair program at one of the Adirondacks' most historic sites. We follow one of the first users as he tests the device along the trail into Great Camp Santanoni. Also: Senator Kirsten Gillibrand was in Saranac Lake yesterday to push for scientific research funding for the Trudeau Institute.

Throwing it back to a fan-favorite episode. A race on trail on foot and on the road via car. This is the race to loj Join the next GREAT RANGE ATHLETE Team and get in mountain-hiking shape in just 6 weeks from your local gym or your house. Learn more HEREFollow on Instagram & Facebook:@46of46podcast@jamesappleton46Get my books:1.) The Adirondack 46 in 18 Hikes: The Complete Guide to Hiking the High Peaks 2.) Adirondack Campfire Stories: Tales and Folklore from Inside the Blue LineLooking for custom help to improve your both your fitness for hiking, disicpline, and daily habits? Work with James 1-on-1 to become fit for the trail and llife. Book a free strategy call with James to learn more about his 1-on-1 coaching program, SEEK TO DO MORE at www.seektodomore.com Visit my other websites:www.46OUTDOORS.comwww.46OF46.com

(Aug 22, 2025) A group of hundreds of North Country doctors and medical leaders is trying to figure out what can be done locally to minimize steep cuts to Medicaid; a former candidate for New York's 21st Congressional District plans to run for Assembly next year; after a month long closure, one of the Adirondacks' longest scenic train rides in back in service; NYS officials say they have strict rules in place meant to protect illegal immigrants who may be visiting the New York State Fair; and, Adirondack trail conditions and a visit to Camelot Island on the Canadian side of the Thousand Islands.

Adirondack hunter Guy Swears joins Brian, Mark, and Austin to talk about his decades of experience still-hunting and tracking bucks in the Adirondack mountains. Learn more about hunting deer, moose and more in the Big Woods, find informative articles and the best wool and gear at https://www.bigwoodsbucks.com Minus33 wool base layers and socks: https://alnk.to/aLIUpax Seek Outside Tents: Use code "BWB10" for 10% off of your order at this link https://alnk.to/biuxP3W Big woods land and camps for sale: www.landandcamps.com Grayl water filter: https://alnk.to/4MBtYKl Save 20% on your OnX subscription with code ‘BWB' https://www.onxmaps.com/hunt Hal and the Big Woods Bucks Team's Gear: https://www.bigwoodsbucks.com/Wool Hal's knife: Buck Knife 102: https://alnk.to/eDRDphL  

(Aug 15, 2025) We visit the man who owns a well known caboose on Route 11 between Canton and Potsdam; Plattsburgh is getting a new 24/7 crisis center to close a gap in local behavioral health services; New York lawmakers say the state should cancel plans to send taxpayer rebate checks with the state facing a big budget deficit; National Grid customers will soon see a higher electricity bill after the state Public Service Commission approved a rate hike; and, Adirondack trail conditions and what's up with those pesky deer flies?

(Aug 13, 2025) In the small community of Inlet, a passionate volunteer gardener has spearheaded the effort to turn a former elementary school field into a thriving community garden; the town of Canton is preparing residents for a townwide reassessment; and we speak with artist Nancy Brossard ahead of the Adirondack Plein Air Festival, which will take place next week.

In this episode I return to the mountain that started it all for me—Ampersand Mountain.A story of life transformation 7 years in the making. Join the next GREAT RANGE ATHLETE Team and get in mountain-hiking shape in just 6 weeks from your local gym or your house. Learn more HEREFollow on Instagram & Facebook:@46of46podcast@jamesappleton46Get my books:1.) The Adirondack 46 in 18 Hikes: The Complete Guide to Hiking the High Peaks 2.) Adirondack Campfire Stories: Tales and Folklore from Inside the Blue LineLooking for custom help to improve your both your fitness for hiking, disicpline, and daily habits? Work with James 1-on-1 to become fit for the trail and llife. Book a free strategy call with James to learn more about his 1-on-1 coaching program, SEEK TO DO MORE at www.seektodomore.com Visit my other websites:www.46OUTDOORS.comwww.46OF46.com

What does it look like to organize in areas outside of the urban 'norm'? Cam Cardinale is the president of the queer advocacy group Lower Adirondack Pride, and he shares the crucial role that such advocacy plays in supporting his community. To find out even more, you can visit https://www.loweradkpride.org/ , or contact them at info@loweradkpride.org .

In this episode, native Vermont hunter Erick Erickson sits down with Austin, Brian, and Bob to talk about his early days hunting Vermont and Maine, and about how his move to New York opened up the world of Adirondack big woods he now explores. He also talks about his experiences in the Catskills, the Midwest, and hunting out west for elk, and how all of these experiences helped him hone his skills with remote hot tent hunting. Learn more about hunting deer, moose and more in the Big Woods, find informative articles and the best wool and gear at https://www.bigwoodsbucks.com Minus33 wool base layers and socks: https://alnk.to/aLIUpax  Seek Outside Tents: Use code "BWB10" for 10% off of your order at this link https://alnk.to/biuxP3W  Big woods land and camps for sale: www.landandcamps.com  Grayl water filter: https://alnk.to/4MBtYKl  Save 20% on your OnX subscription with code ‘BWB' https://www.onxmaps.com/hunt  Hal and the Big Woods Bucks Team's Gear: https://www.bigwoodsbucks.com/Wool Hal's knife: Buck Knife 102: https://alnk.to/eDRDphL

August 5, 2025- New Yorkers will get a chance this fall to bring the expansion and operation of the Mount Van Hoevenberg Olympic Sports complex in compliance with the state Constitution, while also expanding the footprint of the Adirondack preserve. We hear the case for the constitutional referendum from John Sheehan, director of communication for the Adirondack Council.

Assine a Brasil Paralelo: https://sitebp.la/bp-rasta-news ___________ SEXTA-FEIRA, ÀS 20:00 - Rasta News As velhas notícias de sempre, com um humor nunca dantes visto na história deste país, apresentado pelo Rasta, com o melhor do seu entendimento.

Assine a Brasil Paralelo: https://sitebp.la/bp-rasta-news ___________ SEXTA-FEIRA, ÀS 20:00 - Rasta News As velhas notícias de sempre, com um humor nunca dantes visto na história deste país, apresentado pelo Rasta, com o melhor do seu entendimento.

Anyone in pursuit of a big goal or in the middle of a long training cycle needs to listen to this episode. Along with hosts Sarah Bowen Shea and Amanda Loudin, four women who are halfway to achieving their goal—including a half-marathon in every state or running all the World Marathon Majors—share: -how they dreamed up their goal; -their approach to ticking off milestones along the way; -the joys and stand-out memories from their pursuits; -how they maintain their motivation; and, -how they see themselves reaching the “finish line.”  Instead of intro chitchat, co-host Amanda acts as a guest, telling tales of summitting 24 of the Adirondack's 46 highest peaks. Join our Lake Placid retreat.    When you shop our sponsors, you help AMR.We appreciate your—and their—support! Run 'round Portland! Use code AMR20 for $20 off registration at portlandmarathon.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ready for a story of persevering in the mountains? Then you'll enjoy this episode from my recent hike in the Lower Great Range with the recently graduated Great Range Athlete WOLFJAW teamJoin the next GREAT RANGE ATHLETE Team and get in mountain-hiking shape in just 6 weeks from your local gym or your house. Learn more HEREFollow on Instagram & Facebook:@46of46podcast@jamesappleton46Get my books:1.) The Adirondack 46 in 18 Hikes: The Complete Guide to Hiking the High Peaks 2.) Adirondack Campfire Stories: Tales and Folklore from Inside the Blue LineLooking for custom help to improve your both your fitness for hiking, disicpline, and daily habits? Work with James 1-on-1 to become fit for the trail and llife. Book a free strategy call with James to learn more about his 1-on-1 coaching program, SEEK TO DO MORE at www.seektodomore.com Visit my other websites:www.46OUTDOORS.comwww.46OF46.com

The Blue Mountain Center is an artist's refuge in the Adirondack with a focus on social justice. They're looking for new interns--Willa Ferrer speaks with Khin and Marrow about the BMC, what they do, and their internship program.

On this episode of The Bigfoot Report, we bring you another previously recorded episode from 2021. Wayne sat down with Jeremiah from New York State to discuss his experiences in the Adirondack mountains. If you would like to be a guest on The Bigfoot Report and share your encounter with Sasquatch or other Cryptids, email either wayne@paranormalworldproductions.com or tiffany@paranormalworldproductions.com https://youtube.com/@thebigfootreports?si=dvSe-l8Ice5JKhVbhttps://www.tiktok.com/@thebigfootreport?_t=ZP-8vYdWzwa9de&_r=1https://www.instagram.com/the_bigfoot_report?igsh=MW1ndTJzOXp3MDhldQ%3D%3D&utm_source=qrBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-bigfoot-report--5016307/support.

Quaranteam-Northwest: Part 8 Summer Plans Based on a post by Break The Bar. Listen to the ► Podcast at Explicit Novels.  At dinner I checked in with Ivy first, then Vanessa when she had finished for the day and joined us. I also made a point of stopping to check in with Dani to see what she was thinking about her new co-team members, who she thought would work out fine, and Kyla. "I think she's a lot quieter than the rest of us," Dani told me as we sat side by side near Leo's RV. "Which isn't a bad thing, obviously. She isn't as used to being around girls like us though. Erica worked with strippers because of her job, along with all sorts of other crazy people, so it's whatever for her. Kyla obviously isn't used to how open we all are about sex things." I pressed my lips together and nodded, watching her as she sat in a group with Erica, Vanessa and Aria chatting. She was obviously engaged, but didn't offer much to the conversation and seemed happy to listen. "Anything else?" I asked. "Anything weird come up?" "No. Should I be watching for something?" Danielle asked. "No, no," I assured her. "I just; Erica, Ivy, Vanessa; it's working. It's crazy, but it's working. I'm worried about Kyla messing that up." "It should be fine," Dani said, patting me on the shoulder. "Erica will Mom them into shape if things get out of whack, and if she's the problem you can just spank her until she apologizes." That made me snort and shake my head with a grin. "You and her talk too much." "Or maybe we don't talk enough," Dani grinned. We folded ourselves back into the larger conversations, me joining the group with Kyla while Dani went to sit with Leo, India and Ivy. As the sun was setting we busted out the fire pit and Vanessa pointed me towards the nearest brush piles I could harvest some wood from; it seemed she'd handily directed some of her workers to pile it within easy walking distance. Then, once the fire was crackling and we all had our drinks of choice, we told the new women our story. We started with Leo and I, then how Erica had joined us for quarantine. We both teased her about hearing her masturbating, which until that moment she hadn't realized had been the case and made her blush. Then we talked about the land lease, the construction, and the introduction of Dani, Vanessa, and Ivy. Vanessa told us how fucking crazy she thought we were at first, but after that first night around the fire she'd realized something weird but special was going on so she stopped judging and started getting a little jealous. Then Ivy told her perspective, stepping into a life with Erica and me. Then we had to tell the story of Vanessa joining us, which got rushed over really quickly and then had to be retold because even Dani hadn't gotten all the details. I'd purposefully sat beside Kyla around the fire, Erica taking the spot on the other side of me. As India and Aria started ragging on Vanessa for not giving them the full story in the initial car ride when they met her, Kyla leaned over to me. "Can we talk? In private?" "Sure," I said, nodding towards our RV. I leaned back in the other direction to Erica and kissed her cheek, and she met my eye and nodded. Inside the RV Kyla had taken the Murphey seat this time so I sat on the bench opposite her. "You still feeling alright?" I asked her. "No," she laughed. Inside, in the more steady light of the RV, I could see she was flushed even with her slightly darker Filipina skin. "I feel like I've got a fever, but it's concentrated in all my erogenous zones. I don't even like women but that story about Vanessa has me..." She blew out a long breath. "I don't know how much more sex talk I can take before I snap." "I can ask them to stop if you want. Or we can have that conversation if you think you're ready." "I'm; Yeah, I'm ready to talk," she said. She took another deep breath and sat up straighter, putting her hands on her knees like she was trying to focus herself. "You can ask anything you want, and I'll try to answer," I promised her. "I don't have questions," she said. "Well, I actually have lots of questions, but they aren't important right this second. Seeing you with Erica and Ivy, and meeting Vanessa. Hearing the way Leo and Danielle talk about you. I think I know what I'd be getting into if I do this with you. And to be honest, it sounds pretty greater considering the other options that the world seems to be moving toward right now. But I never want to be someone who just takes the easy thing because it's in front of them. I know a lot about you now, but you don't know much about me. And I'll tell you, pretty much anything you want to know, but there's something I need to know if you're Okay with. More than my past, more than whatever your government is worried about." "The only way to know is to ask," I said, trying not to let my own nerves out. Kyla, who had been steady throughout the day, was showing signs of anxiety amidst her hard pressure to keep herself under control. "If I don't like it, we can try and find someone else as soon as possible." "I don't want,” She bit her tongue, cutting herself off, and took a breath. "Harrison. If I do this, if I imprint on you, this is my out. I've been doing everything my father wanted since I was a kid. The only escape I ever had was through dance, and even that he took control of to make sure I was getting the best lessons and tutors and going to the best camps and schools. And even then, he and NICA used it as well. My entire life I've been pushed and trained and taught and used because I didn't matter and my country and my service did. I want a new life, Harri. But I want that life the way I want it. I want a big family. I was an only child, and my parents tolerated each other at best in a political marriage. I want six kids at least, more if we can. Fuck, I'll pop out an even dozen and be happy. Or maybe not, maybe I'll be happy earlier than that, but I know I want a lot of kids to love on and raise in a big, supportive family. "If you can handle that, and if Erica can handle that because I know she's going to need to agree to it too, then I swear to God I'll be loyal to you and only to you. My father, NICA, my country; I can leave them all behind and in the dust if you can promise me we'll try to make my dream life happen. And I promise I'll be the best, hottest housewife I can be for as long as you can keep me barefoot and pregnant. I'll make sure I'm fit and tight and everything I can be for you in between pregnancies, but God I want this, Harri. I've never told anyone this before, but I want it so fucking bad." I didn't know what to say. She was practically sobbing in her earnest desire for what she was asking. I just slid down to my knees on the floor of the RV and wrapped my arms around her and Kyla clutched at me as she panted hard. Not crying, but desperately trying to control herself. "Kyla, I would be an extremely lucky man if I can give that all to you," I said. "And I want to tell you yes right away, but you're right. I do need to check with Erica first. Do you want me to call her in to ask her now?" She hesitated a moment, then nodded and sat back on the chair, sucking in a deep and unsteady breath. I stood up and opened the RV door, sticking my head out. All three of my women looked over to me and I made what I hoped was a reassuring smile, then locked eyes with Erica and motioned her over with a head jerk. She joined us, shutting the RV door behind her. "What's up?" she asked. "Everything Okay?" I looked at Kyla. "Do you want me to ask, or you?" "I; You," she said after hesitating. I turned to Erica and reached out, holding her hand. "So, I know we had our conversation earlier, but I didn't realize this was coming or maybe we would have talked about it more seriously. Kyla is ready to join us, but she has an ask. Because of her own family past, one thing she wants more than anything is to have kids. A whole bunch of them. So she wants to know if you and I are Okay with that and willing for that to happen, or if we should try to find her someone else who can help her get the life she wants." Erica's eyes had widened as I was speaking and her jaw worked a few times before she could find the right words. Then she turned to Kyla and looked at her for a long, long moment before putting a hand on her shoulder. "That's the most important thing for you?" she asked quietly. Kyla nodded, then looked up to meet Erica's gaze. "More than anything else. And I want to do that with Harrison; God, I haven't even known him a day but it's like I can see it right there in front of me. He'd make a great husband and an even better father. I just know he's yours more than either of the others, and I couldn't risk saying yes to him without you saying yes to this." "God, fuck," Erica sighed, and I realized she was tearing up as well. She looked to me. "Yes, obviously, if it's what she needs then yes. But I guess now I need to stop taking the pill because I'm not just gonna sit by and not be in the running for the first mother of your child." Now it was my turn to be surprised. "But we just,” She kissed me to shut me up. "It doesn't matter," she said. "I love you, you love me. If the world implodes and we're all shot off into space, I still won't regret making a kid with you." She turned to Kyla. "Are you going to love him?" "I'm going to try," she said. "And I'll work harder at it than my parents ever did." "Then yes," Erica said. "But, and I'll only ever say this once and you need to listen to me closely, if this isn't the truth and you hurt Harrison or me or anyone else here then I swear to everything in heaven and hell that I will end you. Do we understand each other?" Kyla nodded, taking her seriously. "I do, and I won't." "Okay," Erica said, and leaned down and kissed her on the forehead. "You clearly need a fuck, so unless you've suddenly turned Bi then I should leave you to it." She turned to me and kissed me hard, and I hugged her to keep her close. "You're sure?" I asked her in a whisper. She nodded. "Rock her world, babe. Show her why she's one of the four luckiest women on the planet." She kissed my cheek, squeezed my fingers in hers, and then stepped away and out of the RV. Kyla looked like she was going to jump out of her seat. "So,” I started. Kyla stood up abruptly and grabbed me by the face, smashing her plush lips to mine. I naturally grabbed her by the waist as we started making out right there in the middle of the RV. She'd been wearing that bulky coverall the entire day and now she started to scramble to try and get it unzipped and off at the same time as trying to get me to get my shirt off, which just turned into an awkward mess of her hands moving back and forth between us. "Stop, stop," I murmured, pulling my lips from hers. She actually whined a little in her throat and then blinked in surprise at her own reaction. I picked her up and she wrapped her legs around my waist as I carried her back towards the bed. Like this, she was taller than me and she bent down to kiss me some more, making it hard for me to navigate. Thankfully it was a straight shot, and there wasn't a lip at the door to the bedroom area that I needed to duck under or step over. I found the bed with my shin and stopped and lowered her down onto it so we lay somewhere in the middle, me on top of her as we kept making out. Once we were done I pulled away and tugged off my shirt. "Fuck," she groaned, looking at me hungrily. "Not what you're used to?" I asked. She shook her head. "No, so much better." She raised her hands to my stomach and up to my chest, letting her fingers play through my chest hair. I couldn't help myself and I reached down and unzipped the coverall down to her belly button. Underneath, all she had on was a set of black bra and panties. On the one hand, I was starting to get mesmerized by her body very quickly, but on the other, I remembered in the back of my mind that she hadn't arrived with any luggage. I lifted her from under her arms and she let me help her pull the coveralls off, then raised her ass so I could pull them from her legs as well. I crashed back down onto her, now feeling her smooth skin on mine. Her body was everything I would have expected from a dancer; smooth and sleek all over, with toned muscling and a sort of feline grace as she moved around. "Where; are; your clothes; and things?" I asked between kisses. "They said; they would bring; them up; from Cali,” she replied. Then she stopped the kissing and looked up at me. "Seriously, I've got this fucking craving for your cock right now like I can't believe, Harri. I need you to fuck me so fucking bad." "Okay," I said, and then kissed her again as I reached under her to unsnap her bra. When she realized what I wanted she didn't even bother with the snap, she just yanked the black cups off her tits and the whole thing over her head. Her tits were a perfect size for my big hands to palm, a bit bigger than Ivy's but much smaller than Erica's, and her dark brown areolas were smooth and a little puffy, with two perfect nubs for nipples. I sucked on one, feeling how hard they were, but she was stretching to try and get my shorts off of me. She needed the imprinting. We could always explore each other more in the future. I leaned away from her, one hand still on her tit and holding her down, as I shoved down my shorts and boxers. For her part, she pushed her panties down to her knees and I pulled them the rest of the way off. Her cunt was a gorgeous brown, flushed darker than the skin above and slick with her chemically-induced horniness. Even her clit hood was a little pulled back, the softer pink of her clit just visible from being swollen. She was entirely bare, and I wondered if that was a personal choice or a seduction tactic she'd been told to follow. Not that I cared at the moment. I wanted to eat her out and taste her. I wanted to make this last, to wow her like Erica had said. Fuck, let's be real, I wanted to impress the seductive honey trap spy with my sex skills. "Fuck my brains out," Kyla demanded. "Fuck me until I can only ever think of you. Take me and make me yours, you fucking massive wall of American god." I could impress her later. Her cunt accepted my cock like a perfectly tailored suit. I slid in, and even though she was tight and her muscles were firm as hell as they clenched at me she was also extremely willing. That changed when I was almost all the way in though, but not from want of trying. Kyla came, her entire body rolling and arching as her cunt clenched down enough to almost start forcing my cock out. She grabbed me around the shoulder and hugged herself up, clinging to me, and her hips roiled as she thrust hard up and down. Her eyes were squeezed shut, her lips curled in an ugly snarl for a long moment, until the orgasm passed and she let go of me, falling a couple of inches back to the bed with a 'whumph.' "H-Holy fuck," she panted, looking up at me in confusion. "What was that? That,” She blinked rapidly. "Did no one tell you about the first orgasm?" I asked her. She shook her head, still blinking like she was trying to gain her focus. "Fuck me and tell me," she said. I started to slow-thrust, enjoying the delicious warmth of her as I leaned down a bit more, pressing my full body against hers as she spread her legs wider for me. "They told Erica in the information session that she should expect a massive orgasm the first time she ingested a man's precum, and the biggest one of her life when they ingest their actual cum." "She got an information session?" Kyla panted, looking slightly alarmed. "You didn't?" I asked, equally alarmed. We'd both stopped thrusting at each other, not sure what to do. "Fuck it, fucking fuck me," she said and rolled her body to get my cock deeper inside her again. I wasn't going to argue with that. We fucked like that, mutually, for a bit and then I took some more control and went up high on my hands for better leverage and started to fuck her harder. Kyla moaned and panted beneath me, then raised her lips up and sucked on one of my nipples, which was an oddly pleasurable surprise, and then she took some of my hairy pec muscle between her teeth and bit me lightly as she came again. "Ow," I said when she dropped back to the bed again. "Sorry," she panted. "I just; you're really fucking good." Huh, maybe I can impress the spy, I thought. "I'm getting closer," I told her. I'd had... well, not the most amount of sex I'd had in a day, but a bunch, so I wasn't entirely surprised I was lasting as long as I was. "Do you want to try something else?" "I want to try everything with you," she gasped and kissed me. "But... let me..." I disengaged with her, which made her moan like a whore, and she scrambled around on the bed until she was at the bottom corner on her back. Then she spread her legs wide into a full split, and then even wider until she had one leg practically parallel with her torso and the other was way out to the other side. If she was a clock, she would have been showing 10 o'clock. "Fuck me hard. Use my hole," she said, licking her lips. "Get your cock back inside; yes! Oh, fuck, Harrison. Make my cunt fucking squirm. Make your cunt squirm. It's yours now. I'm yours. My whole body. Fuck! I've never felt it like this before. I've never felt anything like this." I was crushing down into her in big, hard strokes and I could feel her cunt squishing with her juices and my balls slapping against her ass cheeks. I was hovering over her and a bead of sweat had trailed down to the end of my nose. Kyla opened her mouth and stuck her tongue out, licking it off of me. I lowered the rest of the way to her and kissed her hard, then hugged her tightly as I started pumping short and quick, barely leaving her cunt. "I can't wait to fall in love with you," I whispered to her. "I can't wait to make babies with you, and start a family." "Do it," she gasped. "Put a baby in me. Make my womb yours forever. Breed me, make me your breeding wife-whore. Love me, may-ari. Oh, fucking; that's what you are, you beautiful big bastard. You're my may-ari. My owner. I choose you. I choose; I,” I couldn't have stopped from coming in her if my life depended on it. She was pushing towards her own orgasm already, and her years of dance and other physical activity had turned her core into a vice that sucked at my cock like a hoover. I came as she lost her grip on her words, chanting about choosing me. She came as well, a scream quenched in her throat as her entire body flexed and tensed. I filled her up, releasing over and over in her, but I finished before she did and just went right back to fucking her since my cock hadn't gone soft yet and she was still coming. I only stopped when she went slack, her legs falling back to a more natural position, and her face went from that clenched teeth-gritting tension to a soft, satisfied smile. "Imprinting. Imprinting. Imprinting." I pulled away from her slowly, making sure she wasn't going to fall from the bed, and found that the entire bottom corner and the edge of the mattress were wet and sticky with juices. Along with my legs, crotch and hips. "Great, another squirter," I sighed. Not that I actually minded, but it just meant we'd be doing even more laundry in the tiny machine the RV held. I stood and, once I felt like I could be coordinated enough, I picked Kyla up in a cradle and lifted her higher on the bed and tucked her in. She was in the fetal position, still mumbling the imprinting sequence with that smile. I had to grab a new pair of shorts since mine had ended up in the splash zone, and I didn't bother putting on a shirt but did wipe myself down with some wet paper towel. Stumbling out of the RV, I was greeted by catcalls and applause. Looking around, the fire was still going and someone had stocked it higher with wood. Erica, Dani and Vanessa were all sitting in the Adirondack chairs, and Ivy was sitting curled up in Erica's lap. "Where are Leo and the girls?" I asked, trying my best not to let them show the embarrassment I knew they were going for with their teasing. "Aria and India were going to fuck, and invited Leo to watch," Dani smirked. "So I assume he's in there either jerking off, or fucking." "I don't need to picture that," Erica rolled her eyes. I stepped over and kissed Vanessa as she leaned her head back and reached up to hug me around the neck. Then I slipped around the circle to Ivy and Erica and kissed both of them. Dani opened her arms to me as well, so I hugged her and she kissed my cheek. "Congrats," she said as I pulled away. "Pops." "Oh, God," I groaned and looked at Erica. "You told them?" "Was I supposed to keep it a secret?" she countered. "I needed to talk it out with someone." Vanessa had stood from her chair and gestured for me to take her seat and went inside the RV, coming back out with some more beers. She passed them around and then sat on my lap similar to the way Ivy was with Erica. We sat that way for a while talking as the night sky played out above us. I'd always loved looking up at the sky out on the property, away from any major sources of light pollution. Now spotlights were lighting up the construction area a hundred yards away, where men and women were working through the night. The view was dimmed, and I wondered if it would ever be as clear again as it had been a month ago. Dani slipped off to bed first, and Vanessa grumbled that she had to be up in the morning for work so the rest of us went quickly. We never had discussed the sleeping arrangements, so I ended up sleeping next to Kyla, with Erica pressing her back to my side and holding my arm under her and around her stomach, with Vanessa spooning up to her and Ivy on the end on her back, snuggled partially under Vanessa. I knocked on the door and set the two big brown paper bags down on the stoop and backed away. The house wasn't 'old' per se, located in a neighborhood that had been developed almost twenty-five years ago, and hadn't been updated since it was first built. To be fair, there hadn't ever exactly been a housing boom in the area, so other than the one-off builds it was probably one of the newest places around. The inner front door opened and Mary looked out cautiously, then in surprise as she saw me. She hadn't texted me like I'd asked her to, and it had almost been a week since I'd seen her in the parking lot at the grocery store. She looked a little better, though not by much, and I wondered how far she'd been able to stretch that $70 I'd been able to give her then. "Harri?" she asked in surprise. "Hey, Mary," I said with a little wave. "How did you; Is this;?" "It wasn't that hard, Mary," I said. "I just made a couple of calls. You never texted me." "I know, I,” she hesitated, and then hung her head. "I was so embarrassed." "You don't need to be," I told her. "You're in a tough spot, and I'm not. I want to help out." "Mom? Who's at the door?" came a little voice from inside. A boy poked his head around Mary's hip, looking cute and curious. "It's an old friend of Mommies," Mary said. "He's just here to say hello." "Hey there buddy," I said, smiling as I pulled my mask down and waved, then let the mask snap back up and played like it had rocked me. The kid giggled. "My name is Harrison, but everyone calls me Harri on account of my big beard and hair." "That's a funny name," the kid said. "If you got rid of your beard, what would they call you?" "Hmm, that's a good question!" I said. "I don't know. Maybe you should ask your Mom, she knew me when I didn't have a beard." "We still called him Harri, baby," Mary said, smiling down at the boy and running her fingers through his hair. The kid had keen eyes and noticed the bags on the stoop and the food inside. "Is that for us?" "It is, kiddo," I said. "Could you help your Mom get it inside?" "Sure!" he said. Mary sighed and opened the screen door for him, and the kid came out in his socks and hefted up one of the bags and started carrying it in. "Harri, you don't need to,” "I made sure there are some snacks for the kids in there," I said, pretending like she hadn't been talking. "I know they aren't nutritious, but I figured you can bribe some good behavior for some Oreos and stuff every once in a while. There's also a bottle of merlot in that other one there, so you may not want the kiddo to lift it. He's a cute kid, by the way. I've got an order in down at the butcher's that I'm supposed to pick up tomorrow, so I'll be by sometime tomorrow afternoon with some meat for you guys too. Maybe I can meet your little girl then? Charlie, right?" Mary looked like she was about to cry, and I didn't want to push her over the edge so I tried to make it all like it wasn't a big deal. "Alright, Mary. See you tomorrow. Let me know if you need anything specific and I'll see what I can do, alright? Tell the kiddo not to eat all the gummy worms at once." I was halfway down the driveway to my truck when the screen door opened again. "Harri," Mary called. I looked back and she was standing on the porch, looking at me with tears brimming in her eyes and a happy frown on her face. From this distance, without a mask, I could still see her as the little button-nosed cheerleader I'd known. "Thank you." I just winked and waved, heading back to my truck. "That was really kind of you," Kyla said as I got in. "It's nothing," I said. "I knew her in high school and her husband's been missing for a while." Kyla took one of my hands from the steering wheel and wrapped her fingers in mine, looking at it. The casual intimacy was still new; the first couple days after her imprinting had been us feeling each other out, and her getting comfortable with the general openness to sex that was our new life. I'd made it a point to spend time with her, both sexually and non-sexually, each day and we were slowly starting to find a soft groove. "That's still kindness, Harri," she said. "You're sure she needs it? I don't want to see you getting taken advantage of." "I'm sure," I said. "Okay," Kyla nodded. "Then we'll help her. Now, let's continue this tour. I want to know everything I can about this little podunk, backwoods town I've been shipped off to." "Well, the first thing you should know is that I'm pretty sure it isn't big enough to be considered a town. Maybe a village?" "Oh, God," she laughed. "Not if you consider all the construction workers moving in." "True. I bet we're close to half-againing the local population at this point. Vanessa said we'll hit a thousand by the end of the week." "With that many," Kyla said. "We should have our house in, what, a few months?" "No idea," I said. "No fucking idea." "Fuck, it's already June," I groaned. It was hot as balls and I was regretting putting on my 'go out into the world' getup. "How did you miss the 1st?" Erica asked, also done up in her gear. "How did we miss Memorial Day?" I countered. "Oh, shit," Leo said, standing up from where he'd been sitting over near his RV. "You're right, we did miss Memorial Day. Should we do something?" "Like what?" I asked. "We could throw a party," Ivy suggested. "We could all dress up fancy and have a dance?" The surveyors had been needing Leo and me less and less lately and I was starting to get a little twitchy with how little I had to do. Quarantine before all of this really kicked off had been one thing, but now we didn't even have our big wide backyard to ourselves. When Erica had mentioned that she wanted to take a drive into Portland to pick up some things from the tattoo parlor and check her apartment I'd jumped on the chance and we'd made the plan. The girls were already starting to excitedly talk about planning our late Memorial Day celebration as I stretched and sighed, checking my watch. We'd been planning to leave right after lunch and it was already 3pm. Vanessa had taken an extended break since she'd worked late the night before and we'd had some one-on-one fun in the RV, which had been sorely needed for her. Where the rest of us were struggling to find things to keep busy and motivated, the last week had seen more and more responsibility and work landing in Vanessa's lap as the construction crews started to show up and move into the barracks. It meant there was an entirely new crew of cleaners, maintenance workers and delivery people under her supervision along with her 'gorillas.' Not to mention her wrangling of the other foremen and administrators on-site as her father handled the top-end details of the job. Every day it seemed like new equipment and supplies were being delivered and a third barracks was quickly being erected as even more hands were around. But an hour with Vanessa had delayed us, and when I was finally ready to go Dani was busy with Leo over at their place, and since she was coming with us Erica and I had to wait. Then Erica and Kyla were ensconced in a private conversation in our RV when Dani emerged ready to go, so we lost another half hour before the three of us were all finally dressed and prepped to leave. "Okay," I said loudly, trying to cut through the multiple party-related conversations. "We're all agreed we'll do a Memorial Day thing, but we're burning daylight. Erica and Dani, let's go." We took my truck, only needing one vehicle since we weren't hauling a ton of stuff like the last time. As we pulled around the site offices I spotted Vanessa walking with one of the other foremen in conversation and gave her a little double honk. She smiled and waved. Driving down the old driveway path there were now a half dozen wide offshoots winding off into the trees and closer to the highway there were big swathes of ground that had been cleared and were starting to get flattened by scrapers and excavators. Vanessa had mentioned that we'd end up with a couple of strip malls worth of stores to help provide for the eventual community; a convenience store, a clinic, a dentist, that sort of thing. Right at the end of the driveway a guard hut had been erected, little more than a fancy roadside fruit stall that could barely fit two people inside. I pulled up next to it and Erica rolled down the window. "Hey Patrick," I said, waving to the construction worker manning the booth and tracking the ins and outs. "Hey folks," the older guy said with a grin. He was supposed to be on the road crews but had arrived earlier than needed. I'd asked him once if standing in the guard booth all day working a clipboard was boring and he assured me that after three decades manning a 'Slow/Stop' sign in the middle of roads through sun, rain and sleet, the booth and the clipboard were welcome. "We'll be out for a few hours," I said. "Sounds good," he replied and made a note on his clipboard. Then he wiped at his eyes and cleared his throat, blinking. "Y'all didn't say anything about how bad the pollen got up here. I think my allergies are kicking up and I didn't bring any of my meds, I thought the North West was supposed to be wet." "It usually is. We'll pick you something up," Erica offered. "We need to stop at a pharmacy anyways." "We do?" I asked. "We do," Erica said, patting me on the knee. "Hah," Patrick laughed. "And here I thought you was some sort of Big Dog, Harri. But you're as whipped by your women as the rest of us." "See you in a bit, Patrick," I said. He waved us off, then covered his mouth to cough a little. "Poor guy," Dani said. "I'd hate if I had allergies like that." "We'll get him fixed up," I said as I pulled onto the highway and started heading in the direction of Portland. "It's been weirdly dry and hot so I'm betting the dust from the brush cutting is doing it to him." And I didn't think anything more of it. Erica unlocked the metal grate that pulled down over the front of the tattoo parlor and lifted it up on the rollers enough to uncover the door. The good news was that the whole thing with the 'Autonomous Zone' seemed to have burned itself out and Portland was no longer hosting big protests at the moment. The bad news was that only happened after a week of riots and several news-worthy moments of violence and vandalism. Thankfully the parlor wasn't on one of the major routes the riots had travelled down and there didn't seem to be any damage other than sprayed graffiti on the grate and some of the glass windows behind it. I'd pulled my truck right up over the curb and parked us as close as possible. The streets were as empty of people moving around as the last time we'd come into the city, except there was more trash. I'd seen old newsreels of when there had been major strikes in New York City back in the early 80s and it wasn't exactly that bad, but another couple of weeks and it might get there. Someone must have been doing collections, they were just overburdened or understaffed or something. I had to nudge a pile out of the way with the front of my truck to wedge into the open space, but it almost immediately proved worth it as a trio of ambulances came burning down the street with their lights running. If I'd parked on the street one of them would have needed to swerve out of the way and who knew if those extra seconds would be the difference between life or death for someone; not to mention the potential of the ambulance not swerving fast enough and clipping my truck. Inside the tattoo parlor Erica went straight to her bay and started unhooking and gathering her equipment. Dani was looking around at the place, grinning as she examined the wild decor. She would call out questions to Erica, who would tell her who had done what mural, or the brief story behind the broken surfboard hanging from the ceiling and the skateboard deck covered in almost a hundred different signatures. I spotted a photo on the wall and realized it was of Erica and all of her staff at the most recent DragonCon where they had put up a booth and done live tattooing. Erica had said beforehand she thought it might be a waste of time, but the owner of the parlor was a huge nerd and wanted to do it so it was her job to organize. I never had found out how it went, but she looked happy in the photo. I grabbed the frame from the wall and brought it over to her. "Do you want to bring this, too?" I asked. She glanced at it and paused her work, then smiled and hugged me. "That's sweet, Harri. Yes, absolutely." She took the frame and put it in one of the boxes we'd brought for her to carry stuff, then turned to me. "Hey, could you just empty all those drawers there into the boxes? Don't just dump them, but there isn't anything particularly fragile. It's mostly inks and cleaner solutions and stuff." "Sure," I said. "Thanks, babe," she said and kissed my cheek. "Dani and I are just going to slip through to next door." "Oh, God," I groaned. I hadn't realized that was her plan. "Don't worry," she grinned. "It'll all be fun for you, I promise." The owner of the tattoo parlor also owned the sex shop next door and had installed a door between the two since the clientele crossed over fairly consistently. Erica led Dani through the door, opening it with her key, and I could hear them laughing and giggling. By the time I was done with the drawers Erica had pointed out, placing what seemed like hundreds of little vials and bottles of inks and other liquids into the boxes along with some other art supplies, they hadn't come back. I went to the door and opened it, looking in. Erica glanced over, grinning as she held another box and Dani was placing something inside. "You want any porn, babe?" "What do I need porn for?" I asked. "I dunno," she said. "Variety?" "Ooh, this one is called 'Big Black Booties 15,'" Dani said, grabbing a DVD from a nearby shelf and waving it at me. "You don't have that kind of variety yet, Harri." I snorted and shook my head. "I'm perfectly happy with the booties at my disposal, thank you." Dani shrugged and put the DVD in the box. "I'll see if Leo wants it." "Gag!" Erica laughed, making them both start giggling. I had a feeling that was a running joke between them. "How are we paying for this stuff?" I asked. "Everything is turned off and we don't have any cash." "Artie told me I could Venmo him at a 75% discount," Erica said. "Plus anything with an expiry date I could have for free. So we've got a lot of lube now, along with a bunch of penis-shaped candy and some candy underwear." I sighed and shook my head. "Oh my God, we should take her with us," Dani said, pointing up on a high shelf where a creepily lifelike sex doll was sitting. "I think you mean rescue her," Erica said. "Harri, help me get her down." "Really?" I asked. "Yes," they both demanded. When we packed up the truck we had two boxes of Erica's tattoo gear and other possessions from the shop, another full box of Sex Shop stuff, and Dani was sitting in the back next to 'Sexy Susan' who had also happened to get dressed in a sexy nurse costume. They thought it was fucking hilarious, I just thought 'Sexy Susan' was a little creepy. Dani stayed down in the truck, taking the front seat as I pointed out that the 1911 was in its case under the passenger seat if she needed it, while Erica and I headed up to her apartment. The elevator had an 'out of order' sign on it, and Erica had to use her key to the building to get into the stairwell which she said she'd never had to do before. That was an immediate red flag to me, but I kept my cool to try and not worry her. "You know," Erica said as we climbed the stairs. All our sex cardio seemed to be paying off because we weren't puffing from the exertion yet. "You haven't officially asked me to move in yet." "What?' I asked. "Leo and I,” "That wasn't asking me to move in permanently," Erica cut me off. "That was just for quarantine." I rolled my eyes, knowing where she was going with this. At the next floor I grabbed her by the waist and pulled her to me, pulling down my mask and hers and kissing her hard and deep. "Erica Lacosta, will you move in with me forever and ever?" I asked her. "Yes," she grinned. "Yes, I will." She kissed me lightly to seal it, then sighed and we raised our masks and started climbing more stairs. "With that out of the way, I should really try and find a way out of my lease. Just because you have money doesn't mean I should be wasting mine on a place I'm not ever planning on moving back into." "I'll help with some research," I said. "I know there's all the clamor about halting eviction notices, but maybe there's something that will help. I could text Miriam, see if Captain Bloomberg knows anything offhand." "Hmm, maybe,” Erica started, but stopped as we reached her floor and found that door locked as well. "What the fuck?" she sighed and unlocked it. "Let me go first," I said. "Why? It's just..." As we entered the corridor Erica trailed off, seeing the tracks of dirty footprints in the hall and the spray paint on the walls. She immediately started to move forward, but I grabbed her arm and stopped her. "Wait," I said. "Look." I pointed at the big circles on the walls next to each door, but she clearly didn't understand what I was pointing out. "Those are FEMA search and rescue marks." Erica blinked once and was obviously unsure of what to say. "Let's just take it slow," I said. We walked down the hallway. Some of the doors were shut, but others looked like they'd been kicked in. "What do they mean?" Erica asked me, looking at the circles and the scribbles of letters and numbers on the walls. Each circle had an X dividing it into four parts, and each quadrant was marked. "The top part is the date the location was searched," I said. "5-24 means it happened May 24th, so a little over a week and a half ago. The left side is who did the search, the numbers are probably a military code for a National Guard unit. If it said PPD that would be the Portland police, or CDC or DEA or whoever. The right side is if there are any hazards." I pointed to one of the doors that were kicked in. "NE means 'No Entry.'" Then I pointed to another. "F/W means there's contaminated food and water." I pointed at another door, this one wasn't kicked in. "A 0 means no hazards. "What are the bottom parts?" Erica asked. I frowned and swallowed. "The crossed 0 means no one found. DB or DOA means dead bodies. LB means live people are, or were, inside." Erica looked at the carnage of the corridor, her eyes scanning the doors of her neighbors as she weighed the number of DBs. There weren't many 0s, but about half of the apartments were labelled LB and hadn't been kicked open. Half. We got to Erica's place around the hall corner, passing the old lady Diane's door. It was kicked in and labelled NE, DB. Erica poked the door with her boot and it swung in. Inside, other than the dirty boot prints, it looked generally neat and tidy... other than the pool of dark something that had dried on the kitchen linoleum. I grabbed Erica and held her as she gasped and her knees went weak. I pulled her away from the door and she saw that her own apartment had also been kicked in, but was labelled 0 hazards and 0 bodies. We went in and she sat down on the couch, burying her head in her hands. Kneeling in front of her, I cradled her head on my shoulder and hugged her tightly as the reality of the world settled on her. She cried, though not as long as she probably needed, as I talked her through what had probably happened. Enough people had gotten sick and called emergency services that they came to do a sweep of the building. They knocked on every door, and anywhere someone didn't answer they kicked it in. Then I assumed they had extracted the bodies. "I need to get out of here," Erica breathed. "Okay," I said. "Do you need me to grab anything? Did we forget anything last time?" "No, nothing," she shook her head. "Just get me out of here." I picked her up and carried her out. Erica wasn't Ivy or Vanessa, or even Kyla. She was a full-figured woman. But I carried her every fucking step, down every stair. She stopped me right at the doors to the building and had me let her down. "I don't want Dani to see me like this," she said. "Why?" I asked. "She would understand." "I know," she said, blinking under her ski goggles. "But if she sees me like this, she'll start thinking about what might be happening back home for her, and she doesn't need that." I held Erica's hand at the door for another minute as she breathed deeply and got control of herself, and finally she smiled at me and it actually travelled up to her eyes. "Thanks, babe," she said. "Love you," I said. "You too," she said and touched her forehead to mine since we were both masked and goggled. "Hey, Charlie," I grinned, waving to the little four-year-old as she sprawled in Mary's arms and waved back with her little grin. "Hi," she chirped. "Okay," Mary said, setting her daughter down. "Scoot, you. Let Mommy talk with Harri for a second. Go see what your brother is doing." "Okay," Charlie said and pounded off in the way only a four-year-old could. "You're looking more like yourself, Mary," I said. I was standing off the porch and we kept the screen door closed, but I had my mask lowered so she could see my face. She smiled softly and shrugged. "I don't feel like it, but thanks." "How are the kids doing?" I asked. "Well, I regret letting them eat sugar again," she smirked a little. "But they're good. Better than me, anyways, though Thomas misses his friends from school and keeps asking when he can go back to class." She laughed and wiped under one eye. "He used to hate going to school every morning, now it's all he wants to do." "We'll get there eventually," I assured her. "What about you? How are you doing?"

Quaranteam-Northwest: Part 6 Lab Results and Quarantines Based on a post by Break The Bar. Listen to the ► Podcast at Explicit Novels.   The Docs signed off, leaving me alone in the little meeting room again. Not knowing when I would be able to leave, I decided to try and fall back on one of my old military instincts; sleep when you can. So I got comfortable in the chair, closed my eyes, and let myself drift into a fitful, not-quite-soothing sleep. "Harri," someone said, and I woke with a start as my shoulder was touched. "Urm," I grunted, and sniffed in a breath as I blinked rapidly and looked around. I was still in the room, and Miriam was smiling at me. She was dressed in fatigues here in the military office complex instead of her service dress blues and her hair was up in a standard military bun hidden beneath the standard issue cap. "Just like a grunt to take any reason for a nap," she grinned at me. "Come on. We can talk in my office." I stood, yawned and stretched, feeling something pop in my back and my shoulder from the uncomfortable position I'd been in. "Lead the way, Lieutenant Colonel," I said. She rolled her eyes at me a little but didn't say anything, just opening the door and walking through. I followed her back into that hallway where Brent had clocked me. He wasn't in the waiting room at the end of the hall. "Is Brent,” I started to ask. "He's waiting on another floor," Miriam said. "Refuses to leave until he sees his daughter is alright. It's making operations slow down over at the construction site, but I can't blame him." "Neither can I," I said, touching the tenderness of my black eye. Miriam led me through several very plain corridors lined with doors. None of them had windows to see in, and most had nameplate mounts but lacked names, and instead were labelled with numbers. It struck me as secretive, and that meant I was probably in the Air Force part of the building and not the Vaccine Test Center part. If they were trying to make people feel at ease joining an experimental program, these plain walls and doors forming a maze were not the way to do it. Confounding an enemy trying to sneak through this part of the building, though? It was perfect. I followed Miriam until she stopped at a seemingly random door and opened it, leading me into a large office. It had a large bank of windows, but extra-heavy curtains had been hung over them and were drawn shut to the point I wondered if they were nailed in place. One wall was entirely covered in a whiteboard with all sorts of coded writing on it. There were two desks in the room; the main desk was scattered with papers and a computer terminal, with a plush office chair tucked in behind it. The second desk had more stuff on it, but in neater piles, and Captain Bloomberg was sitting behind it at work. She glanced up at us as we entered and gave me a slightly judgmental look, before going back to the printout she was reading. The rest of the office space was dominated by file shelving units, a gun safe, and a leather couch that looked uncomfortable but was probably soft as hell. "Captain, could you give us five?" Miriam asked. "Of course, Ma'am," she nodded, set down the papers face-down and stepped around her desk to the door. She shot Miriam a quick look, and Miriam gave her one back, and the Captain left. If I had to guess it was to do with the fact that the office was probably full of classified material and information and the Captain was silently reminding her superior officer not to let me poke around or leave me alone in there. "Sit, please," Miriam sighed once the door was closed and we were alone, gesturing at the couch. I did, instantly sinking into it, and she sat on the other end and turned to me. "So, now that we know it's not life-threatening, you feel ready to get teased yet?" I snorted a little and scratched at my beard. "It's still a little raw," I admitted. "Just like how you fucked her?" Miriam asked with a grin. "Sorry, that's the only one." I shook my head and chuckled. There were few kinds of people who could be as morbidly crude and insulting, and mean it in the best way, as a military friend. "Seriously, Harri," she said. "I got a briefing on it. She's fine, you're fine. No one is in trouble." "Tell that to her father," I said. "And I can't blame him for probably wanting to kill me." "Yeah, well, tough shit for him," Miriam said. "We've expanded his Need to Know status and gave him some more info on the vaccine to calm him down. He's not happy, but he's not worried anymore. Seriously though, did you have to go and fuck my lead civilian contractor's daughter?" "We were friendly with her," I said, and let out a long breath. "Erica said she thought Vanessa might be a little interested. I don't think either of us expected her to show up on our proverbial doorstep and ask for a foursome." "I always did think Erica was a smart woman after we met," Miriam said. "Though I figured you'd lost a few brain cells since you weren't dating her at the time." "There's a whole story behind that," I said, waving her off. "I'm sure there is," Miriam smiled. "Doesn't mean it's a good excuse though." "Well, Vanessa seems to think you have a crush on me after she met you for all of two minutes," I shot back at her. Miriam flushed for a moment but didn't look away from me, still in command in her own office. "Vanessa might have been doing a bit of projecting," she said. "I'm not into hillbillies with bushy beards and big guts." "Ouch," I laughed, holding my stomach. Sure, I wasn't in the peak physical form I'd been in coming out of the military, but I hadn't gone that soft. Miriam and I continued to chat and laugh for a few more minutes until the Captain came back and then Miriam let me borrow some sound-cancelling headphones and hang out on their couch while they were working. They had food ordered in and Miriam and I ate dinner together while Captain Bloomberg ate as she kept working at her desk. It wasn't until I noticed that the faint bit of light leaking around the edges of the curtains was dimming that it had been a long day and I hadn't been able to contact Erica and Ivy. I asked Miriam if I could have my phone back just to update them, and she and the Captain had to discuss it for a long moment before they decided they could probably do the texting for me, but for security protocols I couldn't be given control of the phone. When my phone powered on it took a long moment for it to connect to service, and then it started buzzing like crazy and a bunch of messages came in. Miriam was holding it, and her eyes went a little wide as the message notification scrolled by. "Um," she said. "Well, it looks like you and your partners are... happy together." "Oh no," I groaned. "What did they send?" "Well, you have a whole bunch of messages from Brent Peters chewing you out, so there's that," Miriam said. "But, uh, well, there are photos from your partners." "Sorry," I shrugged, once again finding my face heating up at the exposure of my sex life. "It's fine," Miriam said. "It was my idea to do the texting anyways." She tapped around on the phone for a moment. "Alright, I'll just say 'Harri isn't allowed to use his phone right now. This is Miriam Abarbanel. He is fine, no trouble. Vanessa is also fine and healthy. They will return tomorrow.'" "That's fine," I said with a nod. I would have liked to tell them more, and that I loved them. And that they shouldn't have been trying to send me whatever scandalous photos they had considering I was in military custody at the moment. Miriam hit send and a minute later another text came through and she opened it, immediately rolling her eyes and setting my phone down. "What?" I asked. "Erica sent another photo, and I think it was for me," she said. "What? Really?" I asked. Miriam opened the photo again and turned my phone around to show me. Erica and Ivy were both sunbathing in the chairs, topless. The third Adirondack had a name tag written on a piece of paper and taped to the back of the chair that red 'Vanessa.' Beside it, they had put out another lawn chair and had quickly put another nametag on it that said 'Miriam.' I couldn't help the little snort of laughter that came out of me, and I covered my mouth to try and stop from giggling a bit. "I'm sorry," I said. Miriam laughed once and set my phone down. "You know, Erica is the right kind of trouble for you I think," she said. "You haven't spent enough time with Ivy," I countered. "That girl is mischievous. I bet the Vanessa one was Erica's idea to try and cheer her up, and the other one was Ivy." "If you've got any pictures from that Danielle woman, I wouldn't mind checking those out," Captain Bloomberg said from over at her desk. "Laura," Miriam said, a little shocked. "What? I told you when we first saw her, that woman could turn a bigoted granny gay," Laura said. "That's fair," Miriam said thoughtfully. "Hey, no arguments from me," I said. Miriam and the Captain ended up finishing their work days, though Miriam told me that she was on call 24/7 anyways and they stayed in apartments lower in the building. She offered to try and find me a free one to rest overnight, but I asked her if I could see Vanessa and stay in whatever medical room she was in. I didn't want her to wake up from the process and be alone. This started a silent conversation of sharp looks between Miriam and Laura, until Laura sighed. "She's not alone. Her father hasn't left her side since we let him see her. This is... let's call it a legal grey area at the moment. Technically you're not even extended family, so he would get precedent on deciding who can be there," she said. "But under the circumstances of the Vaccine imprinting, there's been some debate going around the legal circles of what constitutes a civil union. The matter's still up in the air, but there's a case to be made that you and she are now more intimately connected than she and her father. So I guess the question is do you want to push the issue?" "Oh, fuck," I groaned, and had to massage the bridge of my nose. "On the one hand, yes I want to see her. On the other, Brent deserves to be pissed at me and worried about her. Can I just talk to him?" "Honestly, Harri," Miriam said. "I think you should probably leave that whole conversation to Vanessa and how she wants to have it. Doesn't matter how much you defend yourself, you're still the guy that fucked that man's daughter in a pretty... degenerate seems too strong, but pervy is too weak. Anyways, you fucking her like that brought her here, and he's now aware that she's going to be intimately connected to you for a while." I puffed out my cheeks and let the air blow out slowly, unsure of what to do. "I can try talking to him," Laura offered. "But honestly, I don't know if it would do any good." "It's fine," I finally conceded. "He can be there, just find me another room where I can crash, and let me know when she's awake?" "I'll leave a standing order with the nurses," Miriam nodded. So, as Miriam and Laura finished up for the day, they sent for the night sentry who patrolled the floor and let him know I would be in the staff break room and was allowed to eat out of the cupboards and use the washrooms. Once the airman was gone Laura excused herself and left me with Miriam. "It was nice having you around, Harri," she grinned, dropping her command facade again. She put her hand on my upper arm and grinned, giving me a wink. "And I was joking when I called you fat." "Yeah, well, you really hurt my feelings," I fake-cried, making her laugh. "I'll see you tomorrow before you leave, alright? And I still expect that beer next time I'm up at the site," she said and gave me a peck on the cheek. "You got it," I said, and pecked her back. "And thank you for all of this today, by the way." "Happy to help," she said, and then escorted me to the room where I would spend the next seven hours. The sentry woke me up around four in the morning. I had Cheeto dust on my shirt and fingers, the bag I'd found in the staff room cupboard almost empty and crumpled up on my chest. "Sir, I've been asked to bring you down to the medical wing," he said. "Fuck," I said, blinking awake and standing up. "Uh, give me a second." I went into the men's washroom and quickly washed my hands and my face, and tried to get myself straightened out. Looking in the mirror, I could tell that I'd been running on empty for a bit, but I didn't look as bad as I might have if I hadn't been getting in some light napping at least. The airman brought me to the elevator and punched a button for about a dozen floors down, and when we stepped off of it, it was clear that we were in a more public-facing area, though the number of armed airmen on guard was actually higher. The floor was still quiet, this early in the morning, and generally featured a lot more stuff. There were glass panes and windows everywhere and the place looked like what I would picture a medical bay would in a not-too-distant future medical show. There were a few nurses around, but most of the rooms and beds were empty. We passed by one room that was sealed up with a little yellow light near the handle flashing 'Quarantine Active.' That got me gulping and moving. We turned a corner and I saw her. Vanessa was sitting up in a hospital bed, an IV drip hooked in to one arm. She was in a hospital gown and didn't have any of her usual makeup on, so she looked... sick wasn't the right word. She looked different enough that I noticed it, but it was like seeing Erica without her makeup that first time. It was different but I liked seeing the natural her. "Vanessa, I'm,” I started, but then she threw a magazine at my head. "Harri, I swear to God if you try and apologize to me, I'll throw another one," Vanessa said. She had a stack of a few of them on a little rolling bedside stand, where she also had a tray from a shitty cafeteria meal. "You look good, Vee," I said, changing my mind. She blushed and smiled. "No, I don't. Liar." "Okay, you look as good as someone in a hospital bed can," I said. "Come sit, Harri," she said, shifting herself in the bed and patting beside her. I did, and she took my hand in one of hers and lifted the other to brush a finger against my bruised eye. "The night nurse told me what happened when I woke up." I opened my mouth to apologize again but remembered what she'd said and clicked it shut. She smirked and squeezed my fingers. "Good, you're learning." "So you're not pissed off?" I asked. Vanessa leaned her head back on the pillows propping her up, taking a deep breath. "Maybe at the world, a little. But at you? Or Erica and Ivy? No. I went in there knowing what I was asking for, and you told me the risk. I decided getting off with you three was worth it." She broke into a small smile. "And from what I remember, it was pretty fantastic." "It was," I chuckled. "I mean, wild and filthy, but fantastic." She was looking at me, searching my face for something. I couldn't tell if she found it or not. "I spoke to my Dad. He told me he decked you pretty good but I wasn't expecting a full-on shiner." "He definitely got me," I said, touching my eye. "Wasn't as bad as I felt I deserved." "Yeah, well I told him if he does it again I'll deck him," she said. "And that if he tries to take any revenge on you, he's just punishing me." "Does that mean what I think it means?" I asked. She brought my hand up to her chest and put it over her heart. "Harri, I'm stuck with you no matter what at this point, but if you guys will have me I'd like to move into your crammed RV life. I thought you and Erica were cool since we met, and we know we're sexually compatible. The way I see it, I can either fight this thing just for the sake of fighting, or I can get on board the Harrison train and enjoy the ride." "Vanessa, I; God, I wish I had my phone right now," I said. "There's a picture the girls sent that you'll want to see." Vanessa rolled her eyes and her smile grew. "Oh, I got several pictures," Vanessa said. "I've already seen them. Why don't you have your phone?" "I was up on a secure floor," I said. "Lieutenant Colonel Abarbanel was actually the one to see them when she helped me message back that we were Okay." "Then you have some surprises waiting for you I think," Vanessa grinned. "But for now, you're all mine." She pulled me towards her and guided me into a kiss. Then she whispered into my lips as our noses rubbed against each other. "Pull the privacy screen around us." "Here? Really?" I asked. "My nurse actually encouraged it," Vanessa said. "She said we just need to try and keep it down." I stood up and went to the curtain built into the rolling track around Vanessa's bed and pulled it around us, blocking out the rest of the room, and the hallway beyond the glass observation doors. When I turned back to her, Vanessa was shrugging out of her hospital gown, her cute little tits jiggling. I kicked off my shoes and got up on the hospital bed with her, picking her up a bit and sliding her down into a laying position and tucking my head down to suck on one of her nipples. "Oh, Harri," she crooned, her hand running through my hair. Her nipples got hard quickly as I played my tongue over them, feeling the little boob around it tug and pull as I moved around. I popped off and raised my lips to hers again, giving her a kiss. "I didn't get to spend that much time telling you how beautiful and sexy I think you are," I said between kisses. "Harri, you don't need to lie," she said. "My boobs are tiny. I'm used to; Ah, fuck!" I cut her off by grabbing the tit I hadn't sucked on, squeezing it hard enough to make her hiss a little bit. I'd seen she liked a little rough pawing and play during the foursome, so I used it now to make a point. "If you ever tell me these aren't perfect, I'll spank you so hard you'll have my handprint on your ass for a week." "Fuck, Harri; Fuck," she groaned as I let my grip on her tit loosen, and then bent down and took that nipple into my mouth as well. "Fine. You like my tits. I believe you." "Don't just believe me," I said. "Vanessa, you said you thought Erica and I were cool when we first met. Well, I thought you were fascinating. This gorgeous, tough woman who knew how to take charge and make things happen. Beautiful from head to toe even when you were trying to downplay it for work. Now, you're going to lay back so that I can explore every inch of your gorgeous, perfect body." She looked like she was somewhere between beaming happily and crying, but she nodded. I started back up at her lips and kissed around her jaw and down her neck to her collar bone. Then down to her chest, where I teased her nipples some more, rolling one between my fingers while I tongued and lightly nibbled on the other. Once they were both standing proud and weren't about to go down, I helped her pull the hospital gown off until it was hanging from the arm with the IV in it, revealing the rest of her body to me. I kissed down her stomach to her bellybutton and pressed my forehead against her, kissing her fit stomach softly, then moving lower. I got to the point between her belly button and her mound where her scar was, and the Strength tattoo. I took my time there, kissing it, and tracing my finger along the letters of the tattoo. I turned back to look up at her face and she was pensive, staring at me with this worried look like I was going to change my mind about her. "Perfect," I told her again, "And strong as hell." My lips went further, down onto her mound where a smattering of hairs were poking out. She'd obviously shaved herself in the past, but not as recently as I bet she would have liked. But I didn't care, and I kissed along the stubble of her pubic hair, letting it play against my lips as my beard played against her skin. She spread her legs for me, and I slipped around on the bed so I was laying between them on my stomach, looking up at her. "Do you want me to do this here?" I asked her. "Harri, I want your cock inside me like nothing else," she said. "We'll get there," I grinned, and began to explore her cunt with my lips and tongue. I took my time, softly kissing and licking, searching every nook and cranny of her outer and inner labia. Then I did it again, sucking a little harder, nibbling just a touch, finding the sweet spots that made her legs quiver or her breath catch in a hiccup or gasp. Then I went deeper, peeling her open with my fingers to see the soft pink of her hole, and tasted and teased her. She mewled for me, clawing at the bed. I kept needing to move her leg back as it came up and wanted to curl in towards me until I just planted my hand on her thigh and pushed her open, holding her leg wide. Then I did the same to the other leg, pushing them back further, and I slowly licked from her hole up her lips to her clit hood, teasing the tip of my tongue under it before pushing it back with my upper lip and prodding her clit softly. "Making me... ugh!" Vanessa grunted with a girlish tone, gasping for air. I did it again and watched as another little orgasm rolled through her, her cunt flexing as her abdominal muscles clenched. Moving lower I kissed the inner curve of her ass cheek and looked up from between her legs to meet her gaze. She watched me, a little surprised, as I practically buried my nose in her cunt so that I could drive my tongue against her asshole. Her brow furrowed as I did it, and one eye twtiched as I teased the outer ring, then centered on it and nudged the tip of my tongue a little deeper. "Not here," she gasped suddenly, and I stopped. "I; not here," she said again. "Okay," I said, moving up from her ass and kissing the crook of her thigh. "Just like that?" she asked. "What kind of guys have you been seeing that don't stop when you say no?" I asked back. She blinked. "The kind who don't eat ass, and rarely eat cunt," she said. "So the wrong kind." "Then let me ask you; what do you want me to do now?" She closed her eyes and blew out a long breath through pursed lips, before opening them. "Get your pants off and fuck me while we make out. I want to feel you on top of me." I grinned and slipped off the bed, undoing my belt and kicking my pants off. I was already hard, and she was wet from my exploratory oral, so I got back up on the bed and got over her in a standard missionary position. "Like this?" I asked her. She reached down and got my cock in position, and wrapped a leg around my waist and ass to pull me into her. "Like this," she said with a grin as I slowly penetrated deeper into her. Vanessa was hot and clenched my cock in a rippling sensation as I drove in, slowly fucking into her until I was buried to my root. She grabbed my beard in her hand and pulled me into a kiss as we stayed still and connected. "Ow," I muttered into the kiss. "Sorry," she laughed, releasing my beard. "It's fine," I said and kissed her deeply. We made out, our tongues doing more work than my cock for a long moment, until we started grinding against each other. The rhythm built up slowly, less a pounding than a sensuous back and forth that felt more like dancing. Well, the best kind of dancing where my cock was inside of a beautiful woman. Our kiss broke as we panted against each other. "More," she gasped. "More what?" "More weight," she said. "I want to feel you." I lowered myself from my elbows, letting my body press down against hers like a too-heavy weighted blanket. "Umm," she groaned somewhere at the back of her throat. Her body felt tense under mine, but slowly loosened. I kissed the side of her neck, and she ran the heel of her foot down my leg and then back up to my butt. The soft whoosh of the glass door opening outside of the privacy curtain made us both stop moving. "Vanessa, you good in there?" asked a woman. "Yep," she said. "So good. Perfect." There was a long moment of silence, and then, "Oh. Sorry for interrupting. If you and Mr. Black can finish up, your Father was hoping to see you. I can stall him for ten minutes?" "Thanks," Vanessa called back, biting her lips. Two soft footsteps and the door whooshed again, settling closed. "Oh my God," Vanessa groaned. "I can do a lot in ten minutes," I said with a grin. "No, we have less than that," she sighed. "I need to get cleaned up and dressed first, and you need to be out of here before he gets here. But first I need you to fuck me hard and fast and give me your cum." So that's what I did. I raised up higher again to gain the leverage I needed and I started pounding into her with hard, steady strokes. Vanessa gasped, and soon we were back in that rolling rhythm of our hips except it was way more fucking than dancing. Our eyes never left each other, and when I went in for another kiss she bit my lip as she started to come. That pushed me towards my own edge, and I got myself there by reaching down and strumming my thumb against her clit just as she was coming down, pushing her right back into a second wave of orgasm as her body clenched and I released. "Fuck," I growled, thrusting my hips forward and emptying my balls into her. "Fuck, Vanessa!" She arched her back, silently screaming before she exhaled hard and released the tension. We both lay there panting for a long moment. "I really want to fuck you again," I said. "Right now. I'm still hard as a rock for you." "I can feel that, you fucking caveman," Vanessa laughed, cock drunk for the moment. "But I need to clean up and you need to go." "One more thing," I said, and kissed her again. I got my clothes on first and then helped her find and put on her pants. She hadn't worn underwear when she had come to visit us the morning before when this whole thing kicked off, so now she was going to be leaking my cum into her jeans. Her shirt was there as well, but she was still hooked up to the IV, which meant I had to leave the room and send a nurse to help her. I stopped at the edge of the privacy curtain, looking back at her. "Go," she motioned to me. "I'm not leaving. You can see my tits any time you want." Maybe I was cunt drunk, but I wanted to tell her I loved her. I just grinned and blew her a kiss and a wink before slipping out. Once she couldn't see me, I shook my head. I thought orgasms were supposed to give you post-nut clarity, I thought. I almost blurted that out, and no matter how compatible we were sexually I knew that wasn't the right thing to say at the moment. I found the nurse, who went to help Vanessa, while another one brought me back to the elevator where I was met by the night sentry again. He brought me back up to the waiting room I'd been in before, and I flopped onto the couch. "Harri. Harri, we need to stop meeting like this," Miriam said, and I blinked awake again as she was standing over me and smirking. "Fuck," I grunted. "What time is it?" "Just past 0600," she said. "We've got a couple of cars ready to drive you back home." "A couple?" I frowned. "Brent left earlier in his own vehicle," Miriam said. "But we're sending you back with two more partners for your friend Leo. I already spoke with Vanessa and she said she wanted to ride with them to try and help them stay calm through their vaccination." I closed my eyes again as I parsed what she was saying. "Okay, hold on. Leo is getting two new partners?" "From what I red they are a bisexual couple who wanted to stay together," Miriam said. I wiped the sleep from my eyes and sucked in a big breath through my nose. "Well, at least mine isn't the only RV that's going to be packed to the gills." Miriam brought me down to the underground garage for the building and handed my phone back to me. Two black SUV were idling, the windows all tinted to the point that I couldn't see a single thing inside including the drivers. I turned back to Miriam. "Just another day?" I asked her. "Hell no," she smirked. "You, Harrison Black, as the biggest pain in my ass since I took this posting." Then she pulled me into a hug. "But I wouldn't change a God damn thing about it. I'll see you once our on-site office is up and running." "I'm looking forward to it," I said, giving her a squeeze back. "Lieutenant Colonel." "That's Miriam to you, soldier," she said, pulling back with a smirk and kissing me on the cheek. The elevator bingled and I was shocked, or really mildly surprised, to see Agent Sourpuss leading two women bundled up in hooded jumpsuits with masks on. Sourpuss took one look at me and sneered, directing the two women to the front SUV and climbing in with them. "What was that about?" I asked. "Oh, she's pissed off because she keeps getting seconded to us for transportation detail," Miriam said. "I have no idea why, but she isn't happy about it." "No; Technically I'm pretty sure that was my fault, actually. But I meant the whole bundled up get up." "First, why am I not surprised you're a pain in the ass for other people as well? And second, it's new protocols coming up from California and the first testing area. I guess there have been some questions around whether vaccinated but unbonded women could contract or become carriers for the virus. It's the latest back and forth between the scientists." "Speaking of which," I said. "I know why I don't need to be all bundled up, but why don't you? Are you imprinted on someone?" "Me? No," Miriam said. "Not yet, anyway. I'll do it when they push the order out, for now we're still technically in the testing phase for a bit longer. Everyone who leaves the building and re-enters without being vaccinated is getting blood tested and quarantined; it sucks, but it leaves us able to work functionally instead of talking to each other through hazmat suits." The elevator bingled again, and this time it was Vanessa who stepped out as a sentry gestured her towards the front SUV. She saw me immediately and veered off course, coming to me. I wrapped her up in a hug and noticed Miriam giving me a hard-to-read look. "Hey," I said to Vanessa. "I hear you're playing therapy animal for Leo's new partners." "They asked me to," Vanessa said. "From what I understand, the nurses don't think the woman who is supposed to be doing it does a very good job at calming nerves." Miriam snorted a little but covered it with a cough, looking at me. "Well, I feel like I'm missing out on some more alone time with you, but I understand why," I said. "Do me a favor and try and feel them out a bit, see what they're like." "I will," she smirked and went on her tiptoes to give me a peck on the lips. "They're going to be our neighbors, after all." "Yes they are," I grinned and patted her butt. "See you at home?" "Fuck. Home," Vanessa said, backing away from me. "I haven't had one of those in a while. It's gonna be weird." She turned and strode to the SUV and got in the back. "That one might be trouble," Miriam said. "They're all trouble," I laughed. "See you sooner than later?" "Sooner than later," she grinned and winked. I went to the back SUV, which was apparently my personal chauffeur for the sole reason that Agent Sourpuss couldn't find an ounce of empathy in her. Hopefully there's a partition between the front and the back, I thought. I can check those pictures Erica and Ivy were sending me. When I opened the back door of the SUV to get in I had to stop. "Ah," I said. "That explains a lot." I slid in and shut the door. "Agent Grierson." The craggy-faced Agent smirked and nodded. "Harrison. When I heard there was an anomalous vaccination issue, I decided to check it out and lo and behold, it's my favorite redneck." "Did you just come to check-in, or are you looking to offload some more government cash on me?" I asked. The SUVs started moving, pulling out of the garage and into downtown Portland. "Kid, you know I don't need to come to see you to check in," he said. "And I don't have the time to just come shoot the shit, no matter how much I'd enjoy a good fuckin' day off once in a while. I'm here to ask a favor." "Well now you're just being coy," I said. "You know that I know you didn't have to let that lease thing through instead of a flat purchase, so you've got me cornered." "Well, the good news is that I'm not asking you to do anything underhanded," Grierson said. "I noticed you've recently taken on a security consulting contract and your clearance has been restored. I'm going to open it up a little bit more here, if that's alright with you." "Playful, then coy, then asking my permission? Jesus fuck, what are you about to ask me to do?" "Alright, kid. Here's the deal," Grierson sighed. "Sometime in the next few days you're going to get a new partner delivered to you. What I need you to do is keep an eye on her. She's the daughter of the Ambassador from the Philippines, and officially we've run her through the Oracle matching system as a diplomatic courtesy. What no one else knows, including people in that building we just left, is that her Oracle results didn't matter. I'm placing her with you, and scattering a few other Filipino nationals in safe little corners of the country, as a deal with the NICA." "Wait, that's the..." I had to wrack my brain going back to my Military Police training. "Isn't that the CIA of the Philippines?" "A much lesser version, yes," Grierson said. "On the official unofficial paperwork, it's a spy deal. We're going to take care of some of their valuable people who are here, and they're going to take care of some of our valuable people who are over there. The unofficial unofficial deal is that we don't have anyone over there, and the government of the Philippines is going to let us stage our latest espionage attempts into China from their shores. There's a fucking information blackout coming out of China right now, and other than satellite images we've got nothing on what's going on in there." "Okay, hold on," I said. "So am I taking in this Ambassador's daughter as payment for the US Government?" "No, you're taking her in because Kyla Bautista is also secretly a spy who just graduated from the University of Southern California with a degree in dance, and while she was there we suspect she turned at least four different Professors and research assistants into assets for NICA for Intellectual Property espionage. I'm scooping her up and putting her with you because you're so far off the radar that no one would think you're keeping an eye on her, and so that the Chinese can't find her if they figure out what's going on and want some revenge. But most of all, I'm putting her with you because, despite your record and stupid career choices after you left the military, you have the mindset to keep an eye on her without her or anyone else knowing that's what's going on." "This is all well and good, Grierson," I said. "But I've got three women imprinted on me already, one of them by mistake. How the hell am I supposed to add a fourth woman into the mix?" Grierson snorted. "Kid, I got news for you. By this time next year, I'd bet all that money I just put into your bank account that you'll look back and think what a naive question that was." I sighed and shook my head slowly. "What does her father think of her getting matched off like that? Does he even know?" "Oh, he was pissed until he got cut in on an early vaccination as well for his wife, along with his long-time second in command who he's been having an affair with, and his additional American mistress who is very black and very formidable, neither of whom the wife knows about. He seems to think it'll be fine." "Jesus," I sighed, shaking my head. "So what, is the OGA offering to pay me for spy sitting?" "No," Grierson said. "But there is an upside." "What's that?" "Like I said, Kyla Bautista graduated with a degree in dance. If I wasn't too fucking busy being ethical, I'd have just put her in my house. The woman is something else." "That's gross," I said, my face twisting in mild disgust. "It's reality, kid. Game it out; people need to fuck to save their lives. Even before this shit show people put a value on beauty over pretty much anything else. What do you think it's going to be like when the entire country is getting matched up?" "I don't know," I sighed. "That's; I don't even want to think about it." "And that's why they pay me and my people the big bucks," Grierson said. He tapped on the glass partition that separated us from the front seat, and the SUV began to pull over. "I'm not asking you to do anything you wouldn't have anyways. Just keep an eye on her for me, alright?" "Fine," I said. "But if she takes one look at me and asks for someone else, I can't do anything about that. I'm not forcing some woman into this." "Won't be a problem," Grierson said. The SUV came to a stop, and he stepped out. "Grierson," I said, and he turned back. "Miriam said someone pulled some strings to get her assigned where she is. Was that you?" "What?" Grierson raised an eyebrow. "You think I like you that much, kid?" "That wasn't an answer," I said. "Well, if it was me, I think maybe you owe me another one still," he said, then shut the door. Another car had pulled up behind us, which he got into, and it pulled a big U-turn in the middle of the empty street and drove back the way we'd come. The driver of my ride pulled back onto the street and sped up to catch the other SUV in our mini convoy, and I was left to my thoughts. I sighed and opened my phone. I didn't want to think about this Grierson thing. If it happened, then it happened and we'd deal with it. I went to my messages and opened the ones from Erica and Ivy. "Fucking hell," I sighed, looking at the lewd pictures and knowing that Miriam had seen them. "What am I going to do with three women?" Or four? Or more? I was going to need a bigger bed, and quickly. I stretched, feeling several somethings in my back and shoulders pop, as I got out of the back of the nondescript black SUV and felt the gravel of the construction site crunch under my boots. The place was bustling since we'd arrived mid-morning, and I saw more than a few of the workers taking looks over at me and starting to talk to each other. The rumor mill must have been burning hard since Vanessa had gotten carted off in a military helicopter and flown away. First things first, however, was to not unload two vaccinated-but-unbonded women into the middle of a construction site. I flashed a quick thumbs up through the passenger side window at whoever my driver had been; I'd never seen a face or heard a voice; and jogged up to the other vehicle and knocked on the passenger window. Agent Sourpuss rolled it down a moment later, scowling at me from the driver's seat. "What?" "I know you haven't been here for a bit," I said. "But if you drive around to the right over there you'll see our RVs and our little compound. Dropping the ladies off there would probably cause less of a, uh, scene." I could tell she wanted to argue with me but knew I was right. Instead of answering she just stabbed her finger down on the window button beside her and closed it in my face, then pulled the SUV around and headed in the direction I'd pointed. I walked along behind, and we rounded the second big bunkhouse building that was looking just about finished now and headed towards our compound. By the time Agent Sourpuss put the vehicle in park Erica and Ivy were already ducking out from behind the sheets hung between the corner of the RV and the storage container that we'd deemed the 'front door.' Leo and Danielle were right behind them. I wanted to go to my women, but I held myself back and instead opened the rear door of the SUV. Inside I saw that Vanessa was sitting in the middle row bucket seat, and I leaned in and kissed her quickly before offering her a hand down. "Don't go getting all chivalrous on me now, Harri," Vanessa grinned as she accepted my hand and swung out onto her feet. She looked back into the vehicle. "Come on, ladies. Leo's out here waiting for you." The two women, practically swimming in their baggy, hooded coveralls and masked up to boot, unbuckled and started climbing between the seats. I, however, was suddenly a little busy as I was hugged from behind by a small form that could only be Ivy. Beside me, Erica was pulling Vanessa into a hug as well. "I'm so sorry, hon," Erica said, squeezing the shorter woman tightly. "If I'd had any reasonable idea that this would happen,” "It's fine, Erica," Vanessa said, squeezing her back and giving her a kiss on the cheek. "Seriously. We'll talk about it, but I'm Okay with it if you are." "Hey you," I said in the meanwhile, turning at the waist to wrap my arm around Ivy's shoulder and hug her to me. "Hello, mon amour," Ivy sighed. "I missed you." "I missed you too, I've," I said, and leaned down and gave the short blonde a quick kiss. The first of the women had reached the door of the car, and Ivy let me go so that I could offer her a hand down. All I could see of her were her eyes and the skin around them; she was white but tanned heavily, and had soft grey eyes that were flicking around. "Let me help, miss," I said. She accepted, her gloved hand taking mine for a moment to step down, and I ushered her directly towards Leo and Dani. "This is Leo, and his better half Danielle." "Hey," Leo scolded me playfully, giving me a little punch on the arm as he grinned. "Hey, hon," Dani said, pulling the woman into a hug that seemed to surprise her. I turned back and Erica was helping the next woman down; she was white and paler than the first, and had dark green eyes. Soon she was getting the same hugging welcome as the first from Dani, as Leo looked both a little bashful and a little excited. "How about we head in and talk?" Erica suggested to everyone. "Ladies, Leo is my brother so I might be biased, but you're in good hands. And if he ends up sucking, then Dani's got you." "Hell yeah I do," Dani chuckled, nudging Leo with an elbow. "I wouldn't mind getting handled by either of you," the tan woman said through her mask. "God damn, girl. Your tits don't quit." "Thanks for noticing," Dani grinned and winked. She took both women by the hand and started leading them into the compound. "Come on, let's get you two fucked and settled." "Now that's one hell of a welcome offer," the other woman laughed. I laughed a little too, hearing the two as Leo quickly jogged ahead to hold the fabric door open for them. "Seriously, those two are gonna be something else," Vanessa said, shaking her head. "You got to talk with them?" Erica asked. "The whole ride here," Vanessa said. "Their names are Aria and India. Aria seems a little sweeter and the more rational one, while India is a hippy kid from hippy parents. They said they've been girlfriends for three years, and up until last year they 'worked' as sugar babies while Aria was finishing up her master's of communications." "Jesus," Erica sighed with a rueful smirk. "They're going to eat Leo alive."

What really happened that night on Glastenbury Mountain — when something large walked between two tents in the dead of night… and vanished without a trace?In this gripping episode of Bigfoot Society, we sit down with Dave, a retired police detective and lifelong hunter from southern Vermont. Dave shares his chilling encounter from the late 1980s, when he and his brother camped deep in the infamous Bennington Triangle — a region haunted by legends of disappearances, strange lights, and Bigfoot sightings. What they felt walk through their camp changed how they saw the wilderness forever.But it doesn't stop there. Years later, in a remote Adirondack hunting cabin, something strange happened again — screens ripped open 11 feet high, a man waking up outside with the door still locked, lights in the sky, and guttural howls echoing from the treeline.This episode will take you from Green Mountain shadows to Adirondack isolation — where something big is still watching.

(Jul 28, 2025) The Adirondack Hotel, and its commanding view up Long Lake, is one of the Adirondacks' iconic landmarks. The business is changing hands but is staying in the family. We take a tour with longtime owner Carol Young. Also: Business leaders in Northern New York say recent data confirms a summer tourism downturn due to fewer Canadian tourists.

After 25 years of silence, retired forest ranger Carl is finally ready to speak. Not about what he saw—but about what others brought to him. Hikers, fellow rangers, and search-and-rescue volunteers found their way to Carl, each one pale, shaken, and desperate to tell someone who wouldn't laugh. Someone who knew the woods. Someone who might understand.In this chilling episode, Carl opens his personal archive of six unforgettable encounters—stories he quietly collected throughout his career. From a Vietnam veteran relentlessly pursued in the Oregon Cascades in 1974 to a tech-savvy couple whose 2019 hiking trip turned into a viral but quickly buried video, the accounts span decades but echo the same patterns: intelligence, intent, and something just beyond explanation.A deputy sheriff from Kentucky reports what she can only describe as “herding behavior” during a search for two missing hunters.A Colorado ranger finds strange objects left on the steps of his remote outpost. A woman alone in an Adirondack cabin experiences three nights of deliberate, methodical investigation. And a seasoned SAR volunteer recounts a baffling case of a missing hiker who reappeared days later—confused, unharmed, and with no memory of where she'd been.Carl watched these patterns emerge—year after year, region after region. What started as distant glimpses slowly turned into direct encounters. Fear gave way to curiosity.Whatever is out there, Carl believes it's getting closer. More confident. Less concerned with staying hidden.Told with the quiet authority of a man who spent a lifetime in the wild and learned to trust what the trees don't say out loud, these accounts will stay with you long after the episode ends.And next time you find yourself deep in the woods, and that feeling creeps up your spine—that sense that you're not alone—you'll remember this episode. And you'll wonder if it remembers you.

Quaranteam-Northwest: Part 5 Lab work. Based on a post by Break The Bar. Listen to the ► Podcast at Explicit Novels.   Time went quickly, but also seemed to go nowhere at all; only three days after the final demise of the house we'd moved the RVs four times and I decided we needed to figure out something at least semi-permanent. Even a week in the same spot would be preferable to constant movement. The space where my house had stood was now full of stacks and pallets of supplies, and Vanessa had a crew of almost two dozen of her 'gorillas' working to erect what would become the first of a dozen temporary bunkhouses for the incoming construction workers. She still seemed to be the only foreman on site, so I went looking for Vanessa. I found her at the water truck, splashing some water onto the back of her neck as she took a quick break. It had turned even hotter over the week, spring slipping fully into summer, and we were all starting to boil when we were outside. I'd quickly abandoned the feeling of needing to 'dress up' for everyone and I was down to athletic shorts and one of my sleeveless workout shirts; one of the few that were still 'mine' considering both Erica and Ivy had taken to wearing them as well. Vanessa was the boss however and had to set the example for the rest of the crew, so she was still wearing the jeans, long-sleeved t-shirt and her reflective vest of a dutiful construction foreman. "Hey, got a second?" I asked. "Oh, hey Harrison," she said, looking up as she continued splashing water onto the back of her neck. "Sorry I haven't come to check with you and the girls today, we had three more loads this morning of barracks pilings I had to get sorted, and the fucking surveyors are still bitching about not knowing where the sewage lines are going to come onto the property, as if I can fucking answer that question for them or something." "When's your Dad supposed to finally get on site?" I asked. Her father was supposed to be the General Manager of the entire construction project, but so far I had yet to have seen him. "Fuck, a few days still at least," Vanessa sighed. "I'm getting tired as shit of the phone tag." "Well, sorry if this is a big ask and causes you more headaches; any chance we could project ahead a bit and figure out where we can stash the RVs and everything where we're not going to need to move them for a while? Moving everything around is annoying by itself, but I've also noticed some of your guys are spending a lot of time wandering by the RVs whenever the girls are outside." "Fucking gorillas," Vanessa grunted and grimaced. "I mean, on the one hand, I get it; they are either cooped up in the motel or here working. I'm not exactly thrilled with the situation either. But they could keep it in their fucking pants too, ya know?" "Look, if we can find a spot, the way I see it we can use the RVs and Containers to set up a yard for us that's blocked from view. Then we can have some privacy and not feel cooped up in the RVs, and your guys aren't tempted to let their eyes wander," I said. "I figure it's a win-win." Vanessa smiled and patted my arm. "Harri, as long as you keep the fucking indoors, I'll see what I can do about getting you guys some more privacy." "What do you mean?" I asked, suddenly a little worried that Erica and I might have gotten caught at the Willow tree after all, or that maybe a surveyor had wandered up near the Spring without us hearing. "Nothing, nothing," Vanessa said. "I just; you know we can see the RVs rocking a bit, right? And I don't know who it is, but someone over in your camp is a screamer. We can hear her when she really gets going. Once the guys even gave you a standing ovation." "Fuck," I coughed, shaking my head. "I'm sorry. I think it's something to do with the vaccine. I've had more sex in the last four days than I have in the last four years. Honestly, I don't even know how I'm doing it; I ain't old, but I'm not a teenager either." "Well, god bless the vaccine I guess," Vanessa smirked. "And good for you. Just do me a favor and keep it inside the RVs 'till we can get you that privacy. We don't need the entire site shutting down to listen to you fucking your girlfriends." I shook my head again with a self-deprecating smirk. "Um, deal. I hope." That made Vanessa chuckle, and we parted ways for the afternoon. The next day, she came back in the morning and explained the plan she had worked out with the Surveyors and one of the tree-clearing crews. By mid-afternoon, a new swathe of the back end of the hill was bare of trees, and a bulldozer scooped dirt into the holes left by ripped-up stumps. By the time Vanessa left that evening, two of the storage containers had been shifted around by the 'gorillas' and positioned in an L-shape for us in the new location, and Leo and I moved the RVs to form the other two sides of a square. When Vanessa came by the next morning we'd hung up some old, heavy blankets at the corners to maximize our privacy, busted out the lawn chairs and barbecue, and were on our way to turning the space into an outdoor living room. Leo and I even went so far as to rig up an old bell we'd salvaged from the barn on a wooden post with a metal knocker on a string to serve as a doorbell. Erica was the one to answer Vanessa's ring of the bell, and she swept aside the blanket curtain. "Welcome to Casa de Black," she declared. "Jesus," Vanessa said, walking into our new home base. "You guys didn't want to wait, did you?" "Why would we?" Leo asked. "We don't know how long we're going to be living like this, so might as well make the most of it." Leo had decided to make one last addition to our current set-up, and had pulled a loose slab of wood from the container holding all his tools and was carving 'Speak Friend and Enter' into it the makeshift sign with his handheld angle grinder. He'd already been talking about using his torch to burn the wood before giving it a clear lacquer coat. "What can we do for you, Vanessa?" I asked. "Need some breakfast?" "Actually?" Vanessa chewed on the inside of her cheek for a second and peeked back outside the yard. "Breakfast would be fucking great. They're feeding us at the motel, but it's been the same instant oatmeal every fucking morning." "Well, we've yet to have our egg hookup dry out on us," I said. Old Mrs. Branston lived about fifteen minutes down the highway and had been selling eggs to three generations of my family; through the pandemic and quarantine we'd set up a system where I called ahead and she dropped off two dozen eggs at the end of her driveway, and I left a ten dollar bill in her mailbox. "How do you like them? I think I'm getting pretty good at using the grill with a frying pan." We hosted Vanessa for about fifteen minutes as I fried her up some over-easy eggs and some toast to go with it, and she started devouring the first two so quickly that I put another two in the pan for her immediately. While I cooked, she shared the most recent gossip running through the construction crews. "So the latest group to come in said they got tested four times before even leaving the airport," she said around a mouthful. "They were basically flown into Portland, put in little hygienic pods inside the terminals until they'd tested negative all four times, then escorted to military transports. I guess the army is our taxi service or something, and there are members of the national guard currently standing watch at all of the motels. It's kind of fucked up and feels like a prison, honestly. We're not even supposed to mingle outside with each other, despite the fact that we all work together here all day." "Who's feeding you all?" Danielle asked. "Just the people already working out there seems like a lot." "Some catering service is making these prepackaged meals," Vanessa said. "The breakfasts are shit, and the lunches are whatever. The dinners are Okay though; microwavable, and waiting for us when we get off shift." "Have you heard anything else out there about the vaccine?" I asked. "Hmm-Hmm," Vanessa shook her head. "But I mean, I spend my time working." "I'm still not seeing much online," Leo said. "Little whispers on social media, but then it disappears before it gets going." "That's kinda fucked up," Erica said. "We know it's real. The government must be censoring the information or something. "Well, whenever it happens, I don't know what I'll do," Vanessa sighed. "I like working too much, being my own woman. I bring in more cash in a year than almost every other person I graduated high school with, I've been doing it for years, and I don't have any debts. I can't just get tied down to some guy." "You would be surprised, Vanessa," Ivy spoke up. "I am this way too, no? I left home to make my way, and I am happy doing it. But now I am happy here, and am also safe from the sickness. It is not how I saw my life going, but c'est la vie, non?" Vanessa shrugged, and we moved on to some other topics until her radio squawked and she had to run off back to her work. By lunchtime I'd already done another two quick guides into the hills for the surveyors and Leo had gotten his nerd-sign carved out and torched, and he was spray lacquering it outside the yard with a facemask and safety goggles on to cut the strong fumes. He stopped the sprayer when he saw me approaching and stepped away from the sign. "Hey, you able to help me out with hanging this tonight?" he asked me. "Of course," I said. "I gotta help you fly your nerd flag somehow." "Yeah, says the guy with the Lord of the Rings concept art cycling as his desktop screen," Leo rolled his eyes. "It's for my work," I said. "Top-notch inspiration." And then I realized I hadn't opened my laptop in days; not since I'd finished the questionnaire that had led to Erica choosing me. And Ivy for that matter. I hadn't checked emails, I hadn't reached out to contacts. Fuck, I hadn't even sent in my last work-for-hire backgrounds. "Whatever," Leo laughed and punched me in the arm. "Look, when you go in there, just know it wasn't my idea, Okay? I only helped them move the stuff." "What does that mean?" I asked. "You'll see," Leo said cryptically. I ducked through the blanket door and immediately saw what Leo was talking about. Space had been cleared in the center of our sheltered yard for three of the heavy Adirondack deck chairs, and laying in those chairs were Danielle, Erica and Ivy. Each of them was wearing a bikini and were glistening with sunscreen and sweat from the sun as they tanned. They had a Bluetooth speaker playing songs from their phones; I suspected Erica was trying to convince the younger two women of the virtues of mid-2000s pop punk. "Oh, good," Erica said, grinning as she saw me coming into the yard. She lifted her glass. "Um, excuse me, waiter? We could use a top-up, please." I snorted and shook my head, walking over. All three of the women were in two-piece swimsuits, though I suspected Danielle and Ivy's were possibly part of their stripping gear rather than actual bikinis. Both of their suits were more string than fabric and left little to the imagination. Erica's was a bit more conservative, though really not by that much because of her swathe of cleavage. "What are we drinking today, ladies?" I asked. "I made up a pitcher of sangria," Erica said. "It's in the fridge in our place. You would be the absolute love of my life if you were to go get it for us, please?" "I thought I already was the love of your life?" I asked with a smile. "You are," Erica smiled back. "But this will get you to the front of the line for my next life, too. How about that?" "Does that go for all of you?" I asked. "Absolutely," Ivy grinned. "I think I could definitely do worse," Danielle grinned. "But I think Leo might have something to say about that." "Harri can take my brother," Erica chuckled. "Don't worry, Danni. Just sell your future soul to Harri, what's the worst that could happen?" "Fine. My future love life for a refill of sangria," Danielle giggled. I fetched the pitcher and poured for the three women, unable to wipe the grin from my lips as I watched and listened to them bantering back and forth happily. By mid-afternoon, the tanning was over and after a quick fuck in the RV Erica and I were lounging in the Adirondacks, each of us with a sketchbook in hand. "What are you working on?" I asked. "I know you've been as frustrated as I have over the last month." "A tattoo design for Ivy," Erica said, her brow creased as she tapped her pencil against her lips thoughtfully. "Now that I have a future canvas, I feel like I can concentrate again. Plus the sex helps a lot." You laughed and nodded. "Got your creative juices flowing, huh?" "Got all my juices flowing, baby," she grinned at me. "What about you? I've got Ivy, and Danielle wants me to design something for her now, too. What's got you drawing again?" I smiled a little and shrugged. "Just figured out my muse," I said. "And what's that?" she asked. "Come on, don't be shy." I turned my sketchbook around so that Erica could see the portrait I had been sketching of her. She looked at it and blushed, biting her lower lip. "Just the most beautiful thing in the world," I told her. "You know," Erica said. "It kinda looks like you're drawing me naked." "That's cause I'm drawing you from the shoulders up," I said. "Yeah, but would you?" she asked. "Would I what? Draw you naked?" "Or Ivy?" "Are you asking me to draw you like one of my French girls?" I asked. Erica barked out a laugh at the reference and threw her pencil at me. "Yes, maybe I am," she said. "Now give me back my pencil." "You threw it at me," I said, fetching it off the ground. "Come and get it." We ended up in each other's arms and making out, me halfway to taking her back into the RV for round two, when someone rang the doorbell. "Who is it?" I shouted over the wall. "It's me," Vanessa called and ducked through the blanket door without waiting for a response. "Sorry, but we've got a problem," she said. "I think I'm going to need you down at the road again." "Fuck," I said. "Is it Kara?" "It's a lot more than that bitch," Vanessa said. I changed and this time Vanessa drove us both down in her company-branded pickup truck. Erica, having already staked her claim on me in front of Kara in her eyes, decided to hang back and let Ivy finish what I'd started. I was sure sending me away with that picture in my mind was done on purpose. As we were nearing the bottom of the driveway, I could hear the noise of the protest through the closed windows and over the engine of the truck. "Fuck me," I said. "Yeah," Vanessa nodded. The end of the driveway was packed with people, shoulder to shoulder, blocking traffic. They were three rows deep and singing a protest chant. Every single one of them was dressed in bright colors, showing their allegiance to the Band and proudly shouting for all they were worth. Opposing them, about ten feet up the drive, was a slim, single row of burly construction workers just watching the protest happen. "Those guys really can't let themselves get baited," I said. "If something happens, it doesn't matter who said what or what can hold up in court. There'll be big, scary motherfuckers showing up wanting to do some damage and I don't think your boys are ready for that." "I know, I already told them," Vanessa said. "But I'll tell them again. You'd be surprised how much threatening someone's big, fat bonus checks can keep them calm and focused." We got out of the truck and I walked down to the line of workers, rubbing at the stubble on my chin as I considered the protestors. There were easily fifty of them blocking the driveway, and there was already a backup of two flatbed trucks on the highway, plus a half dozen cars that looked more like they just wanted to get by rather than come in. Another thirty or so protestors were strung out on either side of the highway in both directions, holding up signs and doing the organizational things to keep the protestors going. "Pretty good turnout," I said offhandedly. "A lot bigger than last time." "When was the last time?" Vanessa asked. "Five years ago," I said. "Kara tried to sue for an injunction on my father's Will, and about a dozen protestors showed up to the courthouse the day she got shot down." "Any chance they'll get tired and go home?" Vanessa asked. I scanned the crowd and the vehicles parked up and down the highway. I already knew there were about thirty military-age males in the protest, and I could see people opening the backs of vans where I spotted supply caches of water and food. I could also see the determination on the faces of the crowd, and hear the declarations of a couple of different women holding loudspeakers. The rhetoric, and emotions, were ramped up more than usual. The anti-government hate was high, and now that they knew they weren't fighting Me but rather the Government it seemed to steel their resolve. "Not a shot," I said. I stepped forward and the shouting got louder. Likely every single person in that crowd knew who I was, while I had no idea who most of them were. But with every step I took, they shouted louder. Finally, halfway between the lines, they seemed to be at a fever pitch and I just stopped and waited. They kept going for a good five minutes before Kara pushed her way through and walked up to me, masked behind those bandanas again. "I told you this would happen," Kara said over the shouting and chanting. "You didn't think I could do it, but look at us. Look at us, Harrison! We will not let this happen to our land." "Kara," I said loudly. "How do you think this ends?" "Only one way," Kara shouted. "The Feds surrender to our rightful claim, and stop their colonization efforts, and we take back what's ours." "This is dangerous, Kara," I said, gesturing at the crowd. "What?" she shouted back. "I said this is dangerous, Kara," I shouted. "Every person here is in danger." "Are you threatening us?" Kara shouted, playing it up for the crowd behind her. "Going to kill us, like your family has done for generations?" "Jesus fuck," I said, shaking my head. "Kara, this doesn't end the way you think it does. I'm going to pray for you, honest to God." Kara just held up her middle finger at me, pointed her other at Vanessa behind me, and turned and walked away to the cheers of her people. I shrugged and went back to Vanessa. "Yeah, they aren't leaving," I said. "I already called my Dad," Vanessa said. "He's coming down and will want to meet with you." "Sure," I nodded. "If they let him through." About thirty minutes later the protesters were still going strong, and another three flatbeds with either supplies or heavy machinery were backed up on the highway, along with dozens of cars. Vanessa was doing as much as she could to keep her workers at least a dozen yards away from the crowd of protestors; the last thing she wanted was for them to need to get quarantined waiting on a half dozen new tests. Or worse, actually catch something. I did my best to help her juggle phones, calling various General Foremen to get incoming trucks rerouted to staging areas and to keep those that were stuck in the traffic in their cabs or else they couldn't enter the site. Eventually she got a call, spoke quickly and then hung up. "Harri, this might be a big ask, but could you do me a favor?" she asked. "The government paid me a lot of money for my land and doing favors," I said. "But you've gone out of your way plenty for me and Leo and the girls. Favors come free to you, Vee." She rolled her eyes. "Who told you my brothers call me that?" "No one, just felt natural," I chuckled. "I call Erica 'E' sometimes, and I'm sure I'll end up calling Ivy 'I've' at some point." "Alright, well, 'H,'" she said. "My dad is parked down at the edge of the property on the highway and doesn't want to get too close to the traffic. Could you hike out to him and bring him back?" "Sure," I said. I looked up at the sun and then out at the woods. "Um, from here... it's probably faster if I grab an ATV. Would he be squeamish about riding double with me?" Vanessa snorted. "He probably wouldn't be, but he's also got a gut the size of your ATVs so it would be a tight fit." "Alright, guess we're hiking. I can rough it and reach him in about twenty minutes," I said. "I'll take a smoother way back for him, so we'll get here in under an hour." "Got it, I'll let him know you're on your way. Thanks," she said, patting my arm. "Try to take it easy on him, he growls like a bear but he's still my Dad." "Hey, he's the big man in charge. Gotta keep him happy or else I'll find myself with the worst workers for my house, right?" "Very true," she laughed. I started hiking back up the driveway a little ways, and then diverted into the woods, hoping that the protestors would miss that I was skirting away from them. I was very glad I had changed from my lounging around clothes; rough jeans and my hiking boots were a lot sturdier in the rocky bush than athletic shorts and sandals. The raucousness of the protestors was quickly muffled by the forest to a dull roar, and it felt good to get away from them. It was weird. After spending months in isolation with Leo and Erica, we'd been getting used to so many people around again with the workers and adding Ivy and Danielle to our weird little family dynamic. But a crowd like that, all packed together? That was exactly what the quarantine orders were warning against. "Harrison!" My name cut through the muffle of the trees and shrubs, and I turned and saw Kara quickly jogging through the woods to catch up with me. "Kara, what the fuck are you doing? You're trespassing," I said. "So throw me off your land," Kara said, coming to a stop about ten feet from me and putting her hands on her hips. "Oh wait, that's right, it's not your land anymore." I rolled my eyes. "You can take off the bandanas if you want. We're fine this far apart." She did so, pulling them down to hang around her neck. Kara was still as beautiful as the day we'd broken up, though she'd grown up a lot. Where I was such a mix that it was hard to tell I had any Native American in my bloodstream, she had that classic warm skin tone and thick black hair. She'd been taking care of herself well, fit and a little thinner than Erica was, but with a similar strong jawline to my girlfriend. Her lips were as full as I remembered though, and I could almost feel her kissing me again like all those years ago behind the corner of the biology classroom in high school, or laying out in the back of my old beater pickup under the stars. "What's going on, Harri?" she asked me. "I thought we'd at least hit a status quo or something." "Oh, the one where you file a lawsuit against me every couple of years, and the judge shuts you down, but I keep having to rack up legal fees?" "No," she said. "Well, sort of. I thought we were keeping things above board. No games, no gimmicks. Not getting historical." I grimaced. "Well, we did," I said. "So what the fuck?" she said, throwing her arms wide. "What the fuck is all of this?" "Kara, think about it for one fucking second without your prejudice. Imagine I'm not just doing this as a 'Fuck You' from my family tree to the Band," I said. "A week ago I wouldn't have thought any of this would be happening. A week ago I was happily living my life and would have stayed that way straight through the end of the world if I had to. Do you seriously think I've done this on some whim?" "Why, then? What are they doing? What are they offering you?" she demanded. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you," I said. "And even if you did, I think you're too far into this already to walk it back with your people." "Try me," she said. "If you ever cared about me,” "Stop," I interrupted her. "You've used that line twice on me before, Kara. You used it when you broke up with me, and you used it again right after my father died. That line didn't work when I was at some of the lowest points in my life; do you seriously think I'll respond well to that here?" She grimaced, and I saw the realization in her eyes that I was right. That she had used that line before, and it had been pretty fucked up for her to do that. "I'm sorry," she said, and only partially through gritted teeth. "I shouldn't have done that." "Thank you," I said. My heart was pounding in my chest and I felt like I was in combat, just having this verbal sparring contest with her. I fucking hated her, but I also still knew she was the first girl I'd ever loved. The one that had broken my heart. The one that 'got away.' "Just explain it to me," Kara said, trying to be more even about it. "Please." I took a moment to breathe deeply. I wasn't barred from telling her anything. I'd tried to warn her when she'd shown up at the driveway before, but the thought of all those protestors at risk for the virus pushed me over the edge of trying to warn her again. "Kara, the government gave me the choice of accepting a huge payout for the land, or them kicking me out and taking it by eminent domain. Either way, they were going to take it and take it fast. I could either ride it, or die fighting it." "So what are they doing with it?" she asked. "Building homes," I said. "A whole gated community, it sounds like. Part of my payout was housing for myself, Leo and Valerie." "What the fuck? Why do they want a gated community way out here?" she asked. "Worst-case scenario shit," I said. "You mean the pandemic?" she asked. "Are you for fucking serious?" "Serious enough that my house got bulldozed a couple days ago," I said. "Gone. Like it was never even there." "This can't be real," Kara said. "This is absurd." "I told you that you wouldn't believe me," I said. "Well, if you were too much of a cunt to stop them, we will," Kara said, steeling herself again. "We'll have the local news down here by tomorrow, and if the Feds show up we'll have national news coverage by the end of the week." I had to try one more time. "Kara, this doesn't end the way you want it to. You're a dreamer, and I loved that about you when we were teens, but you know the real world doesn't just work like that." Kara narrowed her eyes. "Where are you going right now?" "What does that matter?" I asked. "Because I just followed you out into the woods after your little construction girlfriend was talking to you," she said. "She's not my girlfriend," I rolled my eyes. "Tell her that. She's flirting with you hard enough," Kara said. "I can see her doing it." "Even if she was, what does that have to do with you?" I asked. I knew I'd landed a blow because she got angry again. "Nothing," she said. "But I still want to know what you're doing." "I don't have to tell you that, Kara," I said. "I don't answer to you, I don't owe you anything, and I don't worship the ground you walk on. All I've got to say now is that you should go send all those people home, and hope that you haven't organized some super-spreader event here. For all the shit you've given me and my family, I don't want to see them all dead. I don't want to see you dead." Kara raised her bandanas again. "We're fighting the good fight. We're on the right side of this, Harrison. You're not." She turned and started walking back towards the road. "Fuck me," I sighed, shaking my head. That woman could still push my buttons almost fifteen years later. I pressed through the forest, making for the edge of the property and then diverting towards the road. When I reached it, I found a white and brown heavy pickup identical to Vanessa's idling on the gravel shoulder. The big guy in the driver's seat rolled down his window a crack. "What's up?" "I'm Harrison Black," I said. Another guy got out of the passenger seat and came around, slapping the hood. "Head on back to the motel," he said to the man in the truck. "I'll catch a ride back with my daughter." The guy in the truck nodded and waited for us both to back away before pulling a U-Turn and taking off down the highway. "So, you're the land guy, eh?" the man said, turning and offering me his hand. He was exactly as Vanessa had described; portly to the point of obese, with a gruff exterior that spoke of years handling his business in a rough industry and getting shit done. "I am," I said, taking his hand and shaking it firmly. "Your daughter has been fantastic to work with. Helpful and on task, and she keeps her guys in line." "I have no doubt," he said. "She grew up bossing her older brothers around and got the best of her mother and me. I'm Brent Peters, by the way. I'm sure we'll be speaking every once in a while through this project." "Good to meet you, sir," I said. "And I'm sure we will." I led Brent into the brush and got us through the roughest part until I could get us to one of the more used trails. It got a lot easier for him there, and once he had a chance to catch his breath he seemed to actually enjoy the chance to stretch his legs. He didn't know, or at least wasn't forthcoming, with any more information than Vanessa had been able to give about what was going on, but he did enjoy hearing about the sordid history of the land, my family and the Band. It took a little longer than I'd thought it would to get back to the driveway, Brent needing a couple of breaks, but we made it eventually. Vanessa grinned when she saw her father in a way that made me think she was going to run to him and hug him, but she never made the move. I had to assume that was a hard-trained response from her years working with the man; hugging your pops on a job site would probably lead to taking a lot of shit from your coworkers. Brent quickly got updated on the last hour of developments from Vanessa, and I saw his managerial side take over. Soon the line of construction workers were twenty yards back from the protestors, and he was stride-waddling forward with a medical mask stretched over his face. Kara met him halfway, and whatever they said seemed to go about as well as the talks I'd had with her myself. Again, she ended it by showing off for the protestors by giving him the double-birds. "Well, that went well," Brent sighed as he came back. "You were right, Harrison. They're stuck in. Wouldn't even help us get those trucks room to move or get out of the way of traffic." "She feels like she's got leverage," I guessed. "And they haven't had that on us for years now." "Well, I've officially done what I can," Brent said. "Time to do what every good GM does when shit like this happens." He took out his phone and started walking up the driveway away from Vanessa and me. "What's that?" I asked. "Call the client and tell them to un-fuck the situation," Vanessa smirked. The rest of the afternoon and evening was a long fucking day. There was no good way to get the workers on site off of it, and no good way to get new ones on, so Leo and I ended up walking several groups through the trails to get to the road in places out of sight of the protestors. And since the big crew vans were parked on site, Brent ended up getting access to school buses to come and pick up his guys. The second to last bus dropped off a dozen men who would take over watching the driveway and the protestors overnight; we'd already seen them breaking out tents and lanterns to hold their vigil; and the last bus out had Brent and Vanessa on board. "Client will be by in the morning," Brent said, and winked at me. "Don't you worry, bucko. You hold down the home front tonight, and the cavalry will be here in no time." "You got it," I said. "But whoever is coming, I suggest you make sure they know to take this seriously. The Band is riled up, and now they smell blood in the water. This isn't going away easily." "I'll pass that on to the Lieutenant Colonel," Brent nodded. He shook my hand again and stepped onto the bus. "See you tomorrow, H," Vanessa grinned at me. "Not if I see you first, Vee," I chuckled. She stepped up into the bus and I heard her voice raise immediately. "Alright, you Gorillas. Grab your fuckin' seats and stay there. I swear to Christ if one of you pisses me off, I'll confiscate your fuckin' dinner, got it?" I laughed, and could see the construction workers grinning in their seats as the bus did a three-point turn and pulled away. The sun was getting low when I finally hiked out of the bush and back into view of our little compound. Erica was waiting for me with a smile and a plate of stir fry. "What's the word, Harri?" "They're still down there," I said. "There are some workers keeping an eye on the driveway. Could you throw on a big pot of coffee for me and dig one of the thermoses out of storage?" "Harri, if they've got some of their workers down there, it's not your job to supervise. I'm sure Vanessa and her Dad left someone in charge." "They did," I said. "And I'm not going down there. I'm staying up here." I shoveled the stir fry down, relishing in the spicy kick Erica liked to cook with. Inside our little compound I gave Ivy a kiss, apologizing that I wouldn't be seeing her in bed for the night. Then I went to the storage container closest to my RV. The one with my gun safe. "What's the word?" Leo asked me when he found me. I had a lantern flashlight on and was loading rounds into my father's Model 700. "Jesus, Harri. What the fuck?" I doubted he was commenting on me loading the Remington hunting rifle. We'd used it plenty when we were hunting during deer season; it was a solid, reliable tool. No, I knew he was reacting to the other firearms I had out. My M9 was already holstered on my hip, a copy of my service sidearm that had served me so well through my tour and as an MP, and my DDM4V1 was laid out, waiting for me to do a quick check it was still in good order. "Just taking precautions," I said. I was already trying to get into the right mindset. "What does that even mean? What are you doing?" "There's about a hundred protesters down there, last I counted. More keep arriving," I told Leo, loading the last round into the 700 and checking the safety before setting it down. I fished a handful more.308's out of the ammo box in the safe and fed them into the bandolier shoulder strap for the hunting rifle. "Problem is, they're pissed off. Not just about the construction, but at all the other shit going on right now. And pissed-off people do dumb shit." "So what, you're going to go all Alamo on us?" Leo asked. "For real, Harri. Nothing's going to happen. They're down there, we're up here." "Leo," I said. "I'm not asking you to do anything you don't want to. The Bear shotgun is in my RV. Do me a favor and keep it handy tonight. If I miss something, I'd rather you have it than not." "Harri,” "Dude, just stop," I said. I'd finished with the.308s and started taking apart the DDM4V1 and giving it a quick clean. It was a budget purchase that I'd made prioritizing reliability over flashy shit, and the 'scary one' in my collection when it came to civilians. Erica hadn't even liked the idea of me owning it when we gave her the tour of my firearms and taught her the safety protocols for them. Leo had only ever fired it once. Both of the siblings had said the same thing; 'If you have the rifles and shotguns and the handgun, why do you need a machine gun?' This sort of thing was why I needed it. And it wasn't a 'machine gun.' "I'm not planning, or hoping, to kill someone tonight. If I have to use the DDM4 or my sidearm, something has gotten really fucked," I said. "But I'm also not taking any chances. Sometime tonight, there's going to be people sneaking up into the construction yard to cause mischief, and they aren't going to know the difference between the construction yard and where we're living. Maybe they hear us and they stay clear, or maybe they don't. I'm not taking that chance." Leo watched me cleaning my rifle, and glanced out at the darkening sky, and then back to me. "What should I do?" he asked. A wave of relief washed over me; it had been years since I'd served, and every instinct I had was telling me to do what I was doing, but that civilian part of my brain was second-guessing everything. Leo agreeing told me I was being logical, even if he didn't like it or I turned out to be wrong. "Just be with the girls tonight," I said. "I can handle the yard, you stay with them. Think of it like a shitty tower defense game. If I do my job, you'll never have to do anything." He nodded and left me to my work. Surprisingly, it was Danielle who came to see me next. "What can I do to help?" she asked. Her Australian accent was sounding stronger, the California valley girl part of it dropping with her serious demeanor. "Nothing, I've got it," I said. She'd caught me as I was strapping on my ghillie suit; another item that Leo and Erica had found silly to own considering we didn't need it for hunting deer. It had honestly been more of a gag item in my collection than anything until tonight. "Harrison, I'll remind you that my Dad was military, yeah?" she said. "I grew up outside the city. I know how to work a firearm." I took a breath and looked at her. Even at night, by the light of a lantern, she looked like an elven beauty despite the cutoff denim shorts and zippered knit sweater. "Can you handle a handgun?" I asked. "I've shot the head of an Eastern Brown from ten paces away when it was threatening to bite my dog," she said. "I assume that's a snake?" "A fucking poisonous one," Danielle said. "Alright," I nodded. "Under the passenger seat of my truck is a gun case with my pop's old 1911 and a couple of magazines. Hang on to it for tonight. Try not to freak out Erica or Ivy, and if you hear shots tonight don't let Leo come looking for me, let alone Erica and Ivy. If they leave the RVs it'll just make things worse." "Okay," she said with a serious nod, then stepped towards me, hugged me and gave me a kiss on the cheek. "Thanks." "For what?" I asked as she stepped back. "For being the man I figured you were," she said. "Leo's all mine and I'm happy with that, but like I told you; you remind me of all the good parts of my Dad. I'm glad I have Leo and you around." She left to fetch the pistol, and I finished strapping on the ghillie suit and slung my two rifles over my shoulders and closed the gun safe. When I was finished slamming the storage container closed, I turned around to find Ivy and Erica both looking at me with their arms crossed. "Both of you, huh?" I asked. "Yes, both of us," Erica said. "United front," Ivy said. "Look,” "Shut up, Harrison," Erica said, and then they were both hugging me while being careful around the firearms. "Just be careful." "Extra careful," Ivy said, burying her face into the strings of the ghillie suit in my chest and then immediately pulling back with a wince. "Ugh, this smells terrible." "Yeah, well it's not exactly the sort of thing you clean very often," I shrugged. "Whatever," Erica said and kissed me. Ivy kissed me as well, looking at me with those big eyes of hers with concern. "So you're not going to try and convince me this isn't necessary?" I asked. "Wouldn't do anything except lead to a fight we couldn't win," Erica said. "You're too stubborn not to do it." "And too brave," Ivy added. "That too," Erica smiled sadly. Then she handed me the big thermos of coffee. "Come back to us in one piece." "I will," I said. "Don't worry. But if you two hear anything tonight, if there's any gunfire, don't come looking for me. Just stay in the RVs and hunker down from the windows. If you come looking for me, you'll add more danger and not take it away, alright?" They both agreed, though I could tell Erica didn't like it. I could only imagine her sprinting across the construction yard, bullets flying everywhere, screaming my name as she worried I'd been shot. Hell, she'd probably pick me up and carry me to safety if it were true, but she'd also likely never get to me in the first place if things were that bad. I kissed them both again, then stalked off into the night. I ended up settling into a nook on the side of the hill to the south of the construction yard, with a clear view of about two-thirds of the yard and most importantly the RV compound. I unslung my rifles and carefully positioned myself in a comfortable prone position I was going to be able to manage for a long time. I'd never gone through Sniper training, but I'd picked up enough from my Bootcamp, talking with other soldiers and from movies to know a thing or two; not to mention years of hunting. So I cracked the thermos and took a sip of the hot, strong coffee, and started my watch. I saw them moving through the trees at around 02:30 in the morning down on the east side of the yard near the driveway. They must have skirted around the construction worker picket line and followed the driveway up, but they were still in the shadows so I couldn't tell how many there were, or what they were carrying. The only reason I spotted them early at all was because someone was flicking a flashlight up occasionally. I had the 700 cradled in my arms, and I slowly rolled into position but didn't sight down the scope yet. I didn't have any night vision gear, and while the simple Leopold scope easily gave me the range to tag anything moving down there, I wouldn't know what I was hitting. They stopped at the edge of the tree line, and I could only imagine the nerves they were feeling looking out over the open area. There were seven portables set up holding various offices now, and half a dozen big crew vans that had been left behind for the night along with some of the company pickup trucks. The pilings and supplies to erect the bigger barracks were also looming in the big, open space. "Just take a look and leave," I muttered quietly to myself, willing whoever was down there to not make this worse than it could be. Five minutes went by before a figure began to creep out of the tree line, crossing the rise of the hill and slipping towards the yard. From the distance I was at, I couldn't see them clearly enough other than to tell they were probably wearing a backpack; not a big deal in and of itself, but my training was screaming at me. 'Anything' meant anything. That backpack could hold weapons, or communications equipment, or even an I E D. I sighted in on the figure. It was a man, military age but young. I couldn't see much of his face between the black bandana over his nose and mouth and a ball cap backwards on his head. My finger tightened just a fraction on the trigger when I saw the flash of metal in his hand, but my hesitation saved his life; he was carrying a can of spray paint. He reached what he thought was the shelter of the first building; and it was shelter if he thought a guard was patrolling inside the yard. But I wasn't inside the yard, and instead I was looking at him dead on along the length of the building as he took off his backpack and then turned, motioning back towards the tree line. A half dozen more figures began quickly creeping across the hillside. I had a choice; if that backpack was full of spray-paint and that was all they were there to do, it would be annoying vandalism at worst as long

Preserving Place: Stories Behind the Adirondack Architecture We LoveStep back in time—and into the future of preservation. In this spirited episode of ADK Talks, Jane and Steve sit down with Erin Tobin, Executive Director of Adirondack Architectural Heritage (AARCH), to uncover the unique and fascinating stories hidden in the Adirondacks' historic architecture.From the rustic grandeur of Great Camp Santanoni to the region's Adirondack fire towers and even its forgotten Cold War missile silos, Erin shares how AARCH, through its inspiring work, saves and celebrates the unique buildings that define the Adirondack Park, a testament to the power of preservation and the stories written in wood, stone, and steel.What you'll learn in this episode:The fight to save Great Camp Santanoni—and the Japanese influence that makes it uniqueHow grassroots activism preserved the Adirondack fire towersWhy federal funding cuts threaten historic preservation effortsAARCH's tours, workshops, and hands-on programs—and why they sell out fastErin's pick for a must-see hidden gem: Debar Pond Lodge, a “fjords-meet-Adirondacks” destinationWhether you're a history buff, a preservation enthusiast, or just curious about the stories told in wood, stone, and steel, this episode will change how you see the Adirondacks.Explore the places mentioned:Great Camp Santanoni Debar Pond LodgeAdirondack Fire Tower ChallengeMeadowmount School of MusicDepot Theatre – Westport, NY Adirondack Experience, the Museum at Blue Mountain Lake Seagle Festival Love the show? Rate & review us—it helps other Adirondack lovers find the show!Subscribe for more insider stories about the best people, places, and history of the Adirondacks.Share this episode with someone who loves history, travel, or the Adirondack Park. Let's spread the love for the Adirondacks together!Got a question about the Adirondacks you'd like us to answer on air? Please send it to info@adktaste.com or use the form available at ADKTaste.com.ADK Talks is brought to you by ADK Taste. We provide insight on the best places to stay, shop, eat and things to do in the 6-million-acre Adirondack Park in upstate New York. Visit our website, ADKtaste.com, and sign up for our weekly newsletter.Your questions and comments are invaluable to us. We'd love to hear from you! Please share your thoughts with us at info@adktaste.comMixed & Edited by Next Day Podcastinfo@nextdaypodcast.com

Quaranteam-Northwest: Part 3 Change of Pace, Change of Place. Based on a post by Break The Bar. Listen to the ► Podcast at Explicit Novels.   I'm pretty sure it was only for a moment, but it could have been a couple minutes. When I came to, I was still inside Erica, and still mostly hard. I pulled out and was quickly followed by our leaking mess spilling onto the sheets. Erica didn't move, except for heavy breathing. Then she rolled onto her side, legs coming up into a fetal position, ass pointed back at me. Her messy, cummy twat peeked at me between her legs and butt cheeks. Sitting back on my ass, I blinked a few times and tried to re-center myself until I gave up and fell backwards, breathing hard and looking up at the ceiling. "God damn, E," I said. "That was something fucking else." No response. I rolled over, dragging myself up to lay next to her. "Erica?" Her eyes were closed and she was looking comfortable, if a little cold laying over the sheets. Her lips were moving, and when I got close enough it sounded like she was whispering, "Imprinting," over and over. "That's kinda fucked up," I said quietly, looking at her otherwise still face. She sounded like a computer program reporting on a status. The only thing that kept me from freaking out was the big, contented smile on her lips. I kissed her forehead, trying not to think about quite how fucked up things were, and then I rolled off the bed and stood up. Underwear and pants went back on, and I crossed the hall to the bathroom where I got a wet, warm washcloth and a towel. I returned to the room and carefully wiped down Erica's twat and ass of our mixed fluids, then wrapped her in a towel and picked her up. I carried her down the hall to my room and managed to get her under the covers. I'll admit, I also gave her tits another soft grope, just to convince myself this was all real. God, they're awesome. Leo was out of the house, which on second thought made me realize what I'd just done. I'd fucked his sister, and we hadn't really held back at all. If he and I had been hearing the 'biz' and soft moans of Erica masturbating I can only imagine the sounds that had been coming down through the old wooden timbers of the house. "Fuck," I sighed. Hopefully he had gone out to the workshop before we'd gotten started. It was still the middle of the afternoon so I went back to packing. It was weird, sorting through everything in the house. Also fucking annoying because I didn't even have many boxes to pack with, and I couldn't exactly just run out to the liquor or hardware store to get some. It was strange; I'd lived in the house for much of my life, and I'd lived in it with Leo for the past five years, but I still found traces of my parents and grandparents I hadn't thought about in ages. It had to have been an hour or two later when Leo came back into the house. He had rings of sweat on his t-shirt and looked like he was ready to punch something. "Hey," I said. I was kneeling down in the living room, busy scooping old VHS tapes out from the back of one of the big cupboards. They hadn't seen the light of day in probably twenty years, but I also felt like it was a waste to throw them out. Leo just looked at me from the doorway, kicking off his boots. "That was fucked up," I said. "Yeah, it was," he said. "You know I wouldn't just pump and dump her," I said. Leo twisted up his face in revulsion. "Fucking of course not. Jesus, Harrison. You're not an animal." "So why the fuck would you make her hold on to a high school agreement when she and I might have been good for each other, Leo?" "She told you that?" Leo's face dropped. "Yeah. She did," I said. "She shouldn't have. Not talking about it was part of the deal, too," Leo grunted. He peeled off his sweaty shirt and threw it towards the stairs, then headed towards the back of the house. "Where is she now?" "Upstairs. That's another thing we need to talk about, but I'm not done with this." Leo was pouring himself a drink from the tap. My father had gotten a new well drilled a couple of years before I was born, and then when I hit high school we'd gotten a pump system; I still couldn't believe we'd lived on hand-pumped well water until I was fourteen. Now, with a whole filtration system set up in the back shed we - It doesn't matter. It's all going away. That realization almost shook me out of the conversation. "What's left to talk about?" Leo asked me, leaning on the doorsill from the kitchen. "Leo, I've always liked your sister. This whole thing just... forced the issue. You get that, right? She's not betraying you. I'm not betraying you." Leo didn't answer at first, buying time by taking a drink from his glass before sighing. "Yeah. I know." "So what are you pissed about?" "Dude, she's still my sister. And you're my best friend. That's not how this is supposed to go! She's supposed to meet some guy that I don't really like, but I learn to tolerate him, and we make fun of him together behind their backs and talk about how she could do so much better." "Why is that how it's supposed to go?" I asked. "I don't know, man. That's just; That's how it was with my parents and aunts and uncles. My dad was an only child, but all my mom's sisters settled for mediocre guys. My parents tolerated them, and I got to hear all the family gossip and that's just how it was." "Leo," I said. "That's kind of fucked up that you would want that for Erica." "I don't want it for her, it was just... Look, I hear how stupid and dickish it is, as it's coming out of my mouth, Okay? But now it's going to be you two. He-man and... I don't know. Who's the lady in He-man?" "Dude, I have never watched He-man," I laughed. "Well, whatever. You're you. She's her," Leo said. "By the end of this quarantine bullshit you'll be together and I'll be out." "Leo. You're thinking glass-half-empty here," I said. "Erica and I get together, what else does that mean?" "I dunno," Leo said. "What?" "What does that make us?" Leo blinked. "Brothers-in-law?" He rolled his eyes, but I could see the smirk growing. "Brothers, Leo. Even better than best friends. Better than best friend roommates!" "Fine, fine," Leo sighed. "Okay, there's an upside. Just don't expect me to just... be Okay with you two getting frisky everywhere or something. You can be happy or whatever, just not right in my face, alright?" The sound of a car pulling up outside on the newly-widened gravel driveway crackled through the house. I stood up and headed for the door. "What was the other thing?" Leo asked me. "Something about Erica being upstairs?" "Yeah, yeah," I said, slipping on my sneakers. "She's in my room right now, kinda sleeping but not? This whole Vaccine thing has more to it, dude. Let me figure out what this is first." He grunted, giving me a questioning eyebrow raise and turned back to the kitchen to refill his water. Outside I found the same blacked-out, now dust-covered, town car that had dropped off Erica. The door opened and I blinked hard as a woman I could only describe as a cross between an elf and an angel stepped out of the back seat. She had long, wavy brunette hair and a face that I could only guess had matched up with Helen of Troy, with soft, full lips and wide eyes with a playful spark. She was wearing a simple, baggy white t-shirt that looked like it belonged to a guy my size, and with her slight frame she was practically swimming in it but somehow she made it look like a diaphanous dress. I couldn't even tell if she had anything else underneath it since the t-shirt came down low on her bare thighs. "Hey there," she said, grabbing what looked like a solid camper's backpack from inside the car and walking over to me. When she got closer she only somehow got more beautiful, but I also saw... something. That look in her eye. The way her lips were slightly parted, and she was breathing a little more shallow. "You're Leo?" she asked. She had an accent, but I couldn't place it. "No. Harrison. Leo's inside," I said. She eye fucked me for a moment, took in a breath and breathed it out through pursed lips, then headed past me into the house without another word. "God damn," I said. "Yeah, she's running a little hot," Agent Sourpuss said. She'd gotten out of the driver's seat of the car and came around. "Got the shot at the same time as Miss Lacoste, but it turned out the guy she was originally going to be paired with got infected sometime in the past few days. We found him dead in his penthouse when we tried to drop her off." "Fuck," I said. And not because of the story. The woman had walked up the front steps of the porch, slung her bag onto it and had been stripping off her shirt as she walked into the house. I didn't see anything but bare back and a pair of tight booty shorts painted onto a slim, perky ass, but I was fucking jealous. "How is Miss Lacoste?" The agent asked. "Did the bonding process work?" "Um," I said, shaking my head and turning to the woman. "Uh, yeah. If you mean she didn't really tell us much but made it clear she needed sex, and now she's upstairs asleep in my bed muttering 'Imprinting' over and over." "Good, good," the Agent said. "Working as intended, then." "No," I said, shaking my head. "Not good. I said she's muttering 'imprinting' over and over. What the fuck is up with that?" "Look, Mr. Black, it's a long fucking story. And one you're not cleared for," the Agent said. "I'm sure one day you'll read a book about it or something. For now, just get out of my face. Alright?" "You can't seriously expect people to just go along with this. It sounds like... like,” "Brainwashing?" The Agent asked. Then snorted and started heading back to her car. "I don't have time to hold your hand through this. Like I said, just do what they say and enjoy your new fucking world. We'll be in touch." She slammed the door, the engine turned over, and she peeled out and drove back down the driveway. "What the fuck," I said. "What the fuck? What. The fuck?" I headed back into the house and stopped before kicking off my shoes. "Oh, fuck yes!" the woman shouted. "Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God," Leo yelled. They were upstairs. It hadn't been more than two minutes. I could hear them clearly. Fuck. Doesn't have a problem when it's not his sister, I thought, shaking my head. I went for a walk. I made dinner an hour later, and Leo managed to come downstairs to eat. He mumbled something about getting struck by lightning, but once he'd gotten some food in him he'd shrugged. "I dunno, man. She just walked up to me, holding her shirt, and said, 'Take me up to your room and fuck me.' I didn't even get her name. Now she's doing that 'imprinting' thing and it's freaking me out a bit." "Yeah," I nodded. "Yeah. Erica was doing that too. That lady agent dropped off your girl, didn't want to talk about it, and just said we should do what the ladies tell us." "Hey, that's all fine with me," Leo said. "She can tell me anything she wants. I mean... Harrison. God damn!" We called it an early night and I found myself climbing into bed next to Erica. She was still out of it, but at least she wasn't murmuring anymore. It felt weird, and kind of creepy, to try snuggling up next to her. She was still naked under my sheets, and totally out of it. I ended up putting on an undershirt and gym shorts and managed not to feel like a perv for long enough to fall asleep. The rumble of trucks woke me up, and I met Leo at the stairs as we headed down. He went to start making coffee while I checked outside. Two big trucks were hauling in a pair of trailers onto what had once been my front lawn and workers in bright fluorescent vests were directing them as others set up some concrete blocks. The trailers looked like they were the start of whatever construction HQ was going to get set up. "So it begins," I sighed. We brought out the coffee; it was an entirely different crew of guys, but they didn't have any new information for us. They appreciated the coffee, but when I went in to make more I realized we were running out quickly. Hopefully one of those trailers was going to be a break room for those guys because they were going to drink my wallet dry if it was on me to feed their caffeine addictions. The trailers were quickly set up, and the workers were gone, but a 14-seater van arrived so quickly that I figured they must have passed each other on the driveway. Inside were a solid dozen Surveyors, along with boxes of topographical maps and all sorts of equipment. I couldn't offer them coffee, but they'd come with their own travel mugs. They weren't much for conversation, though they weren't bad men and women; they just had a very large job to do. "We've done what we can ahead of time with the satellite imaging," the Head Surveyor said to me. "But we've got to plan out the development of this entire area in the most efficient building plan possible. They want houses built and livable ASAP." And that was where I came in. That promise I'd made to Agents Grierson and Walters had included my help with the surveying. Now it was time to give the grand tour. "I'll head out with them this morning," I told Leo. "I'll start with the front loop trails down to the highway and back. You want to show them the Arrowhead trail after lunch, and I'll take them up the ridge after that?" "Yeah, works for me," Leo said. "I'll go check on Erica." "Um... maybe I should do that," I said. "Why? Is something wrong?" Leo asked. "No, dude... she's just, uh..." I stammered. Leo's eyes went wide and he clapped his hand over his ears. "Nana nana" he sang, heading back out of the house towards the barn. I checked in on Erica; still asleep. I hesitated a moment, leaning over her in the bed, but went for it and pressed my lips to her forehead in a soft kiss. She mumbled something, pulling the sheets closer to her, and she smiled. It almost kicked my adrenaline, and I could hear my heart in my ears as I walked back down the hallway. When I passed Leo's room I realized that his door was cracked open, and I could see a shapely and naked leg and foot sticking out from his own sheets. I was tempted to peek further, but that feeling of creepiness from last night struck me again and I closed the door instead. I was kicking myself an hour later, deep into the trails with a half dozen surveyors following along and taking notes as I pointed things out and they asked me questions. It was the slowest I think I'd ever walked the trails, and the question kept flaring up in the back of my mind of what I'd missed out on seeing. Leo's girl was living in my head rent-free right alongside Erica, but now I knew what Erica was like; the mystery of what I hadn't seen was tantalizing fodder for a brain that didn't want to think about the overwhelming weirdness of the whole situation. We were back to the house around 1pm, and by the time we'd been gone a third trailer had been set up and there were two more of those big passenger vans, along with a couple of pickups, lined up in a makeshift parking lot. I didn't notice any of it, or the people working, and I didn't even answer the last question one of the surveyors was asking me because I was jogging for the house. Erica was standing there on the porch in low hip-hugging jeans and a tight band t-shirt under one of my unbuttoned flannel shirts. She had a beer in each hand, one opened and half empty, the other cold and sealed. I could see the emotions play across her face for a moment as I walked up quickly, and she opened her mouth to say something but I didn't want to hear a smart remark or a question. I wrapped my arms around her and I kissed her. She kissed me back, her arms crossing behind my neck as she pulled me deeper to her. Her tongue and mine met and teased for a long moment, and I reveled in the feeling of her in my arms. Her chest crushed against me, soft and firm, and her belt buckle pressed into my crotch as she melded herself to me. A whistle, sharp and catcalling, sounded from somewhere behind me and I could feel Erica shift both beer bottles to one hand. I had no doubt she was flashing them the finger with her free hand, and the laughter from the construction workers confirmed it. Eventually we had to stop, and I held her by the waist as our faces pulled away. "Well, I guess that answers most of my questions," Erica smirked at me. "I've got a few of my own, but you're not slapping me so that answers most of mine," I said. She pursed her lips and brought her beer hand down between us. "Leo said you've had a long morning. Up for a nooner?" "God yes," I said. "But I've always had a different definition of 'nooner.'" "What, you think I mean the beer?" Erica asked. "No, baby. I want you to,” "Ahem," a voice interrupted, and I turned to see who had approached us. "Sorry to interrupt." The girl, and I couldn't call her more than that because she looked like she couldn't have been more than twenty-three despite the tattoo across her neck, was wearing a rough sweater and one of those orange construction vests, along with a dinged-up blue hardhat with about dozen peeling stickers on it and her jeans tucked into her steel-toed work boots. She had some vaguely Latina features, mostly in the lips, but was pale where she wasn't tattooed. Erica's arm immediately went around my waist, and I lowered mine to hers as we held each other. "No problem," Erica said. "What can we do for you?" "I'm Vanessa," the girl said. "Are you Harrison Black?" "Yeah, you found me," I nodded. "Alright, cool," she said, looking me up and down. Erica's hand at my waist scratched my side playfully, and I lowered my own from her hip down to her ass, slipping my fingers into the back pocket of her jeans and cupping it firmly. "Well," Vanessa continued, "I'm the Foreman for the general laborers on site right now, and we've already gotten a laundry list of our daily jobs done so I need to start getting my guys into the house." "I'm sorry?" I asked. Vanessa sighed and then smiled in a knowing sort of way. "No one's talked to you about the day or week plans, have they?" "Not really," I said. "I've been out with the surveyors all morning." "Yeah, that sounds about right for this clusterfuck," Vanessa shook her head. "Well, orders are that everything that's currently in this house, and that barn, and anything else on the property that needs to, is hitting those sea cans in the backyard by sundown tomorrow. Demo on this place hits bright and early the next morning and everything not packed up is getting carted the fuck off." Vanessa, it turned out, was a straight shooter. It just took me a second to wrap my head around everything. Erica took charge while I followed along. I'd figured I had weeks, maybe months, before demolition. This wasn't the hurry-up and wait I'd been expecting. This was all hurry, all the time. Leo went out with the surveyors, and I started answering a million questions for Vanessa while she directed five big, burly guys as they began unloading my house into boxes, and hauling those boxes out to a pair of storage containers that had been brought in on trucks and plopped down near the back of the wide clearing that had been the 'backyard' for generations. Erica, I realized, was helping manage me more than anything else. Keeping me on task, keeping me focused. She helped me reminisce quickly a couple of times, helped me make decisions about what actually needed storing and what could get thrown out. I was getting a brand new house, fully furnished, courtesy of my contract. Did I really need the shitty TV stand or the ratty couch sitting on the back porch? No. Did I want to keep my grandmother's freestanding jam cupboard? I couldn't picture it anywhere else other than where it was in the house, I'd never even seen a piece of furniture like it in another house before. But it was an heirloom piece. Was I supposed to keep that? Yes, Erica helped me. Yes, keep the heirlooms, even if they seem odd or silly. Just know what's an actual heirloom and what's not. "You're doing well," she told me, stopping me at the foot of the stairs. "You're a good boss," I smiled, reaching my free hand around to hug her to me. I was carrying a pair of bedside lamps in the other. She frowned and shook her head. "I'm not your boss. And I don't want you to think I'm being bossy, and I definitely don't want you to start thinking of me as some nagging mother figure." I laughed and shook my head. "Never. E, you're just a natural manager. Of people, or situations. I needed a minute, not an hour, and you helped me get on track way faster than I would have without you. Plus," I grinned, and let my hand slide up from around her waist to softly take her tit in my hand and squeeze playfully, "Ain't nothing of a 'nagging mother' about you." She smirked and bit her lip as I squeezed her braless tit a little more firmly. "Well, good," she said, and rubbed the front of my pants. "And thanks for the very weird compliment from my b,” She stopped short, eyes going a little wide. I chuckled and leaned down to kiss her cheek, then her lips. "You can say it. I'd be happy to." "I've never said that so fast before. It hasn't even been a day," she said. "Not officially," I countered. "But we've also been living together for a couple of months. And before that we went on casual group dates. We just didn't know it at the time." She rolled her eyes but her grin was everything to me. "Well, if you put it that way..." I kissed her again. "God, I want to fuck you," I said. "Yes, please," she hummed back. We separated. I watched her walking away, the way her ass moved. The way my shirt hung on her. An hour or so later we'd gotten a lot of the preliminary stuff cleared up, and after a quick conference with Vanessa, we decided that the big guys on her team were probably going to be most useful getting all of Leo's woodworking equipment safely moved out to the storage containers from the barn. I'd helped Leo move all of those heavier tools into the barn over the past five years and each one was a son of a bitch, and we didn't have any forklifts to make it easier. The guys hadn't been out of the house for more than fifteen minutes when I was busy taking old pictures off the walls of the living room while Erica was getting to the ones in the front hall. "Hmm, morning," a warm, honeyed voice said from Erica's direction. "Uh.... hi," Erica said, her tone of voice a little shocked but with a weird cadence. I turned to see who was in the house and nearly dropped a glass picture frame holding a collage of photos my mother had put together of my sister and me. The elf/angel girl, Leo's imprint-person, was wandering into the living room and looking around curiously. She was as beautiful as the first time I'd seen her, and I figured she must have taken a minute to touch up her makeup. She had beautiful, pale porcelain skin, and her wavy chestnut brown hair still had a bit of a messy 'just got fucked' look. She also happened to be completely naked except for a pair of sheer panties that left it very obvious she was shaved to the wood down below. Her tits were so perfect and perky, big enough on her thin frame to look almost fake but somehow still natural; either the best boob job ever or the perfect genetic lottery. Her areolas and stubby nipples, puffed and firm in the cool spring air even in the house, were the same soft shade of pink as her lips. "Hey there," she said, giving me a little smile and a wave. "I think I almost fucked you yesterday, yeah?" I coughed. "Um, no. Definitely not that close." "Hmm," she smiled, looking around the chaos of the house. "Well, maybe not, but I definitely remember wanting to jump your bones. Where can I get some water?" "Through there," I pointed her towards the kitchen. "Hey, we didn't actually meet. I'm Harrison, Leo's roommate." "Oh, right," the woman said, then stepped forward and pulled me into a hug. A naked-lady hug. While I was looking over her shoulder at Erica, who was staring from the hallway door with an expression between utter confusion and the kind of stare I could only imagine a 13-year-old boy would have when looking at this same sight. I made a 'what am I supposed to do?' face at Erica, and slowly hugged the naked woman back with one arm, trying not to think about those perfect tits pressing into my side and chest. "I'm Danielle," the woman said. I was struck again by that strange accent that I couldn't place, elongating some of the vowels and with just a touch of different intonation. "I got told all about you and Leo by that government lady on the way here. I guess I didn't realize you wouldn't have gotten the full story." "Yeah, no. She isn't really one of our biggest fans," I said. Danielle stepped back from the hug, with a warm smile. "This is Erica, Leo's twin sister and my, ah" "Girlfriend," Erica said, stepping forward. She opened her arms and Danielle happily stepped in for a hug with Erica as well. Erica looked at me over Danielle's shoulder and mouthed, 'Oh my God!' "And vaccine partner." "Oh, god," Danielle said, leaning away. "Fuck, I wasn't even thinking about that. Are we supposed to still be careful? We're all vaccinated, right?" "Very vaccinated," Erica said, then looked at me again and smirked. "Very, very vaccinated." "You too, huh?" Danielle asked. "Those orgasms,” "Out of this fucking world," Erica nodded. "Let me get you that water," I said. I left the two in the living room and went to the kitchen, taking a moment to adjust my cock in my pants before fetching a cup. Erica was attractive as all hell, and while I might not have been in love with her yet, I knew I was going to get there and fast. The physical and the personality just synced with us like that. But this girl. Woof. She was that unattainable attractive tier that you saw in movies, or on Instagram. When I was coming back, Danielle was slipping on my flannel shirt. "I'm really fine with it," she was saying. "I like being naked, and I'm a stripper so I'm used to it. Honestly, it kind of turns me on." "Yeah, well there's about twenty construction workers outside right now and I don't think anything is going to get done if they catch a look at you, Dani," Erica said. Danielle laughed and shrugged while she brought the sides of the flannel shirt up and tied them between her tits. I don't think my shirt had ever looked better, and somehow she just effortlessly made it a perfect, teasing shape that hugged her cleavage and slim torso. "You're a stripper?" I asked, offering her the water. "I thought most women in that business preferred 'dancer' or something like that "Hmm, only the ones who are embarrassed about it deep down," Danielle said. She took a sip from her glass. "But I made $300k American last year as a stripper, so why should I care what other people think of me? I'm a businesswoman and entrepreneur, and I work hard to make sure my product is amazing. And my product happens to be stripping off my clothes and making guys cream their pants." I almost choked on my own spit as Danielle casually dropped her tax bracket. "You made that much?" "Oh, you must not be a strip club boy, are you?" Danielle smiled at me. "He will be," Erica said, chuckling. "I will?" "Oh yeah, baby," Erica said. "Half of my best clients are strippers. I'm a tattoo artist, by the way," she said to Danielle, then smirked at me again. "Once the world opens back up, I know some babes who are going to rock your world. I can't wait to see the look on your face!" "Well, it's always nice to find a discerning lady-fan of the art," Danielle said. "Honestly, women always make the best fans. Guys shell out more cash, but women just appreciate us more." The front door of the house opened and Vanessa walked in, stopping as she saw Danielle standing between Erica and me in nothing but my shirt and her panties. "Fuck, sorry," she said, and she looked like she was going to head right back out the door, then re-thought that and stayed where she was. "Um, Harrison, we could use your help out in the barn. Any shot we can get that old tractor running to move the planer?" "We can try," I said. "I didn't need it to plough the past couple of winters since the ATVs did the trick. I'll see if it'll turn over." I left Danielle in Erica's hands; something which both brought chub-inducing pictures to mind, but also just a touch of jealousy considering the open lust my now-girlfriend was showing for her twin's vaccine-fuck-friend. We really need to figure out some terms and definitions, I sighed. The tractor, in fact, did not turn over. It was deader than a doornail. With enough leverage and muscle power, we managed to get Leo's big planer; which he had thankfully already prepped for moving; onto a trailer we used with the ATVs and carefully towed the sucker with two guys on either side to keep it balanced and upright. Vanessa shooed me away after that, telling me to go keep packing up the valuables and let her paid gorillas do the heavy lifting. The big laborers all grumbled good-naturedly at her name-calling, and as I was leaving them I heard one trying, "Me Tarzan, you Jane." "Yeah, and I'll Jane you right in the mouth if you start trying to hit on me, Tarzan," she replied. "I don't shit where I eat, unlike you goddamned animals." Back in the house, Erica was helping Danielle start packing Leo's things up in his bedroom, so I went back to work cleaning out all the corners of the house. The one thing I realized was that I didn't actually need to be neat about anything. The last time I'd moved, when Leo and I had left our place back in Portland and come up to the homestead, half of the bother was cleaning everything up to make sure we got our security deposits back. This place was gonna get knocked over in two days, so what was the point of cleaning? I'd been trying to find time to sneak Erica to somewhere private, and maybe to fool around a bit now that that was part of our relationship, but Danielle was too full of questions. If she wasn't chatting with Erica, she was asking me all sorts of questions about the house, my family, and the deal with the land and the vaccine. I was happy to chat with her as we packed up the kitchen, or while she helped me as I handed her things out from the little root cellar under the house, but that smile and those eyes were hard not to get distracted by. Not to mention the braless cleavage in my shirt and her toned, bare midriff and legs since she only bothered to slip on a pair of booty shorts to complete her outfit. It turned out that Danielle had known about the vaccine longer than any of us by about a day and a half. The Government, whichever agency was running the whole thing, had gotten her contact information from a couple of the strip clubs in Portland where she'd been scheduled to work before the lockdown. Danielle was the kind of girl who took risks, so she immediately signed up to be a Phase 2 tester for the vaccine; Portland was one of three secondary trial locations across the country in 'Phase 2.' She'd asked around once she got tested and entered the Quarantine Hotel, and it turned out most of the women who'd been contacted had been sex workers of one sort or another; strippers, dancers, Only Fans models, high-end call girls, even a few honest to god porn stars. Danielle figured whoever was in charge had decided the sexual nature of the vaccine lent itself more easily to openly sexual people. It seemed... Well, it seemed weirdly logical to me, but also shady as hell. She'd received the same briefing Erica had, which she said had felt more like a meeting selling timeshares in Boca than anything else, had done the questionnaire and then picked a guy out of a list of twenty photos of her top 'matches'. She remembered seeing Leo on that first list but didn't remember why she picked the guy she did. They drove her to a big building in downtown Portland, but she never got out of the car. Her escorts came back about twenty minutes later and told her the guy wasn't a valid partner anymore, and she had to pick again. She got a new list, and Leo was on it. "I can't help but notice you aren't asking about him," I said to her as we were carrying the dining room table across the backyard towards the storage containers, each of us on an end. "You've gotten half my life story at this point. You're not curious about the guy you're, well, imprinted on?" Danielle smiled and shook her head. "Naw, I had my guy pegged the minute I saw him. I have all the time in the world to learn the details, I know what I need to know. He's sweet and boyish, and honest. You should have seen him blush when I walked up and kissed him. Hah! He didn't know what hit him." "Neither would I," I said. "You're quite the woman, Danielle. Leo's a lucky guy." "Well thanks, hun. But I have a feeling you'd know just what to do with me. I could see it in the way you were standing when I got out of that car yesterday." "The way I stand?" I asked. "Oh, for sure. You're a big guy. Muscly, but not a bodybuilder. You have that mountain-man vibe with the longer hair and the beard, but even after a couple of months of quarantine you still keep it trimmed and neat. And your eyes were looking at everything all at once. My Dad had eyes like yours, and he was Australian military back home. A man like you, if he isn't a prick, well... let's just say I've known a couple of gals with guys like you, and they are quite happy." We'd set the table down outside the storage containers and were headed back for the chairs now. "Well, thanks I guess. Hopefully Erica feels the same." "Oh, she does," Danielle smirked. "She may not realize it completely yet, but the way she's grinning to herself when she didn't think I was looking? She does." That little nugget of information made my heart sing. "Sorry if it's a button, but I noticed you said your Dad had eyes like mine. He's gone now?" I asked. "Hmm," Danielle nodded. "Years ago, so don't worry about it. Cancer. I was fifteen and it hit me hard. Mum got a boyfriend the next summer and within six months of that she moved us to California and I finished high school in the Valley. I hated the new guy, and then the guy after that, so I moved back to Sydney as soon as I could and was planning to go to school there. But then I took a job at a strip club to pay the bills, and the rest is history. I've been doing it for five years and did a tour up the east coast of the US last year, so I figured I'd do the west coast this year." "Oh, well, I'm still sorry to hear that. It all sounds tough," I said. "But I guess it's good you found your... calling?" "Hah," she laughed. "Something like that. I'm not like other girls who have specific ambitions. I've just been banking as much money as I can, while I can, and having fun doing it. I'm not looking to go to med school, or become a lawyer or something." We were carrying the last of the chairs, and Danielle was telling me a story about her senior year in high school when Leo came back. It turned out Danielle's accent, a bastard amalgamation of Aussie twang and Valley girl, was the one thing she disliked about herself but she was just plain terrible at trying to fix it and it was because of some traumatic bullying while she'd lived in the Valley. As soon as Leo came out of the mouth of one of the trails, the chair Danielle was carrying was forgotten as she dropped it in the middle of the yard and began sauntering over towards Leo and the surveyors. She looked like a lioness on the prowl, and Leo stopped when he saw her coming. The surveyors, about two-thirds of whom were men, all moved aside to let her past them, watching with big eyes as she stalked up, knocked Leo's baseball cap off his head and molded herself to him as she planted a kiss on him that I could feel searing from across the yard. And she didn't stop. They were kissing a solid thirty seconds, hands wrapped around each other, before the surveyors backed away and came towards me, shaking their heads and grinning. "We need fifteen minutes, then are you ready to head out again?" one of them asked as they got near me. "Sure, sure," I said. "How many are coming out?" "All of us," one of the ladies said. "About... fifteen?" "Jesus Christ," I said, shaking my head. "Hey, big project at speed. Most of the time you pick quality, quantity, or speed. The government wants all three, and they are throwing around the kind of money needed to make it happen right now," the first guy said. "We'll be working like crazy for the next two weeks getting all the info, then another two handing it all off to the developer team, then back on site again to make sure everything is being built in the right place." I headed back to the house to get my hiking gear back on. Danielle and Leo had stopped making out and were talking now, but I could see Leo was holding Danielle's hand while she had her other on his chest, and he was grinning and nodding along with whatever she was saying. I smiled, happy for my friend, and went inside. "Hey," I said when I found Erica upstairs, cleaning out my closets. "I need to head out in about ten minutes on another tour." "Oh yeah?" Erica asked, turning to face me. She was still wearing that tight t-shirt, her sweat from hard work making it stick to her a little more. It cupped under her tits, making them stand out just that touch more, and I could see the bumps of her nipples in the black fabric. "Yeah," I said lowly, and stepped beside her, offering her a hand to help her up. "And Danielle and Leo are out in the backyard talking right now." Erica's eyes lit up as she let me help her up. "Well why didn't you say so?" she asked, and I pulled her in to kiss her, feeling her tits press against my chest. She hummed happily into my lips and slid her tongue across mine. I picked her up without breaking the kiss and brought her over to the bed, and she lifted her legs up to circle my waist and cling to me as I laid her on her back. I was leaning over her and she wrapped her arms around my neck, keeping me close as we made out. "Hmm, I want you," she whispered between kisses. "Yeah?" I asked. "Good. I want you, too." "How bad do you want me?" Erica asked me. "Utterly. Totally. Bad to the bone." She snickered and pulled up her top over her tits, freeing them, and I shifted to quickly mouth over them, kissing as much of them as I could all at once and as quickly as I could. "Ooh, baby, baby," Erica crooned. "God, you make me feel so sexy." "You are sexy," I said, pulling away from her tits and mauling them with my hands as I lifted my lips back to her. "Deadly sexy. Femme fatale. Boss bitch." "You say the nicest things," she laughed. "I'm glad you aren't freaked out by all of this." "Oh, I'm freaked out more than enough," I said to her, pausing our kisses to press my forehead to hers and looking down, meeting her eyes. "The entire world stopped, and now it's going faster than it ever has before, but you Erica Lacoste are enough to make me not care about any of it." She cupped my cheeks with her hands, then ran her fingers through my beard and pulled me down to her, kissing me hard as she kept her eyes open, looking at me through the soulful, hungry kiss. There was a bang downstairs, the back door opening and closing, and we could just hear the muffled sounds of Leo talking with Danielle. "Fuck," I said, as Erica let go of my beard and our kiss ended. "Fuck," Erica groaned. "Fucking Leo." Erica straightened herself out, getting her shirt back on properly and standing back up, while I straightened my hair a moment and pulled it back and then changed into a new shirt. I caught Erica eyeing me up from across the room while I was shirtless, and she didn't even blush or look away. "Yummy," she said and winked. "You're trouble like this," I said with a smirk. "You don't know the half of it," Erica said. "I feel like I've been set free. The only thing keeping me from tearing your pants off is the thought of my brother being in the next room." That made me laugh, and as I got myself together and was ready to head out I kissed her one more time, one hand squeezing her ass and pulling her into me as I held the back of her head with the other. "Ugh, you bastard," she said when we separated. "You keep getting better at kissing me." "Just taking your cues," I said. "Fuck you like I hate you, right?" "Did I say that?" Erica thought. "God, everything yesterday went so fast." "Actually, I think you said you wanted someone to love you, but who fucks you like they don't. I figured that went for steamy kisses, too." "Oh, it certainly does," Erica said, one finger tracing down her boob and nipple over her shirt. "But now I'm going to need to change panties, you bastard. God, you're leaving me here soaking wet." "I prefer to think of you as simmering for later," I smirked, and she scoffed and threw a sock at me as I left the room. The tour with the Surveyors was slow going, but it was late in spring and we had plenty of light left to us. Leo had taken them along a bunch of the lowlands areas, so I took them up the other side of the property, pointing out some of the ponds and a couple of old growth copses of trees. There was a solitary Redwood on the property which they all agreed would be a shame to lose, and I pointed out some other big, ancient trees that served as landmarks. Deep into the hike we reached the Spring Pond, high on one of the rolling hills near the back of the property, and I showed them where I wanted mine, my sisters and Leo's houses to be built. I didn't much care how they organized the lots, but the Spring Pond fed down as a stream into the Nehalem River that bordered the property, and it had sweet, pure water that had been a swimming hole for my family for generations. Other than the old House itself, this was where the Black family had made their mark. It helped convince the Surveyors when I pointed out that my family graveyard, dating back more than a hundred and fifty years, was an acre up the slope overlooking the pond. At the mention of a Native burial ground I could almost see all of them shudder, not in fear of spiritual consequences but of Red Tape. I had a feeling this particular project wouldn't actually care one shit if they came across potential burial grounds, but all of these folks had horror stories of major projects getting stalled for months, or even years, by old bones in the ground. The sun was setting over the hills when I led them back down, having reached the very far edge of the property and pointing out the markers my great-great-grandfather had erected prior to the first World War. It was twilight during the last few minutes of the hike, and despite being veterans of their work I could tell the long day of heavy walking, questions, and note-taking on the move had drained them all. As they left, trudging around the house back to their work trailers to file away their notes, I saw Vanessa just shutting off the light in the barn. "Hey, how'd it go today?" I asked. "Good. Better than I hoped, actually," she said, grinning widely. "How's it going in the house with your wife and... who was that?" "Erica's my girlfriend, and that's kinda new, and Danielle is; well, it's a long story. How's a beer sound?" I asked. "That sounds fucking great, actually," Vanessa said. She checked her watch and then nodded. "I've got some time. I'm technically off shift already, we just don't have any time clocks or anything set up yet. I sent the boys back in the van about fifteen minutes ago, I'll take my truck back to the motel when we're done." I fetche

This week I'm putting the spotlight on another Adirondack organization that work to make the Adirondack Park an amazing place to be. On this Summit Session I sat down with Svetlana from the ADK Community Foundation to talk all about the organization's work as they help working professionals in the ADK community thrive and help other who want to relocate to the ADK community have the opportunity to thrive.From the ADK Community Foundation's Website:Vision for Building Strong Communities across the AdirondacksOur Strong Community Framework — the first-ever philanthropic vision for the Adirondack region — guides our approach to investing in promising opportunities across our five "whole community" focus areas.  In partnership with generous donors and capable nonprofits, we bring all the tools of a community foundation to bear to meet today's pressing needs and build charitable resources for the needs of tomorrow. Visit their website at https://adkcommunityfoundation.org/Join the next GREAT RANGE ATHLETE Team and get in mountain-hiking shape in just 6 weeks from your local gym or your house. Learn more HEREFollow on Instagram & Facebook:@46of46podcast@jamesappleton46Get my books:1.) The Adirondack 46 in 18 Hikes: The Complete Guide to Hiking the High Peaks 2.) Adirondack Campfire Stories: Tales and Folklore from Inside the Blue LineLooking for custom help to improve your both your fitness for hiking, disicpline, and daily habits? Work with James 1-on-1 to become fit for the trail and llife. Book a free strategy call with James to learn more about his 1-on-1 coaching program, SEEK TO DO MORE at www.seektodomore.com Visit my other websites:www.46OUTDOORS.comwww.46OF46.com

Only a true journalist like Ann Berman could make the connection between an Adirondack chair and an obscure half Jewish, part Indigenous entrepreneur from Marquette in Michigan's Upper Peninsula who has been dead for close to 100 years. Sponsored by Modern History Press, Moravian Sons Distillery and  Doc Chavent.     Louis Graveraet Kaufman: The Fabulous Michigan Gatsby Who Conquered Wall Street, Took Over General Motors and Built the Tallest Building in the World is the story of the half Jewish, part Indigenous man from Marquette (1870-1942) who built and ran one of the largest banks in the country, changed the destiny of GM, financed the Empire State Building and built a grand apartment building at 625 Park Avenue.  He was also the builder of some of Marquette's most elegant architecture, including Granot Loma, a 26,000 square foot Adirondack style log and stone lodge on Lake Superior where he entertained celebrities at Gatsby-esque parties and plugged UP agriculture at his ‘gentleman's farm.'  Wildly social and upwardly mobile, he and his family lived Jazz Age lives full of race horses, debutante parties and private rail cars…until a wrong turn brought the whole thing tumbling down and he retreated, defeated, to his beloved Marquette.   Listen in for a chance to win a signed copy of Louis Graveraet Kaufman. Copyright (c) 2025. Emma Blogs, LLC. All rights reserved.

(Jul 24, 2025) Last month, an Adirondack assistant forest ranger died while out on an extended work trip in the backcountry. But his death went unnoticed for days. The incident is prompting calls for better state support and monitoring of rangers while working in the park. Also: The military has paused a plan to cut the North Country's only ROTC program based at Clarkson University after an outcry from lawmakers and residents.

(Jul 21, 2025) Nina Schoch has banded hundreds of loons in the Adirondacks to track their health as their population has rebounded. We talk with the founder of the Adirondack Center for Loon Conservation about the state of loons as she steps away from the organization. Also: School districts across New York have less than two weeks to figure out how to ban smartphones from the classroom.

What happens in the Adirondacks doesn't always start in the Adirondacks—it can flow into our air, water, communities, and climate from coal-fired power plants far, far away from our lakes and forests.In this powerful episode of ADK Talks, hosts Jane and Steve sit down with John Sheehan, Director of Communications for the Adirondack Council, to explore the science, policy, and passion driving environmental advocacy in the largest protected landscape east of the Mississippi.We cover:The origins and mission of the Adirondack CouncilThe threats to air and water quality—and what's being doneHow road salt is quietly degrading lakes, wells, and even washing machinesThe scientific tools used to monitor Adirondack lakesThe Council's support for SUNY ESF's Timbuctoo Institute, connecting students from underrepresented communities to careers in environmental scienceHow you can take action to protect this incredible placeJohn also shares his favorite hidden gem in the park and reflects on decades of conservation wins—and the political battles still ahead.Mentioned in this podcast.The Adirondack CouncilBoreal forestsBeaversBrook Trout GeneticsRoad salt researchTimbuctoo Climate Science and Careers Summer InstituteMinerva and IrishtownIreland VlyLove the show? Help us out by subscribing, rating, and leaving a review! It helps fellow travelers find amazing content about the Adirondacks and brings more adventures your way. Got a question about the Adirondacks you'd like us to answer on air? Please send it to info@adktaste.com or use the form available at ADKTaste.com.ADK Talks is brought to you by ADK Taste. We provide insight on the best places to stay, shop, eat and things to do in the 6-million-acre Adirondack Park in upstate New York. Visit our website, ADKtaste.com, and sign up for our weekly newsletter.Your questions and comments are invaluable to us. We'd love to hear from you! Please share your thoughts with us at info@adktaste.com.

Assine a Brasil Paralelo: https://sitebp.la/bp-rasta-news ___________ SEXTA-FEIRA, ÀS 20:00 - Rasta News As velhas notícias de sempre, com um humor nunca dantes visto na história deste país, apresentado pelo Rasta, com o melhor do seu entendimento.

(Jul 15, 2025) Longstanding ties between North Country and Canadian communities have come under strain during the second Trump administration. A group of Americans and Canadians recently came together to talk about their role in preserving the relationship. Also: A mudslide has closed the popular Adirondack trail to Avalanche Lake.

In this listener-fueled episode of ADK Talks, Jane and Steve dive deep into your Adirondack travel questions, focusing on the Tri-Lakes and High Peaks region: Lake Placid, Saranac Lake, and Tupper Lake. Whether you're planning your first visit or returning for the views, you'll get expert tips on where to stay, eat, shop, hike, and sip like a local.From haunted hotels to hip breweries, hidden donut shops to iconic scenic drives—this episode is jam-packed with insider knowledge and real local recommendations to help you plan a trip you'll never forget.Hear about:Where to stay for both rustic charm and walkable convenienceThe coziest cabins and haunted hotelsThe must-try local pies, diners, donuts, and beersSecret overlooks, beginner-friendly hikes, and scenic bywaysHistoric gems like the John Brown Farm and Olympic sitesWhat to pack for mountain elevation changesWhere locals go for live music, trivia, and tacosIf you've got a wedding in the High Peaks, a fall foliage road trip planned, or just love discovering lesser-known places, this is the Adirondack episode you didn't know you needed.Mentioned in this podcast.Eastwind HotelMount Jo Trail InfoHotel SaranacRaquette River BrewingWhiteface Veterans' Memorial HighwayWhitebrook Dairy BarThe Wild Center – Tupper LakeDartbrook Rustic GoodsNorthWind Fine ArtsAdirondack Artists Guild GalleryAdirondack StoreAdirondack Decorative Arts & CraftsWashboard Donuts & LaundryMirror Lake InnWar Cannon SpiritsRaybrook BrewhouseHex and HopJohn Brown FarmHigh Gorge FallsNoon Mark DinerP-2'sLove the show? Help us out by subscribing, rating, and leaving a review! It helps fellow travelers find us and brings more Adirondack adventures your way. Got a question about the Adirondacks you'd like us to answer on air? Please send it to

Breathe in as you relax into this calming meditation led by Julie Potiker. She completes the meditation with her poem, "Whispers of a Fifth Force".This meditation ends with music allowing you to drift off into sleep.Whispers of a Fifth Force, by Julie PotikerIn Idaho's early morning hush,I settle into the Adirondack chair by the fire pit,fast running river less than a pickle-ball court away,my slippered feet rest on the cool back of a boulder,smooth and steady beneath me.Above, the Aspen leaves shimmer—green coins rustling their soft applausein the mountain breeze.A plump American Robin bounces a spindly branch nearby. Gravity holds me gently,as it always has,the known forces humming their familiar song:electromagnetism weaving light across the sky,strong and weak nuclear threads binding the world within. Resting my head on the chair, I contemplate Far beyond this stillness,Bennu drifts—its ancient body charting paths we can measure,paths we can question.Physicists tilt their heads,listening for the quiet slip of anomaly,searching for a fifth force hidden in the mathematics. So far, Bennu holds its silence.But Apophis approaches—another messenger tumbling closer,another chance to findwhat might have always been there. Since the 1980s they have wondered—Could it be anti-gravity?Could it be quintessence?A hidden thread explaining dark energy, or light dark mattera secret folded into the fabricof everything we thought we knew. I breathe in the pine-sweet air,feel the steady earth beneath my feet,The cool breeze gently touches my face—and in the rustling leaves above,the universe whispers:there may yet be more.-Julie PotikerFind out more about using mindfulness in everyday life through Julie's books, "SNAP: From Calm to Chaos", and "Life Falls Apart, But You Don't have To: Mindful Methods for Staying Calm in the Midst of Chaos". Both are available on Amazon.com.Follow Julie on YouTube and Facebook at Mindful Methods for Life.comThis podcast is available on iTunes, iHeart, Blubrry and everywhere you listen to podcasts.

Breathe in as you relax into this calming meditation led by Julie Potiker. She completes the meditation with her poem, "Whispers of a Fifth Force".Whispers of a Fifth Force, by Julie PotikerIn Idaho's early morning hush,I settle into the Adirondack chair by the fire pit,fast running river less than a pickle-ball court away,my slippered feet rest on the cool back of a boulder,smooth and steady beneath me.Above, the Aspen leaves shimmer—green coins rustling their soft applausein the mountain breeze.A plump American Robin bounces a spindly branch nearby. Gravity holds me gently,as it always has,the known forces humming their familiar song:electromagnetism weaving light across the sky,strong and weak nuclear threads binding the world within. Resting my head on the chair, I contemplate Far beyond this stillness,Bennu drifts—its ancient body charting paths we can measure,paths we can question.Physicists tilt their heads,listening for the quiet slip of anomaly,searching for a fifth force hidden in the mathematics. So far, Bennu holds its silence.But Apophis approaches—another messenger tumbling closer,another chance to findwhat might have always been there. Since the 1980s they have wondered—Could it be anti-gravity?Could it be quintessence?A hidden thread explaining dark energy, or light dark mattera secret folded into the fabricof everything we thought we knew. I breathe in the pine-sweet air,feel the steady earth beneath my feet,The cool breeze gently touches my face—and in the rustling leaves above,the universe whispers:there may yet be more.Find out more about using mindfulness in everyday life through Julie's books, "SNAP: From Calm to Chaos", and "Life Falls Apart, But You Don't have To: Mindful Methods for Staying Calm in the Midst of Chaos". Both are available on Amazon.com.Follow Julie on YouTube and Facebook at Mindful Methods for Life.comThis podcast is available on iTunes, iHeart, Blubrry and everywhere you listen to podcasts.

Big baby news as Colton and Crystal welcomed little Charlotte into the world weighing in at eight pounds one ounce and twenty two inches long with Colton getting hands on experience cutting the cord and helping with deliveryBaby Charlie sparked some hilarious woodworking connections including discovering baby nail rotary tools that work just like Dremels and hospital bassinets that reminded Colton of motorcycle lift workbenchesRoss finally delivered his table from hell project that turned into an absolute nightmare costing him thousands in CNC work and ending with a customer who refused to pay the remaining twenty four hundred dollarsThe infamous table base that Ross absolutely hated looked like a Civil War submarine according to him but the guys actually thought it was pretty cool with its alien spaceship conference room vibeJess returned after missing three weeks due to a back injury that had him laid up followed by the craziest work schedule ever including beautiful shower tile work and refinishing mahogany doors for million dollar condosTrivia time covered everything from coast redwoods being the tallest trees to the Taj Mahal foundations being supported by ebony planks and Sam Maloof being famous for his rocking chairsHistory lesson revealed that Adirondack chairs were originally called Westport chairs and were invented by Thomas Lee in upstate New York but stolen and patented by his buddy Harry Bonnell in nineteen oh fiveFood talk centered around amazing pie preferences with Ross loving strawberry rhubarb Colton obsessing over his Aunt BO pecan pie and Jess perfecting apple pie with cosmic crisp apples and brown sugar crumbleNuggets included Jess planning to upgrade to an eighteen foot custom green trailer for maximum mobile workshop efficiency and Colton sharing how lacquer retarder can save blush damaged finishes without strippingRoss learned the hard lesson about saying no to unrealistic deadlines and last minute projects while Colton discovered that baby crying is just communication and keeping a positive mindset makes all the difference

In this episode, Mark, Brian, Austin, and Bob sit down and talk about essential gear, tips, and tricks for packing for a remote tent hunt. Mark, Austin, and Brian all dump their packs and show what gear and essential items they use to live out of a hot tent during deer season. Learn more about hunting deer, moose and more in the Big Woods, find informative articles and the best wool and gear at https://www.bigwoodsbucks.com Minus33 wool base layers and socks: https://alnk.to/aLIUpax Seek Outside Tents: Use code "BWB" for 10% off of your order at this link https://alnk.to/biuxP3W Big woods land and camps for sale: www.landandcamps.com Grayl water filter: https://alnk.to/4MBtYKl Save 20% on your OnX subscription with code ‘BWB' https://www.onxmaps.com/hunt Hal and the Big Woods Bucks Team's Gear: https://www.bigwoodsbucks.com/Wool Hal's knife: Buck Knife 102: https://alnk.to/eDRDphL  

Adirondack Theatre Festival Producing Artistic Director Miriam Weisfeld joins us with a preview of ATF's remaining shows this season.

Ask us a question, or tell us what you thought of this episode!Have you heard of Anne LaBastille? She was an incredible Adirondack woman who was a certified Adirondack Guide, a scientist, the first woman commissioner of the Adirondack Park Agency (APA), and lived off grid in a cabin. This episode of ADK-Xtra Credit introduces Anne, and tells the story of how she built her home with the help of her friends. Anne's cabin is now in our Life in The Adirondacks exhibit.

Every summer, the quiet charm of Saranac Lake and Lake Placid erupts in a joyful scrum of community pride, fierce competition, and unmatched camaraderie. That's right—it's time for the legendary Can-Am Rugby Tournament.In this episode of ADK Talks, hosts Jane and Steve delve into the heart of this beloved Adirondack tradition with Cameron Moody, the tournament director and lifelong rugby player, who joins us from his deployment with the National Guard in the Horn of Africa.Whether you're a seasoned rugby fan or just rugby curious, this episode is packed with stories, surprises, and reasons to attend the 51st Can-Am Rugby Tournament, happening July 25–27, 2025.In this episode, you'll learn:The grassroots origin story of Can-Am Rugby in the 1970s and how it grew into the largest amateur rugby tournament in the U.S.Why rugby is a “gentleman's game”—and what that really means on and off the pitchHow Can-Am supports local youth sports, scholarships, and community eventsWhat to expect at the Tournament: free matches, family activities, and the return of wheelchair rugbyWhy women's rugby is booming, and what new divisions are debuting this yearCameron's big dreams for expanding the tournament and building youth rugby across New York StatePlus, don't miss the Scrum & Done Lightning Round, where Cameron names his favorite post-match drink (hint: it's cold and comes in a can), the best rugby team names, and the advice he'd pass on to the next generation of players.If you're planning a summer trip to the Adirondacks, this is the tournament to build your weekend around—whether you're a player, spectator, or just looking for something unforgettable and totally free to do in the Tri-Lakes.Links & Resources:

In this special episode of the 46 of 46 Podcast, we head to Old Forge, NY, for the inaugural Forge Quad-Athlon — a one-of-a-kind race that pushes body and mind through four disciplines: bike, hike, paddle, and run. But this isn't just a story about racing — it's a story about community, courage, and everyday people doing extraordinary things.Eight members from the Great Range Athlete and Seek To Do More coaching programs signed up to take on this challenge together. In this roundtable-style conversation, you'll hear from several of them as they share what it was like to take on the course, push their limits, and show up not just for themselves — but for each other.We talk about the power of community accountability, how mindset and preparation made all the difference, and why most people are capable of far more than they believe. If you've ever felt the pull to do more, try something new, or push past your limits — this episode will light that fire.Inside this episode:What it's like to bike, hike, paddle, and run through the Adirondacks in one epic raceHow coaching and community created the momentum for 8 people to say “yes”Why you're stronger than you think — and how to prove it to yourselfJoin the next GREAT RANGE ATHLETE 6-week challenge and get in mountain-hiking shape in just 6 weeks from your local gym or your house. Learn more about the Great Range Athlete Team Program HEREFollow on Instagram & Facebook:@46of46podcast@jamesappleton46Get my books:1.) The Adirondack 46 in 18 Hikes: The Complete Guide to Hiking the High Peaks 2.) Adirondack Campfire Stories: Tales and Folklore from Inside the Blue LineLooking for custom help to improve your both your fitness for hiking, disicpline, and daily habits? Work with James 1-on-1 to become fit for the trail and llife. Book a free strategy call with James to learn more about his 1-on-1 coaching program, SEEK TO DO MORE at www.seektodomore.com Visit my other websites:www.46OUTDOORS.comwww.46OF46.com

Learn about backpacking the Trans Adirondack Route with creator Eric Schlimmer! This rugged 240 mile trail goes through the state of New York and let's just say - some Triple Crowners and Pacific Crest Trail hikers couldn't finish it.Here, Eric gives insight on the trail creation and tips on how to take it on successfully. He'll also talk about some of the lesser known (and less crowded) trails to hike in the US.In this episode, you'll learn:All about the creation of the Trans Adirondack RoutePro tips on how to complete the trail successfully, focusing on the challenges and high pointsThe core of Post Trail Depression & so much more!Connect with Erik:⁠Erik's Website ⁠Help fellow hikers find the show by following, rating, and reviewing the podcast on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠!Connect With THRU-r & Cheer:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Join The Trail Family⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠THRU-r Website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠THRU-r Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠THRU-r Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠THRU-r Youtube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠THRU-r Threads⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Cheer's YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Cheer's Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Episode Music: "Communicator" by Reed Mathis

Episode 254Sponsor:Texas Woodworking FestivalThe premier woodworking meetup with tons of great classes, people, and food! Join us September 13-14 at the Palmer Events Center in Austin, Texas for one of America's biggest and most rewarding woodworking conferences! A Woodworking Trade Show with Tool vendors, tons of educational symposiums and a perfect spot to network with your peers!Get your tickets at:https://texaswoodworkingfestival.com/ Sign up for Patreon for Early access, and special Patreon-only content:https://www.patreon.com/anotherwoodshoppodcastPATREON GIVEAWAY!Donate to Maker's For St. JudeEvery $5 earns you an extra entry in the Patreon Giveaway (Paid Patrons Only)http://fundraising.stjude.org/goto/anotherwoodshoppodcast Whats on our bench:

Assine a Brasil Paralelo: https://sitebp.la/bp-rasta-news ___________ SEXTA-FEIRA, ÀS 20:00 - Rasta News As velhas notícias de sempre, com um humor nunca dantes visto na história deste país, apresentado pelo Rasta, com o melhor do seu entendimento.

This week Jonathan Zaharek is with me to chat all about his new endeavor, Hike ADK. An online platform for all things hiking in the Adirondacks. Download the HikeADK app in the app store now or visit www.HikeADK.com and take advatange of this phenemonal new resource for hikers.Join the next GREAT RANGE ATHLETE 6-week challenge and get in mountain-hiking shape in just 6 weeks from your local gym or your house. Learn more about the Great Range Athlete Team Program HEREFollow on Instagram & Facebook:@46of46podcast@jamesappleton46Get my books:1.) The Adirondack 46 in 18 Hikes: The Complete Guide to Hiking the High Peaks 2.) Adirondack Campfire Stories: Tales and Folklore from Inside the Blue LineLooking for custom help to improve your both your fitness for hiking, disicpline, and daily habits? Work with James 1-on-1 to become fit for the trail and llife. Book a free strategy call with James to learn more about his 1-on-1 coaching program, SEEK TO DO MORE at www.seektodomore.com Visit my other websites:www.46OUTDOORS.comwww.46OF46.com

In this special historical episode of the 46 of 46 Podcast, we go deep into the untold story of the very first Adirondack 46ers—Bob and George Marshall, and their legendary guide, Herb Clark.Step back to the early 1900s and follow the trio's rugged, awe-inspiring journey through the Adirondack wilderness—long before GPS, marked trails, or hiking apps.Join the next GREAT RANGE ATHLETE 6-week challenge and get in mountain-hiking shape in just 6 weeks from your local gym or your house. Learn more about the Great Range Athlete Team Program HEREFollow on Instagram & Facebook:@46of46podcast@jamesappleton46Get my books:1.) The Adirondack 46 in 18 Hikes: The Complete Guide to Hiking the High Peaks 2.) Adirondack Campfire Stories: Tales and Folklore from Inside the Blue LineLooking for custom help to improve your both your fitness for hiking, disicpline, and daily habits? Work with James 1-on-1 to become fit for the trail and llife. Book a free strategy call with James to learn more about his 1-on-1 coaching program, SEEK TO DO MORE at www.seektodomore.com Visit my other websites:www.46OUTDOORS.comwww.46OF46.com

In this episode of the Adirondack Hunt Podcast, big woods hunter and forest ranger Ian Kerr sits down with Mark and Brian to talk about his experiences for killing mature Adirondack bucks still-hunting on bareground in the Adirondacks. Ian also discusses tips for how to incorporate remote hot tenting into your Adirondack hunting game. Learn more about hunting deer, moose and more in the Big Woods, find informative articles and the best wool and gear at https://www.bigwoodsbucks.com Minus33 wool base layers and socks: https://alnk.to/aLIUpax Seek Outside Tents: Use code "BWB" for 10% off of your order at this link https://alnk.to/biuxP3W Grayl water filter: https://alnk.to/4MBtYKl Save 20% on your OnX subscription with code ‘BWB' https://www.onxmaps.com/hunt Hal and the Big Woods Bucks Team's Gear: https://www.bigwoodsbucks.com/Wool Hal's knife: Buck Knife 102: https://alnk.to/eDRDphL

This is the story of the Great Range Athlete CASCADE Team. A group of 21 hikers who came together with the same goals: to impriove their physical fitness for their hiking adventures.This team stretched from Vermont to Alaska and everywhere inbetween. At the end of their 6-week training program we got together in the Adirondack High Peaks for a group hike up Cascade and Porter Mountains in the Adirondacks.This is their story.Join the next GREAT RANGE ATHLETE 6-week challenge and get in mountain-hiking shape in just 6 weeks from your local gym or your house. Learn more about the Great Range Athlete Team Program HEREFollow on Instagram & Facebook:@46of46podcast@jamesappleton46Get my books:1.) The Adirondack 46 in 18 Hikes: The Complete Guide to Hiking the High Peaks 2.) Adirondack Campfire Stories: Tales and Folklore from Inside the Blue LineLooking for help to improve your both your fitness for hiking and your disicpline and daily habits so you can become the strongest version of yourself on and off the trail? Book a free strategy call with James to learn more about his 1-on-1 coaching program, SEEK TO DO MORE atwww.seektodomore.com Visit my other websites:www.46OUTDOORS.comwww.46OF46.com

This week I sat down for Summit Session chat with director, Blake Cortright, who is gearing up for the theatrical re-release of his film "The 46'ers" as it celebrates its 10-year anniversary. We'll discuss the filmmaking process in the High Peaks, and everything about the film and the Adirondacks as the main character.Learn more about the special 10-year anniversary screenings at:www.The46ersFilm.comFollow Along on Instagram & Facebook:@46of46podcast@jamesappleton46Join the next GREAT RANGE ATHLETE 6-week challenge and get in mountain-hiking shape in just 6 weeks from your local gym or your house. Learn more about the Great Range Athlete Team Program HERELooking for help to improve your both your fitness for hiking and your disicpline and daily habits so you can become the strongest version of yourself on and off the trail? Book a free strategy call with James to learn more about his 1-on-1 coaching program, SEEK TO DO MORE atwww.seektodomore.com/vsl Get my books:1.) The Adirondack 46 in 18 Hikes: The Complete Guide to Hiking the High Peaks 2.) Adirondack Campfire Stories: Tales and Folklore from Inside the Blue LineWebsites:www.46OUTDOORS.comwww.46OF46.com

This week I'm diving into to discuss every trailhead you'll use to climb the 46 Adirondack High Peaks and give you all the pertinent info you'll want to know so you get a parking spot along with what mountains you'll hike from what trailhead.Follow Along on Instagram & Facebook:@46of46podcast@jamesappleton46Join the next GREAT RANGE ATHLETE 6-week challenge and get in mountain-hiking shape in just 6 weeks from your local gym or your house. Learn more about the Great Range Athlete Team Program HERELooking for help to improve your both your fitness for hiking and your disicpline and daily habits so you can become the strongest version of yourself on and off the trail? Book a free strategy call with James to learn more about his 1-on-1 coaching program, SEEK TO DO MORE atwww.seektodomore.com/vsl Get my books:1.) The Adirondack 46 in 18 Hikes: The Complete Guide to Hiking the High Peaks 2.) Adirondack Campfire Stories: Tales and Folklore from Inside the Blue LineWebsites:www.46OUTDOORS.comwww.46OF46.com